Purgen group history

"Purgen" is a Soviet and later Russian band that formed in the late 80s. The band's musicians "make" music in the hardcore punk/crossover thrash style. Purgen: Biography of the group History of the creation and composition of the group Purgen and Chikatilo are at the origins of the group. The musicians lived in the capital of Russia. After meeting, they were eager to put together their own project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vdLpCHO9PL-Q Руслан Гвоздев (Пурген) десять лет своей жизни отдал посещению художественной школы. After graduating from the educational institution, he entered a college that had the furthest relation to music. During this period of time, the Soviet Union was in the midst of a rock boom. Young people were obsessing over rock works. Ruslan was also a fan of heavy music, but the young man wanted to make his own contribution to the development of rock. Purgen didn't quite like what the Russian rockers were doing. For him, the music of Soviet rock bands seemed too light, false and saccharine. Purgen: Biography of the group But one day, punk tracks fell into the ears of Purgen and Chikatilo. The guys were hooked by what they heard. They were pleased not only by the sound, but also by the lyrics of the tracks, in which the musicians tried to talk about modern problems in simple terms. The friends went to the Rock Laboratory. It was then that they first heard tracks by the bands Sex Pistols and The Clash. Purgen and Chikatilo recorded the top tracks of the featured groups. Gradually, the guys developed a desire to “make” similar tracks themselves. But there is one “but” - Purgen and Chikatilo never held musical instruments in their hands. Until that time, they drew posters, did choreography, and were simply “fans” of the sound of heavy music. Recording of the band's debut longplay The desire to perform on stage grew stronger every day. The first line-up of the group included Purgen and Chikatilo. At that time, the guys performed under the name "Lenin Samotyk". The duo even managed to record their debut longplay, which was called “Brezhnev is Alive.” The work did not enjoy great success among fans of heavy music. The quality of the tracks left much to be desired, as the recording of the album was carried out in conditions close to extreme. The musicians recorded their debut longplay at home. Two guitars, a drum, and other kitchen utensils came to the aid of the budding rockers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vikv-PjcrrHw Спустя некоторое время дела дуэта значительно улучшились. A group was expelled from the educational institution where Purgen studied. The newly formed group was given the green light to take the place of the eliminated group. From this time on, the group's rehearsals are held in full force. At the same time, the line-up expanded to a trio. Another musician, who was given the “cute” nickname Battery, joined the duo. The new participant's task was to imitate playing the drums. The school not only provided a space for rehearsals, but also sponsored small purchases. A couple of months later, another member joined the team. We are talking about Purgen’s classmate, Dima Artomonov. He learned to play the drums. Over the next few months, each member of the group learned to play musical instruments from scratch. Changing a creative pseudonym The time has come when musicians had to think about changing their creative pseudonym. During this period, a delegation from the United States was scheduled to visit the school, so speaking to important people under the name "Lenin-Samotyk" was extremely strange. For this reason, the band members decided to change their creative pseudonym. This is actually how the name “Purgen” was born. Later, the guys would say that it took them a day to find a new creative name. Ruslan explained to journalists that he chose this name for his brainchild “for fun.” In his later interviews, he decided to find some meaning in the band's name, so he began to assure fans that "Purgen" means cleansing of consciousness. But the musicians were still not allowed to perform for the American delegation. The fact is that Ruslan was wearing a “Dead Kennedys” T-shirt, and Chikatilo showed up wearing clothes with the inscription “Brezhnev is alive.” Purgen: Biography of the group Release of the second full-length album The guys began to skip lectures and practical classes more and more often. They worked closely on the creation of their second studio album. Soon the musicians received news that they were expelled from the school. The members of Purgen were not despondent, as they had prepared the album “The Great Stink” for their fans. During this period of time, Ruslan literally lives in a punk environment. It was then that Purgen became acquainted with progressive Russian rock bands. During this period of time, Bibis and Iserli joined the band. The musicians recorded three more full-length longplays. In their tracks, the musicians of Purgen were not shy about talking about what truly concerns them. They raised social issues. The guys' compositions initially resembled psychedelic works. The musicians were straight-edge musicians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vmBVYZuOkO-Y В середине 90-х годов состоялась премьера очередного лонгплея музыкантов. We are talking about the collection “Worldview Transplantation” with new songs. After some time, it became clear that the band was on the verge of collapse. The musicians hardly toured, and yet, almost everyone had families that needed to be supported somehow. The group soon fell apart. Only the "father" of the team remained at the helm. The resumption of the activities of the group Purgen The frontman of the group began to get “depressed”. Throughout 94, he “killed” himself with alcohol and drugs. Friends came to the rescue and literally pulled Purgen back from the brink of death. Ruslan decided to revive the team. Soon new members joined the line-up, named Panama and Gnomov. For the first six months, the guys didn't do anything useful - they drank, smoked, and had sex with fans. In the summer, they finally took up the promotion of the