EN: Anthology of Ukrainian Depressive Black Metal: from iconic names to the underground. Part 2
The second part of Roman Shevchenko's series on Black Metal from Ukraine, dedicated to the most emotional of subgenre — Depressive Black Metal.
Disclaimer: This material is strictly not recommended for minors and vulnerable people who are currently experiencing deep depression or have serious mental health problems. We recommend that you seek appropriate professional help and avoid viewing this article. Take care of yourself.
In the first part of the anthology we talked about the birth and peak of Depressive Black Metal as a genre. In the second part, we'll talk about the current wave of interest in this genre and the newer representatives of the Ukrainian scene.
The development of social networks has a great influence on the popularization of DSBM nowadays, because despite the amount of available information, loneliness, alienation and depression have not disappeared, but only intensified. More and more adolescents and young adults feel left out of the "active successful life" that is constantly being broadcast as the only correct form of existence. This stimulates them to find solace in music, film, art and other forms of creativity, which become a kind of therapy for them and an understanding that they are not the only ones who have been through this.
On the other hand, over the past few years, we can talk about the formation of a new wave within the genre—young performers have begun to comprehend DSBM in a new way, adding more melody and modern sound to it. This wave has gained special attention thanks to TikTok, where short fragments of tracks with a characteristic emotional load are rapidly gaining popularity among young people who were not previously familiar with the genre.
The most prominent representatives of this trend are the one-man band projects Decalius and Blade & Bath (we have already talked about the latter in this article). These musicians were able not only to arouse new interest in the genre, but also to acquire their own followers. However, let's return to the local context. In recent years, in Ukraine, for obvious reasons, we can also observe an increase in interest in depressive black metal—a lot of new projects in this genre have appeared. Today we offer you to get acquainted with the most interesting of them.
Ezkaton
The depressive/atmospheric black metal project Ezkaton was founded by anonymous musicians in 2018 in Zdolbuniv (Rivne region). The first EP "The Ashbringer" was released.
"The EP is inspired by the slow collapse of the world and the disease of society. Enjoy your loneliness." — the musicians write in the description on their Bandcamp page.
The same year, Wolfspell Records released their debut full-length album "Plague for the Empires: Time".
"For many centuries we have been ruled by empires. Now one, now another. Inducing or forcing us to do terrible things. Time is a plague for every empire. The plague is the cure. Don't let the plague inside you fade away." — Bandcamp.
A little later, the musicians released another EP "Last Breath", which included unreleased tracks from the first album. In 2019, the band released their second album, "Sheen and Misery", via Ashen Dominion. The lyrics on the release are dedicated to the destruction of humanity and the world — the apocalypse.
The band also gave their first live performance at the Ashen Dominion festival in Kyiv.
Music also available at Spotify, Apple Music
The next was the split "Campfire of None" (2020) together with the project Solitude.m (depressive black metal project of the vocalist Ezkaton).
"Actually, this release is about my personal experiences and obstacles that an average Ukrainian may face. "Campfire of None" departed from the concept of the previous and subsequent albums and is an independent and individual album. I was inspired by my homeland, the war and its consequences, the destructive policies of the current government, and many other factors," the musician told our media.
Ezkaton's third full-length album "To Those Who Fell" was released in 2022.
"I chose post-apocalypse as the basis for my own reflections. But the more I wrote, the less interesting this topic became to me. I am more interested in the personal experiences of each person. Every person has a story that is much more interesting than the fictional story of some post-apocalypse. In some songs, I try to look into the future and imagine life after D-Day, so the concept remains. But to a greater extent, I write about my feelings about what surrounds me. Thus, most of the stories are written about my brother who died in the ATO and other acquaintances and friends," — the author of the project's music and lyrics shared with Neformat.
The latest release at the moment is the album "Synaesthesis Monologue", released in 2024.
”The album was recorded during 2021-2024 in the city of Zdolbuniv. The first three songs were written before the full-scale war with russia. After all these events, there was a long pause in the creation of new material. In the end, it was decided to continue working on the album, but it was doom metal music that became the inspiration. Actually, that's why the album turned out to be so diverse, because during the war, the worldview changes a lot—and this is reflected in the music," — the musicians said in the description on their Bandcamp page.
