Band:	Yakor
Album:	Русская Готика
Style:	Death doom metal, Melodic doom metal
Release date:	February 2024

01. Середина Hочи
02. Скорбный Лист
03. Русская Готика
04. Сукины Дети
05. Сто Вагонов C Bодкой
06. Поганая Жизнь
07. Лес
08. Дно

Titled Russian Gothic, Yakor’s newest album delivers Russian Kypck!

Finnish band Kypck made a name for themselves by crafting heavy yet melancholic doom metal about the Soviet Union, told via crushing guitar riffs and haunting Russian singing. While understandable, it was also disappointing for many fans like myself when news dropped that Kypck had decided to disband (at least, in their current form) due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But now it's time to celebrate, because we didn't have to wait too long for a successor of Kypck's iconic sound! Russian band Yakor (“anchor”) have entered the fray with their third studio album, titled Русская Готика (“Russian Gothic”). Forgetting the current political landscape and simply focusing on the art form, I don't think it's controversial to say that the Russian language just works together so well with doom metal. I might not understand a single word I hear, but I can definitely pick up on the emotions expressed here. Whether it's sombre contemplation or intimidating contempt, the vocals match the metal genre of despair, defeat, and destruction so perfectly.

I'm not gonna lie, I can't find fault in this album. It's basically got everything a Kypck-inspired melodic death doom record should have. Thunderous riffs, flashy groove, some catchy singalong hymns, and even some intricate guitar solos thrown in to spice things up. While Yakor mainly retain Kypck’s doom influences, they sometimes dive deeper into both melodic death metal and catchy heavy metal styles such as on track 6. The vocals are primarily performed with menacing death metal or funeral doom-like growls, but there's also more sombre singing à la Kypck’s ballad style. The singing here can get quite atmospheric, with some chanting on the title track slightly reminiscent of Batushka’s liturgies and even some female backing vocals on both the first and seventh tracks.

Even the actual lead singer of Kypck, Erkki Seppänen, seems to give his seal of approval, as he performs with Yakor on an alternate version of track 4. Although the vocalist of Yakor can't top that deep, melodious voice of Erkki Seppänen, Yakor seem to be in every other way the perfect successor to Kypck's melodic doom style. Anyways, I wish them much success for their future music-making careers, and I wish you, dear reader, happy headbanging!

Full album playlist: Click here!

Title track of the album as a taste: