Krovna

Year of foundation – 2024
City – Lutsk (Ukraine)
Language – Ukrainian
Genre – ethnic metal, alternative metal

Krovna is a Ukrainian metal band from Lutsk, created by former guitarist of the metal band MOTANKA Anatoly Zhalnin. The band’s music is a combination of modern metal and mystical elements. Each live performance of Krovna turns into a real ritual, where the spiritual heritage of our people acquires special power.

History of creation

Anatoly Zhalnin, whom listeners know primarily for his work in the metal band MOTANKA, launched a new musical project Krovna in Lutsk in 2024. He was joined by musicians from Lutsk, with whom the artist decided to move away from the already familiar format and build a more dynamic, gloomy and heavy sound.

Over the years of working with MOTANKA, Zhalnin gained significant experience at the intersection of authentic Ukrainian motifs and modern heavy music. This foundation became an important part of the new stage, however, in Krovna the musician sought to develop other artistic and philosophical ideas, creating material with more intense energy and a dark atmosphere.

The new formation also included Pavlo Vesnyanka, the former drummer of Solar Blooms. His musical experience became one of the factors in the formation of the powerful rhythmic foundation of Krovna.

Creative path

The first composition of Krovna was the song "Rodu", which was released in 2025. The track focuses on the theme of continuity between the past and the present, the inner connection of a person with his or her family and the memory of those who lived before him or her. The song is built as a kind of modern musical ritual, in which the image of ancestors is combined with motifs of natural elements and reflections on the need to preserve spiritual heritage.

The sound of "Rod" still echoes the previous work of Anatoly Zhalnin, but Krovna's music immediately demonstrates a different scale of energy - the composition is distinguished by greater dynamics, density and richness of sound.

The band's debut turned out to be surprisingly successful. With only one single in their discography, Krovna received the status of a headliner at one of the largest Ukrainian festivals - "Faine Misto 2025". On the Dark Stage, the musicians presented to the audience not only already known material, but also compositions that had not yet been officially released at that time.

Creative development

In October 2025, the band Krovna presented a new single and video work "Wings". The release was dedicated to the anniversary of the mass shootings in Sandarmos - one of the most tragic pages in the history of the destruction of the Ukrainian intelligentsia in 1937.

"Wings" continued the band's characteristic artistic line, in which modern metal is combined with Ukrainian symbolism, historical memory and understanding of the traumatic past. At the same time, the composition went beyond the direct story about the representatives of the Shot Renaissance. Its content encompasses all the people who continue to work, create, and help others even in times of darkness:

teachers who continue to teach children in shelters;
doctors who work without sufficient rest;
volunteers, soldiers who defend the country;
artists who do not stop creating under fire.

Debut mini-album

In March 2026, Krovna's discography was supplemented by the EP "Shist Vorita Pam'yati". In addition to the main line-up of the band, lyrist Jarko Sebalo joined the work on the mini-album. His instrumental part became an important touch in the composition "In the Eternal Color of Dreams", enhancing its dramatic and emotional impact. Later, the band presented a video clip for this song.

The concept of the release is built in such a way that each song becomes a separate gate, through which the image of the lyrical hero is gradually revealed. That is why the mini-album is perceived not just as a selection of tracks, but as a holistic inner journey.

The new material of Krovna is focused on understanding the past through the experience of the present. The musicians emphasized this idea with the very nature of the sound, organically combining ethnic elements with modern metal music. For the band, tradition does not exist separately from the present - on the contrary, these two layers reinforce each other and help to talk more deeply about self-identity, memory and personal responsibility.

The first release through the eyes of the band's musicians

Guitarist and backing vocalist Oleksandr emphasized the interaction of two time dimensions in the band's work. According to him, the native and modern do not contradict, but complement each other. That is why the musicians consider the mini-album as a way of internal reflection – an opportunity to pull oneself together, survive difficult moments and emerge from them as a more holistic person.

The general idea of “Six Gates of Memory”, according to other participants, is revealed through successive stages of a person’s inner journey. First, there is awakening and establishing contact with ancestral memory. Then comes the realization of the value of life and the need to be in the moment “here and now”. The next step is an insight into the power of even a short human life, which can leave a significant mark

A special place is occupied by the acceptance of the earth as a home and the awareness of personal responsibility for the future. Then the inner journey turns into a kind of confession and purification associated with a meeting with the darkest sides of oneself. The completion of this path symbolizes a new circle - action, light and a conscious calling.

New achievements

In August 2026, Krovna presented a new single and video Berserker, which the musicians themselves call the hardest, darkest and most aggressive work in their discography. The title of the composition refers to the image of the legendary berserkers - warriors known for their uncontrolled rage during battle. However, in Krovna's interpretation, the main battle takes place not on the battlefield, but inside the person himself. It is about the conflict between the true personality and fears, imposed expectations, aggression and rejection of one's own nature.

At the same time, the band deliberately does not impose a single way of reading the composition on the listener. Berserker allows for different interpretations and can be perceived as a story about fear of a repressed part of oneself, an attempt to escape from it, growing up, aggressiveness, self-denial or a vicious circle of hatred.

One of the central motifs of the track is the idea of an internal "monster", which a person often calls the part of himself that most needs acceptance. Trying to destroy it does not make a person stronger - on the contrary, it leads to a loss of internal integrity. It is this psychological conflict that gives Berserker a special tension.

Musical style

Krovna's musical style is formed at the intersection of heavy metal sound, Ukrainian folklore tradition and mystical atmosphere. The band constantly returns to the theme of connection with ancestors, ancestral memory, ritual and the living force of tradition.

The basis of the sound is created by dense guitar riffs, an aggressive rhythm section and extreme vocal techniques. At the same time, modern heavy music does not push authentic elements to the background. On the contrary, they are organically woven into the compositions and form the characteristic sound balance of the band.

Krovna acquires a special sound thanks to the use of traditional folk instruments. Among them, the wheel lyre occupies a special place, whose timbre adds gloomy, archaic shades to the music. It is this combination of heavy guitars, extreme vocals and ethnic texture that helps the band create its own atmosphere, which can be described as a kind of "dark mystery".

Song themes

The focus of Krovna's authorial attention is genetic memory, a connection with ancestors and spiritual invincibility. In the lyrics, the musicians turn to Ukrainian archetypes, traditions and dramatic pages of national history. One of these historical layers is the era of the Shot Renaissance, which receives a new interpretation in the band's work.

For Krovna, a composition is not just a song in the usual sense. Each track is positioned as a kind of musical ritual capable of drawing the listener to his inner strength. Through the memory of roots, the feeling of blood ties between generations, and the confrontation of light and darkness, the band builds its own system of images and meanings.

Civic position

The members of Krovna regularly direct the profits from their performances to the needs of the Ukrainian military. In particular, during a performance within the framework of the special project "Zagrava", the band announced a fundraiser for the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the Azov Military District. The musicians also held a series of solo concerts, all the profits from which were transferred to support the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR MO).

The musicians define their civic stance as uncompromising when it comes to popularizing Ukrainian culture in the language of the heavy scene. Krovna uses metal as a tool to appeal to national memory, tradition, and contemporary Ukrainian experience, while simultaneously countering hostile imperial narratives.

Social activism

The social dimension of the band's work is connected with the psychological support of society. Through heavy music, historical images, and themes of inner strength, Krovna speaks of the ability to persevere, preserve one's own identity, and not lose touch with one's roots even during the most difficult times.