This is a legendary group that, like a phoenix, has "risen from the ashes" several times. Despite all the difficulties, the musicians of the Black Obelisk group each time returned to creativity to the delight of their fans.
The history of the creation of a musical group
The rock group "Black Obelisk" appeared on August 1, 1986 in Moscow. It was created by musician Anatoly Krupnov. In addition to him, the first part of the team included Nikolai Agafoshkin, Yuri Anisimov and Mikhail Svetlov. At first they performed "heavy" music. You could practically feel its gloom and pressure with your body. The lyrics matched the music perfectly. Nevertheless, the texts reflected Krupnov's inner state.
The band's debut concert took place in September 1986 at the House of Culture. Then the musicians began to gain popularity as a single team. Members of the Moscow Rock Laboratory organization drew attention to them and accepted them. They knew about the activities of rockers in Moscow. This was followed by the participation of the Black Obelisk group at all rocker concerts. The first performances were accompanied by a terrible sound, poor acoustics and inappropriate premises.
In the fall of the same 1986, the band recorded their first tape album. At the beginning of the next year, they tried to record a full-fledged album, but it turned out to be of poor quality. 1987 was also marked by the fact that the music became even "heavier". At the same time, it remained fast and melodic. They became the #1 metal band in the Soviet Union.
The rockers toured extensively throughout the country with a dozen concerts every month. Each performance was accompanied by spectacular shows - these are luminous skulls, skeletons, laser and pyrotechnic effects. The group was also known outside the country. The Finnish punk band Sielum Viljet invited them to perform at their "opening act".
Unfortunately, despite the success, there was a misunderstanding in the group for a long time, which turned into a conflict. It reached its apogee in July 1988 during a concert tour when a fight broke out. Upon returning home on August 1, Krupnov announced the breakup of the team. The last work of the group was the tape album "The Last Concert in Chisinau".
Return of the Black Obelisk
Krupnov decided to give the team a second chance in 1990. The new line-up of the group included four musicians. The debut performance took place in September of the same year. The group recorded a mini-album "Life after death" and began preparations for a full-fledged studio album. Unfortunately, the work had to be suspended. Sergei Komarov (drummer) was killed.
They were looking for a replacement for a long time, so the album was released in March of the following year. Then a music video was filmed, and the band went on a promotional tour of the new album. In the next two years, filming took place, new compositions were released, the first English-language album, and a tour was organized.
The next active period began in 1994. It was accompanied by two new albums. In parallel, the vocalist of the group began work on a solo career. After that, another crisis began in the team. The absence of concerts and solo activities of Krupnov made themselves felt. The musicians held out, but the situation continued to escalate. As a result, they stopped coming to rehearsals, and soon dispersed.
The group's work is currently
A new stage in the life of the team began at the end of the 1999th century. In XNUMX, four musicians decided to revive the legendary band. They were Borisenkov, Ermakov, Alekseev and Svetlov. A little later, Daniil Zakharenkov joined them.
The musicians devoted the whole year to writing new songs and rehearsing. It is not surprising that the first compositions were distinguished by their texts. Krupnov's death affected everyone. The texts were deep and at the same time with a "heavy" meaning. The first performance of the renewed team took place in January 2000 in Moscow. Many were skeptical about the idea of a revival of the group, especially without its leader. But in a short time, everyone's doubts about the correctness of the decision disappeared.
The album was released in the spring of 2000. It is interesting that Krupnov also worked on it. On the same day, a concert was held in memory of the musician. And the Black Obelisk group, its former members and other popular musical groups took part in it.
In the new millennium, there have been changes in the format of the work of the team. The following year the musicians dedicated their performances in the club with a new program. The Ashes album by the new line-up was released in 2002. The next few works came out two years later. But the biggest work of the renewed group was dedicated to the anniversary - the 25th anniversary of the group.
It included cover versions of existing songs. After another 5 years, on the 30th anniversary, the musicians organized a big concert tour. The Black Obelisk team performed the best songs, new compositions and demonstrated rare recordings. The latest album "Disco 2020" was released in November 2019.
The music from the band's songs was used in a popular computer toy about cars.
The composition of the group "Black Obelisk"
The group currently has five members:
- Dima Borisenkov (vocalist and guitarist);
- Daniil Zakharenkov (backing vocalist and guitarist);
- Maxim Oleinik (drummer);
- Mikhail Svetlov and Sergey Varlamov (guitarists). Sergey also works as a sound engineer.
However, over the years of the group's existence, the team has changed frequently. There were 10 former members in the group in total. Unfortunately, at the moment three of them are no longer alive.
The creative heritage of the team
The Black Obelisk group has a significant number of musical works. Among them:
- 13 full-length albums;
- 7 mini-albums;
- 2 demos and special releases;
- 8 live recordings available for purchase and 2 remix albums.
In addition, the musicians have an extensive videoography - more than 10 clips and 3 video albums.
