Offret 3x

The word offret is Swedish and means ‘sacrifice’; the band Offret is Russian and makes heavy music. The link between the word and the band: a 1986 film in Swedish by the Russian Andrei Tarkovsky.

Dark

‘Songs about the dark side of human nature,’ was once the description on Offret’s VK page – still visible in the headline of this interview (Idioteq, 2017). Nowadays, it has changed to: ‘black metal with dark synths and acoustic soundscapes.’ If you’re curious how that sounds, here are three great options, starting with the latest.

Затмение (Eclipse)

The band from Nizhny Novgorod released Затмение (Eclipse) in 2024, quite a surprise after the silence following Зверь (Beast) in 2020 and Offret in 2017. Праздник (Celebration) is the first single from the new album, the second is the title track. The album is also available on Bandcamp and Spotify.

Праздник (Celebration) (2024)

  Black shadows in the night sky
  Whirl and rustle in a wild dance,
  Lightning bolts tear through the firmament,
  Flashing with copper, they roar and mock.

  The sky was scorched by a glow,
  And the foul smell of sulfur lingered,
  The stars fell to the bottom,
  Boiling in Styx’s steam.
  The sound of drums and trumpets
  Echoes between the rocks.
  In the dark, decaying garden
  The celebration of monsters, the triumph of cripples – rejoice!

  Sing and dance,
  Sing and dance with us.

Зверь (Beast) (2020)

  Among the hot plains,
  While the wind raged and howled
  The sun touched the ugly snouts
  With the golden rays of dawn.
  Rough skin,
  Rotten fangs,
  Instead of hearts, they have
  Stones from the bottom of an African river.

  Thunder beyond the pass,
  And the light steps of nimble feet –
  Your brother and your sister
  Are coming with clubs and stones
  To smash your skulls.

Никто не выйдет отсюда живым (No One Will Get Out Of Here Alive) (2017)

  Neither you nor I, none of us
  Will get out of here alive.
  The gleam and abyss of the wolf’s eyes
  And the determination to see everything through
  Ourselves, ourselves,
  Baring the beastly grin
  Of the human face.

More

More Offret on Facebook and Instagram, and via Linktree.

Offret (The Sacrifice) by Tarkovsky can be watched on YouTube and Bflix. Also see The Beauty Of The Sacrifice (Offret) and Burden of Faith: Tarkovsky’s Final Sacrifice. The image accompanying this piece is a screenshot from the film.

Most of the music here is also in an R1 playlist on YouTube (in order of release).
See also Best Russian Music and Russian Song Lyrics.