Korol i Shut (Король и Шут; King and Jester) is an iconic Russian punk band that existed from 1987 until the death of the band’s leader in 2014. Their sound combined elements of horror-punk, hardcore, folk rock, and also showed a strong influence of rock n roll groups like The Beatles. In 1987, Leningrad classmates […]
Lyapis Trubetskoy (Russ: Ляпис Трубецкой, Belo: Ляпіс Трубяцкі) was a Belorussian band whose sound ranged over their twenty-five year career from punk rock to ska to folk. The band took their name from Il’f and Petrov’s 1927 novel Twelve Chairs (Двенадцать стульев), adopting the pen name of the novel’s main character. Lyapis Trubetskoy started in […]
Tarakany! (Тараканы!) was one of the first Russian punk bands to emerge after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Tarakany!, which translates to “Cockroaches!”, was formerly known as Four Cockroaches (Четыре таракана) until shortening their name in 1997. Tarakany!’s early work is straightforward punk rock in the vein of classic street punk bands […]
Kipelov (Кипелов) is a Russian heavy metal band led by vocalist and composer Valery Kipelov (Валерий Кипелов). Kipelov formed the group in 2002, along with guitarist Sergey Terentev (Сергей Терентьев) and drummer Aleksandr Manyakin (Александр Манякин), after the breakup of their former band, Aria (Ария). Kipelov has made a name for themselves for their massive […]
Epidemia (Эпидемия) is a Russian power-metal band formed in 1993 by guitarist Yuri Melisov (Юрий Мелисов). Epidemia is best known for their concept albums, the three “metal operas” Elven Manuscript (Эльфийская рукопись), Elven Manuscript: Legend for All Time (Эльфийская рукопись: Сказание на все времена), and Enya’s Treasure (Сокровище Энии). Melisov, on vocals and guitar, recorded […]
Aria (Ария) was one of Russia’s first heavy metal bands, and the very first to reach large scale commercial success in Russia. Dubbed the “Russian Iron Maiden” by the media, Aria was at peak success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Aria was formed in 1985 by Holstinin and Alik Granovsky as a side […]
Amatory (often written as [AMATORY] to match their logo; many of the band’s members also have pseudonyms that typically use brackets and all-caps) is a Russian metal group from St. Petersburg. Despite relatively little media exposure, Amatory has made a name for themselves through extensive touring in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. The group’s […]
Seryoga (Серёга) is the stage name of Syargei Parkhomenka (Сяргей Васільевіч Пархоменка), a Belorussian rapper who performs in Russian. He is known as the creator of his own hybrid genre— “Sport Ditties” (“спортивные частушки”)—which combines hip-hop with Russian folk rhymes. Hailing from Gomel in the Republic of Belarus, Seryoga spent five years as a student […]
Pavel Volya (Павел Воля) entered showbusiness as a DJ for the Russian radio station Hit-FM and a VJ on the music channel МУЗ-ТВ (MUZ-TV). In 2003 he became well-known as a regular on the Russian sketch-comedy show Comedy Club, before landing numerous smaller acting roles in movies and TV, most notably the 2009 comedy A […]
Egor Kreed (Егор Крид) is a Russian rap and hip hop artist. Until 2014, he was known as “KReeD” and has also gone by just “Kreed” in the past as well. Egor Kreed knew he wanted to be a musician from the age of 11, when he first heard 50 Cent’s song “Candy Shop”. Born […]
Kasta (Каста) is a Russian rap group originally from Rostov-on-Don, whose core members are the MCs Vladi (Влади), Shym (Шым), Khamil (Хамиль), and Snake (Змей). Exposure to New York’s Wu-Tang Clan in the early nineties prompted them to purchase as many American rap cassettes as they could get their hands on, and to study English […]
Centr (Центр) is a Moscow rap group originally formed in 2004 by MCs Guf (Гуф) and Princip (Принцип), and later joined by Slim (Слим), Little Bird (Птаха), and others. The group’s debut album, Gift (Подарок) was self produced and recorded. Only thirteen copies were made – and were given as New Year’s gifts to friends. […]
