Ukrainian progressive metal outfit Ignea have teamed with Andy LaPlegua of industrial outfit Combichrist for their latest single, “Prefab“. You can expect to hear this track on Ignea‘s approaching new album “Monumental“, which Napalm intend to release on October 23rd.
As for what inspired this track, Ignea vocalist Helle Bohdanova shared:
“‘Prefab‘ reflects on the darker side of nostalgia — prefabricated socialist buildings, originally meant to give everyone a roof over their heads. But like many socialist ideals, the concept was flawed at its core: Uniform, industrial, stripping people of individuality and personal choice, making them feel like ants inside their own homes. Remnants of this architecture still stand across Europe — from Ukraine and Poland, from Germany to France — and while people may recall personal memories of them, that nostalgia is often bittersweet at best, rooted in poverty and authoritarian regime.
As Ukrainians from a post-Soviet country, we grew up surrounded by the physical remains of a system that promised a bright future and delivered the opposite. What’s stranger is that even knowing how flawed it was, many people still feel a pull toward certain parts of Soviet life. And it’s not just us — plenty of Westerners romanticize Soviet aesthetics too, nostalgic for a past they never lived.
In the ‘Prefab‘ video, we wanted to convey the feeling of a confined, uniform space, a cramped room representing a typical Soviet apartment, where only the tenants ever change.
When we shaped the demo around ‘Prefab,’ we were basically hearing Andy‘s vocals in the back of our minds, and we’re so glad he agreed to lend his voice. Having Combichrist as part of the industrial metal banger on our upcoming album — what could be more iconic?
Tune into this ‘cementery for serial dreams’ and try not to headbang!”