Moon Of The Wind
Moon Of The Wind was formed in 2021 in Anthracite (Luhansk region)
Subsequently, the only member, Artem Golyak (under the pseudonym Darker Sataniar), left the occupation and moved to Lviv.
"The moon is a symbol of the arrival of negativity. And the wind is the current of alienation, the rays of melancholy. The title is about a tendency I have myself. This is the state that suddenly catches you, and you are torn, powerless against this current. Inspired by yourself.
I created the project to pour out my emotions and show my traumas through the prism of abstract metaphors, or, as on my early albums, pure sentimentalism. For me, it's like a personal diary in which I describe my experience. I build complex constructions from different images, different words that were extracted from my past. It can be traumas, self-harm (fortunately, I don't do it now, thanks to the hospital), dependence on a person, difficult life circumstances, etc. Everything is taken, unfortunately, from my own life," — the musician told Occult Black Metal zine.
The first album is called "Mørk" and was released in 2021. It features raw black metal with electronic instruments. The band's second album "Nocturnal Suicide", which came out a year later, showed a shift towards depressive suicidal black metal. The music became much better, gloomier and more depressing, and vocals were added. In the same year 2022, Artem released another EP "A Morning Fade of a Nothing" and the second full-length album "Alone in Painful Down (Depression in Mortification Life)".
Music also available at Spotify, Apple Music
Two more EPs came out in another year — "LEVNADSSÄTT" and "In Waiting For The Forgiven Happiness". Moon Of The Wind's last full-length album at the moment, titled "Soul Through The Broken Paths" was released this year.
"I started experimenting more with other "instruments" and wanted to open the boundaries of my inner perception to open up more to the listener. And suffering requires a lot of energy to record. For example, in "Angels Around The Wounded Me" I conveyed an image that had been in my head for a long time by playing the guitar with a bow. It was also the first time I decided to use an acoustic guitar to express myself. The melodies came from my head", — Artem described this in the same interview.
Also this year, the band released a split "CHILD:OF:ILLNESS" with the Japanese project No Point In Living.
Memories of Ashes
The project was founded by Valentyn Yaremenko (W.) in 2022 in the Rivne region, in the city of Dubrovytsia.
"I was there at the time and I had a need to express my musical abilities in combination with my psycho-emotional state. The lyrics and music are based on the feelings I experience from time to time. The process of creating the material for Memories of Ashes takes place at a time when there are a lot of emotions and, for the sake of safety for my life, I convert it into creativity (in psychology, this is called a compensation mechanism). So, I don't commit suicide, but my critical and depressive thoughts are poured into Memories of Ashes, romanticizing the image of death. This is what I want to feel, but I can't achieve it." — Valentyn comments.
The first therapy release, the EP "Forgotten Life", came out in 2022. In the description on Bandcamp, the musician notes that these are "Emotions that have been tormenting your soul for many years." A little later, he also released his debut album, "Schizophrenia" (2022).
"The struggle in the mind between love, hate, and schizophrenia gives new meaning to the perception and feeling of emotions." — Bandcamp.
Music also available at Spotify, Apple Music
"Melancholic Cold", is the second full-length album by Memories of Ashes, released in 2023.
"Having understood the quintessence of real feelings, it was not difficult to embody them in a musical canvas. This was facilitated by the situation of life, the region in which I am located. The album describes tiredness of reality, frozen feelings, agony. I think I have achieved this atmosphere on the album," — Valentyn told Neformat.
The cover art for the album was created by a neural network based on the lyrics of the songs.
"It was interesting to me how it could describe such depressing human feelings and, in my opinion, it was very successful. In fact, the cover doesn't depict anyone, it's more an image of many years of coldness in the soul and loneliness expressed in the person's gaze. No matter what happens in life, nothing can melt a frozen heart.".
The band's latest release is the album "Life and Death", released in 2024.
"I'm not interested in others understanding me and my work, because it's about my feelings and that's all. Therefore, in future releases, the sound will be dirtier and rawer to drive listeners away. My work is not for the masses," — the musician said.
Monophobia
Monophobia is an atmospheric/depressive black metal project of Vladyslav Horb (drums, vocals) and Danylo Mashtaler (guitars, bass) from Kryvyi Rih. The duo started their activity in 2023, based on common musical preferences.
