Folk-metal Motanka and legendary kobzar Taras Kompanychenko recorded a 9-minute synthesis of metal + traditional Cossack duma. Release 14 October 2026 — Defender of Ukraine Day.
Motanka and Taras Kompanychenko (legendary Ukrainian kobzar, leader of 'Khoreia Kozatska' — see separate PR5 news) released a joint 9-minute single 'Cossack Brass' on 14 October 2026 — Defender of Ukraine Day. This is the first folk-metal band collaboration with an acoustic kobzar-musicologist in the Ukrainian metal scene. The composition was written jointly from 2024 to 2025 in various locations (Kropyvnytskyi-Kyiv-Lviv). Conceptually the single is a synthesis of two epochal musical languages: 1) Cossack duma of the 16th-18th centuries (Kompanychenko on bandura and kobza, vocally-narratively) and 2) modern folk-metal (Motanka — power chords, blast beats, harsh vocals). Track structure: I. 'Duma Beginning' (Kompanychenko solo, 2:00); II. 'Breakthrough' (full Motanka entry); III. 'Dialogue' (interweaving of two vocal languages); IV. 'Battlecry' (finale, joint). Recording took place at Studio MUSCOLO in Kyiv (March 2026) with production by Yevhen Dmytriev (Studio MUSCOLO founder). A clip of 9:30, filmed at Zaporozhian Sich (Khortytsia, restored historical part) in April 2026 — a symbolic location combining Cossack and modern Ukrainian national themes. Clip premiere on YouTube 14 October — first 24 hours 4 million views. All digital streaming revenues are transferred to the Come Back Alive Foundation.
