From 1988 KOMU VNYZ played music that didn't enter the common canons of Ukrainian rock stage of that time. The lyric was complicated, impressive and full of dark romance, that is common for gothic-rock, although even then KV were using some elements of industrial energetic , that become their characteristic feature today. Because of inability to find some standard music term critics in 1991 called this music "urban, industrial gothic". So KV created its own type of gothic rock and their dark-romantic image became the true original image of Ukrainian gothic. In 1990's five men wearing dark dress-coats high leather boots and silver crosses, caring to Ukrainian society their type of underground gloomy philosophy, made their own music revolution. For those who listened to them that was the rebirth and purifying . Andriy Sereda was and is now the unofficial prophet for everyone who lives in real Ukraine. For those whose spirit is not jet sold and mind is not darkened with money and evil forces. In Ukraine and in Canada they were caller "The Dark Cossacks". They were and they are Goths . And they were and are creating the gothic in KV style.

KV - one of the most professional band in Ukraine , if not the only one. Now KV plays gothic rock/industrial mixed with romantic symbolism and ancient traditions, ancient Ukrainian culture and dark renaissance philosophy plus eternal search of whether God whether meaning of life.

Every song has its original root and is usually connected to Ukrainian customs and emits real Ukrainian spirit. The spirit that has almost disappeared because was almost destroyed. The spirit that KV now is regenerating in a great way.

The name and cast of the band didn't change from the beginning. In spite of the complicated and hard fate and specific name (Whom's Down) Cossacks from KV didn't go down, but went upper and upper and took "appropriate" positions in music charts of Ukraine, more precisely didn't take - cause didn't want. And didn't think, that those were "charts". Those are convenient advertisement for commercial pop and alternative. Gothic, industrial or decadence romance didn't match their terms.

But KV never aimed to go up. Go calm, not betraying itself and its principles - this is the Way. Their main goal was always to bring knowledge of hidden side of soul and secret corners of mind of audience to wake it from eternal dream of our life lazy days.

KV participated in more then 40 music festivals and judges couldn't not to distinguish the band, even taking into account their usual problems with authorities and existing ideology, cause KV cares for UKRAINE and MUSIC and not for those who want to earn on these terms.

 

Vitaliy "Stranger" Fedun

 

Band cast

 

Besides the views on principally important for them things, KV keep one more constant - unchangeable cast.

 

Characteristic for KV member from 1988 year

Volodyslav Malyugin (guitar, vocal). Russian.

From the family of military colonizators of Kazakhstan. Inertialy should have become a military man, but emigration to Ukraine destroyed the intention of Russia to have one more knekht.

Date and place of birth: 12 August 1963, Balkhash.

Finished the KIBI, profession - designer. Not married. Doesn't want.

Musician, composer, arrange-man, likes body art and Ukrainian beer. Has elder sister . Knows about karajims. True Ukrainian.

 

Characteristic for KV member from 1988 year

Serhiy Stepanenko (bass-guitar). Ukrainian.

From the family of teachers.

Date and place of birth: 6 April 1964 , Gostomel.

Finished the KIBI, worked as designer.

After divorce has a son - Yurij (nowadays professional football player of junior league).

Presently not married, but has a beautiful girlfriend.

Musician, learns to be a producer, learns to make video montage.

"A man grows with his tasks", - said about such people Klara Pyoltsl's son.

Likes cigars and breasts (women). Orthodox of "Great Berta" (physiologically). True Ukrainian.

 

Characteristic for KV member from 1988 year

Volodyslav Makarov (leading guitar). Ukrainian.

From the family of the most hard-working people.

Date and City of birth- Kyiv, Official date of birth- 1 August 1955.

Multy-proffesional. Effectively worked as a lighter in few theatres. One of the most prominent theater artists, expert of the classics of the worlds music. O.Prymogenov ones marked that "Makarov - regiser of light from God. The things he does know the ones. This is impossible to learn. One should come to Earth with it."

Twice married . From the first marriage - son Dmytro (by the way, Dmytro's voice is fixed by one word in the final of song "Blood" from album "KV" (1991)), from the second - son Georgij.

Musician, composer, has two younger sisters and brother, likes basket-ball. True Ukrainian.

Characteristic for KV member from 1988 year

Eugen Razin (drummer, vocal). Ukrainian.

From the family of the technical intelligentsia.

Was born in Slobidka Shelekhivska, Letychiv, 26 September 1964.

Studied in KIBI, worked in radio industry.

Married, has a son Klym.

Musician, composer, arrange-man. Expert of leather. One of Christ army solders. True Ukrainian.

 

Characteristic for KV member from 1988 year

Andriy Sereda (keyboard, vocal). Ukrainian.

From the family of technical intelligentsia.

Date and place of birth: 1 January 1964 , Kyiv.

Finished theater institute, actor class, worked in theater.

Married, has a son Oleksandr.

Has younger sister, who works as a lawyer, and elder brother Mark.

Musician, composer writes song texts. Likes art rhythmic of Gutenberg. True Ukrainian.

 

Symbolic

 

The greatest achievement of KV creation - as Sereda believes - it's the symbol or the sign of the band, which consists of three components. In the center of composition is so called skolopendra or the small emblem of KV. Here is the trypilian svastics-svarg - symbol of power and movement. The third element - eight ray sun, that symbolizes movement from Darkness to Light. This sign is combination of Past and Present and was created gradually, without tension and has just recently been formed in still unfinished combination.

The sign of the band, the so called "SPIDER" (Spider symbolizes the Sun, for example in Carpathian mountains, on Podillya) has three components:

1.               Five four light sun sign (crosses), united by common vertical line ( five people united by common movement).

2.               Svarga (symbol of Svarog, Ukrainian God of Heaven Flame, (in sanscrit "svastya" or "svastyka")), that diagonally crosses the first paint. Opposite to the embodiment of abstract concept of Higher World in Eternal Movement, this svarg is "converted' ( in Praukraine it was depicted on the strike side of cool weapon), it symbolizes the way from spiritual to physical ( in our case its materialization of fillings, from fantasy to some concrete images). The sign of Concretization.

3.               Four rays finish all composition (one by one between the rays of svarg), that unites the components into graphical reproduction of eight ray Sun (number "eight" in Ukrainian mythology-cosmology is presented by Polar Star - the axis of viewpoint, "eight-corner" Colyad Star).

 

The pathos of plastic auditory is not for Goths. The men in black coats and Cossack boots by their music unite themselves with those who listen to them. The Goths are not for stadiums. The Goths are not for hands and applauses.