"The idea of Monophobia is that each of us is unique, not like anyone else, and you shouldn't beat yourself up for something you can't control," — Vladyslav said.
So far, they have released only one 6-song EP "Libre de la Liberté" ("You are free from freedom"), which was released in 2024.
Music also available at Spotify, Apple Music
"The main theme of our album is that no matter how hard it is, no matter how much it hurts, you still need to move forward, never turning back, going to the very end. About internal emotional burnout. At that moment, I wanted absolutely nothing—I was in so much pain that my music became my therapy. "When I scream, I feel better, when I write, I forget about everything"—this was my slogan when I was recording vocals for the release." — musician added.
Vladislav also noted that the guys have plans for further material for the project.
NiceTrip
The one-man band project NiceTrip belongs to Rostyslav Tsurkanovskyi from Vinnytsia. Here's how the musician tells about the beginning of his career:
"I founded my project in the spring of 2023. It was a personal impulse, I just wanted to express my feelings. At first, the lyrics were quite heavy, about self-harm, addiction, inner emptiness, and worthlessness. It was a reflection of my state at the time. The songs sounded like an attempt to deal with myself. And it helped me, as if you were speaking out".
He released the EP "Self-destruction" (2024), the EP "Eternal Depression" (2024), and several singles.
Music also available at streamings
Also in 2024, NiceTrip held its debut concert in Vinnytsia, together with the Odesa-based band Mortui Vultus. At the moment, the project does not have a stable concert lineup, but Rostyslav does not rule out further performances in the future. The project's latest releases are the singles "Nostalgia" & "Gently through the pain", released this year.
"With the latest release, both the sound and the mood have changed. It turned out to be more romantic and melancholic. I'm closer to calmness and softness in music. Now I want to stick to this direction," — comments the musician.
Anhedonia Nocturne
Anhedonia Nocturne was formed in the winter of 2024 in Kyiv by Danylo, the former bassist of the band Angel. After the start of the full-scale invasion, Angel ceased to exist and Danylo focused on his own work. During the existence of Anhedonia Nocturne, several singles and the EP "Dedicated To Nobody" were released.
Music also available at streamings
"I was inspired by the poems of Yakov Savchenko, Osyp Makovei and others. In general, I became more interested in Ukrainian poets—they have a lot of dark atmosphere, which many of us still feel in space and inside. That's why the first tracks were based on the poems of these poets, but then I decided to write something of my own. I won't call them poems — just some of my thoughts. A reflection of myself and my feelings. The war is around, thoughts about the bombed cities and villages of my native land, Donetsk region, and the broken lives of people, my relatives." — Danylo comments.
The musician is currently working on new material.
My Last Promise
My Last Promise is a one-man post-black/depressive black metal project of the Ukrainian artist Haze.
"Unfortunately (or fortunately), I was inspired to create this project by the boundless inner pain. It was impossible to cope with this darkness just like that, and there was no way out... But then I started writing. A lot of writing. Poems, lyrics, prose. And suddenly I realized that music could become this saving force. Without any previous musical experience, I decided to start writing songs in June 2024 while in Vienna. Everything in My Last Promise is performed, recorded and produced by me alone," — says the musician.
Haze began her creative journey with her debut EP "The Only Escape", which was released on July 13, 2024:
"I'll tell you a little secret about the title of this EP: music, it became my The Only Escape. My way to the light from the oppressive darkness. It saved me. And I really want and hope that my work will become a ray of light in someone's difficult life, and maybe save them..."
Music also available at streamings
Subsequently, the split EP "My Wretched Self" was released — a two-single collaboration with the Czech DSBM artist Mourning Angel. Soon, in November 2024, the single "Your Betrayal" was also released.
And finally, on July 13, 2025, in honor of the first anniversary of the project's existence, My Last Promise presented its debut full-length album "A Funeral Of Being".
"I put all my heart and soul into this release. Musically, it's a depressive black metal with elements of post-black and atmospheric black metal. This LP, as I wished, has a higher level of sound and production compared to the previous releases.
This album is not easy. It's not easy at all. And yet, 4 months of daily and nightly work paid off, and "A Funeral Of Being" was created.
