Batushka Fans Have Launched a Change.Org Petition to Support “True Creator” Krzysztof Drabikowski

Boy, Batushka sure do get a whole lot more press coverage now than they ever did before this whole legal brouhaha, eh? In that regard everyone wins no matter the outcome in the courts: both versions of the band have already gotten a TON more exposure than at any point in the past, even if the reason why is shitty in nature.

Public opinion so far has heavily coalesced around the version of the band led by Krzysztof Drabikowski, the guitarist and primary songwriter responsible for the band’s explosive debut album Litourgiya. Coming into this story with no dogs in the fight and no perceived bias, I’m inclined to agree with those fans: the music is way more consistent with Batushka’s sound than Bart Krysiuk’s is, well, it’s just better, plain and simple.

Now some fans have organized a petition on Change.Org in an effort to rally behind Drabikowski — surely the type of do-gooder cause of the site’s founders envisioned! — by pledging “total support” for the “true and only creator” of Batushka. The petition’s mission statement recaps the story we all know, but there is one bit of info that’s new, to me at least: Drabikowski at some point fired drummer Marcin Beny, which caused resentment on Beny’s part and ultimately led to him joining up with Bart Krysiuk. The devil is in the details, though, and the description declines to reveal why Beny was let go… which seems important, because there may have been a good reason.

Here’s the relevant section:

“Bart Krysiuk is currently presenting himself as the face and leader of Batushka and with the help of the former drummer Marcin Beny, they aim to tarnish the reputation of Krzysztof by presenting a post on his personal Facebook giving his point of view. Marcin claimed that he wasn’t on anyone’s side, but only spoke in favor of Bart Krysiuk, he portrayed Krzysztof Drabikowski as a villain and stated that only thanks to Bart Krysiuk did Batushka see the light of day at all. Krzysztof Drabikowski invited them to become a part of the project during the recordings of Litourgiya and according to Marcin’s statement they had a big part in ensuring that the album wasn’t left forgotten, but had to be released to the public.

“It appears from his choice of words that Marcin has become full of resentment towards Krzysztof Drabikowski for not allowing him to continue as a drummer in Батюшка. There were several reasons behind that decision that doesn’t need to be explained here. We fully acklowledge that Bart Krysiuk has played an important part in regards to marketing the band, booking tours and manufacturing merch for Batushka, but that does not give him the rights to claim the band as his or make claims on the copyrights in such a greedy way.”

This description also paints the most clear picture yet of why Krysiuk feels entitled to the band’s name: he feels he was instrumental in releasing Litourgiya and marketing the band (and, we’re guessing, he contributed financially to those efforts).

You can sign the petition here if you feel like showing solidarity with Drabikowski in public fashion.