Święto Strzyboga: Radogost + Dymna Lotva + more

17:00 doors
18:00 Zdrawica
19:15 Ariadne's Thread
20:30 Dymna Lotva
21:45 Radogost
23:00 communal feast by the bonfire; exhibitors with stands (jewelry, Viking attributes) will appear

A folk metal celebration of Slavicness at Chorzow's Leśniczówka.

Radogost, slavic metal band from Poland, was formed in 2006 by a guitarist Mussi (Łukasz Muschiol, the creator of the Immemoratus Project), who decided to take the role of the lead singer, and a drummer Łukasz Goszyk. Both musicians had known each other from a metal band, but this time they decided to break the standard conception of metal music by incorporating folk motifs. That’s why Thifall (Jan Musioł), a violin-player, joined the group. In their early lyrics, Radogost invoked legend and myth, cultivating the traditions of the peoples inhabiting the territories of ancient Poland, Czechia and Slovakia. Their latest work turns towards a darker, decadent and surreal atmosphere, inspired by the Dark Romanticism-influenced poetry of Tadeusz Miciński.

The post-black metal band Dymna Lotva was formed as a studio project by composer Jauhien Charkasava and vocalist Katsiaryna Mankievich in 2015 in Minsk. Their bleak palette includes references to DSBM and folk music; the group's lyrics draw on real-life stories, building a portrait of a depressing reality with a documentary-like flair. Dymna Lotva debuted in 2016 with the album The Land Under The Black Wings: Swamp; a year later their second album Wormwood was released, dealing with the Chernobyl disaster. Dymna Lotva became one of the most active touring metal bands in Belarus until 2020, when the musicians' support of anti-Lukashenka protests resulted in a performing ban. Mankievich fled to Ukraine to avoid imprisonment; she met the Russian invasion of the country in Irpin. It was not until late 2022 that the musicians managed to meet again, settling in Warsaw. In 2023, the German label Prophecy Productions released their third and latest LP The Land Under the Black Wings: Blood, a concept album about war and occupation.

The Krakow band Ariadne's Thread attempts a new take on folk music by blending contemporary sounds with the ancient and archaic. The band's work is European folk set in the dark and mysterious, drawing from medieval, renaissance, Scandinavian and Celtic music and incorporating elements of trance electronica and modern metal. They made their debut in 2019 with the EP From the Very Beginning.

Zdrawica is a folk rock band from Jaworzno. Their sound consists of a rhythmic rock base, spiced up with melodic folk-inspired motifs, and a distinctive female vocal. They started playing and creating under this name in 2013. The word "zdravica" refers to an old Slavic ritual, which alludes to the subject matter of the songs – old traditions and beliefs and the relationship between man and nature. In 2022, Zdrawica released their first full-length album, Tak o rzece.