Musically, I tried to convey this heartfelt atmosphere, to be close to the listener. I really want my main goal to be conveyed through my compositions as a red thread—to say: "You are not alone in the Abyss. I am screaming with you," — Haze says.
Gruddyam Donyzu
Gruddyam Donyzu is a Depressive/Atmospheric Black Metal one-man project from the Chernihiv region. Its creator is a musician under the pseudonym V.N., who founded the project at the end of 2024.
The debut album "Suffering May Last Forever" and the single "No Name, No Home, No Place to Rest" were released in early 2025.
Music also available at Spotify, Apple Music
Gruddyam Donyzu’s music was never meant for a wide audience or major attention. In fact, the creator’s own inner doubts were one of the main reasons the project emerged — a way to give certain thoughts a clearer, more tangible form for others to grasp.
Very recently, the project released its second full-length album, titled "Neduzh".
Here’s how the musician commented on the release for our media:
“There isn’t any significant direct connection to the first album. Though if you really want to look for it, you can hear and see some links, Neduzh isn’t a continuation or development of the debut.
The cover of Neduzh doesn’t feature a swan but a heron — death in its natural repulsiveness and beauty, in case anyone was wondering.
With this album, I aimed for a depressive, tense, somewhat dirty and noisy sound, slightly hypnotic in its rhythms and simple melodies. More black metal, more DSBM in the overall feel. Genre-wise, it turned out to be a mix of atmospheric and depressive black metal, at times with elements of folk and dark country.
The lyrical theme of the release revolves around doubt, inner struggle, the constant search for one’s place in the world, and death. Self-awareness as an inner ailment that follows you from the beginning of consciousness until the very end.
These were meant to feel like fragments from the lives of several different people; at first there were eight, then it became ten. Like snippets torn from morning diaries, unwritten works, or anxious thoughts in solitude. That’s why the texts and overall sound of the tracks differ.
Although some of Gruddyam Donyzu’s themes may seem ambiguous, their purpose is not to romanticize harmful thoughts, intentions, or actions. On the contrary, it’s a way to feel them, pass through them, reflect, ask questions, and try to find answers.
Whatever your self-doubts may be, no matter how faint your hope for a better future is — keep fighting. You’ll end up dead anyway, but perhaps you still haven’t lived the best moments of your life".
Final
The band Final was founded in January 2024 in Ivano-Frankivsk. It was founded by a group of friends, each of whom had musical experience and the ability to play instruments. They accidentally played together in their then-occupied space, and each of them got the idea to form a band. This moment became the starting point for their musical journey.
The name "Final" symbolizes the end point — the boundary beyond which life gains or loses meaning. This image permeates both the music and the band's concept. When creating Final, the musicians were inspired by both their personal inner experiences and the classics of the DSBM genre. They are close to the themes of extreme emotional state, a sense of loss, and internal struggle.
The only single so far, "Putridum", was the band's debut, which was inspired by the extremely warm reaction of the audience at the first concert.
Music also available at streamings
After the release of "Putridum", the musicians received a number of invitations to concerts, which further inspired them to create. The members are already working on new material, which will be a continuation of both the emotional and musical development of Final. The band is actively performing, so we recommend not to miss their concert in your city.
занепад
There is very little information about this instrumental project on the web-only that it was probably created by Yuriy Popov from Ukraine, approximately this year. The debut album "Gloom" ("Морок") was released in the summer of 2025 and helped the musician himself to get rid of some of his life's burdens.
Here's how he comments on the release on his Bandcamp page:
"This album has come a very long way to its release. At one point I even thought about deleting all the material and forgetting about the idea. However, I restrained myself and just left it to wait for its time. And that time has come. I finally felt the push that I had been missing for several years in a row. And now, the album is here.
It's very dark, sad and underground material. It's hard for me to say what kind of style it is. I would probably say it's instrumental depressive black metal. Yes, you can hear some vocal parts. But there are no lyrics. It's purely emotional amplification of the music. It's all improvisation and just strange, ominous sounds.
Each track on this album carries my pain, fear, anger, and a lot of other experiences (not always negative). This music helped me get rid of some of my life's burdens. I hope that you will feel this music and it will help you in something of yours. Thank you for your attention".
Music also available at streamings
The information in this article is taken from open sources and the Metal Archives website. Special thanks to the musicians who helped create the material.
