Chosen by Monk
Having got all #Grizzly on us with their latest album, released late last year, the Russian metal monsters have turned back the pages of history with this fiery retelling of one of their country’s most famous folk tales, released as a standalone offering to coincide with their latest run of shows, which kicked off in Greece just three nights ago and bring them to these shores in two weeks time…
STP frontman Alex Terrible told me the story behind the song:
Koschei, or Koschei the Immortal, is one of the most iconic figures in Slavic mythology and folklore.
He’s an ancient sorcerer who cannot be killed by ordinary means because his death is hidden outside of his body. According to the legend, his death is concealed inside a needle, the needle inside an egg, the egg inside a duck, and so on – hidden in a place almost impossible to find.
That’s why Koschei represents something far greater than physical immortality. He embodies the idea that the true essence of a being exists beyond the body itself.
Talking about how the epic, 12-minute video, brings the song to life in a stunning cinematic battle in STP’s most ambitious production to date, mirrors both the message and the story, he continued:
The whole song is about the idea that even if you manage to discover how to kill Koschei, his essence, his soul, his energy lives on and is simply reborn into something else.
That’s what this song is really about. It’s about learning, during your lifetime, to crystallize what people call the spirit or the soul, so that when your body dies, you don’t disappear with it. Only your mortal body is gone, while your true essence continues to exist.
It’s also a reminder not to become obsessed with material things during your life, because when you die, you can’t take any of them with you.
- Slaughter To Prevail headline Bloodstock on Saturday 8 August and then play headline shows at SWG3 in Glasgow on Monday 10 August and the O2 Academy in Bristol on Wednesday 12 August.