Then-named Batushka turned some heads with Litourgiya back in 2015, a deeply atmospheric and twisted venture through something I can only guess is rooted in Eastern European orthodox liturgies, with lyrics in the mysterious Old Church Slavonic language. After that followed a breakup and much drama, and this branch of the dismantled band released the lackluster Hospodi still under the Batushka moniker, before changing their name to Patriarkh and eventually releasing this early in 2025.

Unfortunately for Patriarkh, Litourgiya will forever be the bar they will be measured against, so let's just get out of the way the fact that Prorok Ilja does not match it. That said, this is a welcome step up from Hospodi which I found incredibly boring. Here, Patriarkh follow the same ritualistic path as on previous outings, with a mix of sacral chants, black metal shrieks and pretty good riffs, draped in an ungodly atmosphere provided by various string arrangements and folk instruments, and captivating female vocals that for some reason call Wardruna to mind. The songwriting has taken a leap up from Hospodi. On songs like "Wierzalin IV" and "Wierszalin V," Patirarkh sound more inspired than ever, shifting between blast-beats and bigger, slower, folky passages. They further showcase their versatility on the massive closer "Wierzalin VIII," which is the slowest but perhaps strongest song on this record.

While Prokok Ilja was a nice surprise overall, I am incredibly annoyed by the overlong passages of ritualistic blathering that is littered all over this album. Adding some for atmosphere is fine, but it is overdone and along with the pure folk song "Wierszalin VI," the cleaner stuff disrupts what could otherwise have been a pretty damn good album. Complaints aside, this is an enjoyable album from a band I had more or less written off.