band. Ruslan took the microphone, Panama the bass, and Gnome Maly took the drum kit. During this same period of time, the one who stood at its origins, Chikatilo, joined the group. A couple of months will pass and Ruslan will give the go-ahead for the Elder Gnome to join the team. He took the place of a backing vocalist. Having prepared a new longplay, the musicians began recording it. There was one “but” - Panama felt like a star. He was often late for rehearsals, drank a lot, used drugs and robbed apartments. Ruslan realized it was time to change the lineup. The new album featured guest musician Robots, with whom the band learned the entire album "Radiation Activity from a Trash Can." The guys put the collection together in a couple of months, right in the basement. A year will pass, and the line-up, in keeping with the good old tradition, will undergo changes again. Ruslan picked up the guitar, and Johansen started playing the bass guitar, and after some time, Cologne. At that time, Chikatilo's personal life had "settled down" - he married a charming girl and began to master a serious profession. During this period, the musicians recorded one side of “The Philosophy of Urban Timelessness” and Chikatilo finally left the group. A year later, the guys recorded the second part of the collection. Purgen: Changes in the group After the presentation of the longplay, some changes occurred in the group again. The bass was entrusted to the musician Crazy, Gnome sat at the drums, and Purgen played the guitar. The band's frontman was categorically unhappy with the fact that he was performing the function of a guitarist. He considered singing to be his true calling. In this line-up, the guys toured Germany. Then Gnome left the team. At the end of the 90s, the presentation of the album "Toxidermists of Urban Madness" took place. After the release of the longplay, Crazy left the band and Martin was taken in his place. At the beginning of the so-called “noughties”, a young musician, Diagen, joined the line-up. This is one of the few participants who managed to settle in at Purgen. Diagen is still listed as part of the group. During this period of time, Ruslan is working on the creation of a new project – Toxigen. In 2002, the premiere of the album, which was filled with electronic music, took place. We are talking about the collection Carmaoke. Discography of the group In 2003, the group's discography grew by one more longplay. This year saw the premiere of the collection Destroy for Creation. This collection was different from the works that fans had previously been accustomed to listening to. The tracks now feature electronic sounds and a lot of drums. Ruslan recorded the album almost entirely on his own, and the style of the collection was as close to hardcore as possible. During this period of time, Martin leaves the team. His place didn't remain empty for long, as a new member named Mox joined the lineup. In 2004, the line-up changed again. Mox and Bai left the project and were replaced by Krok and Crazy. At the same time, the premiere of the next collection of "Purgena" took place. We are talking about the record “Protest of the Mechanism Details”. Fans appreciated the high-quality punk hardcore and updated sound of old tracks. By the way, music critics consider the album to be the last successful work of the group “Purgen”. In support of the released longplay, the guys went on another tour, after which the band left Crazy. Soon his place was taken by a new participant, whose name was Plato. The line-up remained unchanged for about two years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vmNNm0stNCEU Пурген: Лонгплей В 2005 году дискография коллектив стала богаче ещё на один лонгплей. This year saw the release of "Reincarnation". Fans and music critics were divided in their opinions. Most people didn't appreciate the new sound of the tracks. In almost every song on the new collection, the musicians raised the themes of progress and reincarnation. In the same year 2005, a tribute album by the band "Purgen" was released in honor of its 15th anniversary. The album featured 31 tracks. Throughout the band's existence, the musicians regularly added to the group's discography. 2007 was not without its musical novelties. This year the premiere of the longplay "Transformation of Ideals" took place. The collection sold poorly and was included in the list of the musicians' most unsuccessful longplays. They conducted a large-scale tour across Germany. At the end of the tour, it became known that Kroc and Platon were leaving. After the guys left, session musicians played in the lineup for some time. A couple of years later, the premiere of the new album took place. The album was titled "30,000 Years of Punk Hardcore". The collection consists of several CD+DVD discs. The Purgen group's anniversary concert In early September 2010, the band's anniversary concert took place at the Moscow nightclub "Tochka", in which all the members of "Purgen" took part. As part of the anniversary concert dedicated to the band's 20th anniversary, the musicians presented a new longplay, which was entitled "God of Slaves." A few years later, Alexander Pronin left the band. His place was taken by S. Platonov. The renewed line-up was warmly received by fans. In this line-up, the band again went on a big tour. A year later, the musicians of the Russian group took part in European festivals. In 2015, the guys played a concert at the Moscow club "Mona" in honor of the band's 25th anniversary. That same year, the guys toured Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The band members then switched gears and continued the tour in Russia. In the same year, the premiere of the new musical composition “Purgena” took place. The track "Third World Gavvakh" was incredibly warmly received not only by fans, but also by music critics. A new musician joins the Purgen group. In 2016, a new musician joins the group. It was Daniil Yakovlev. The drummer already had impressive experience working on stage. But, after some time, information about his departure appeared on the Internet. It turns out that Daniil was not satisfied with the terms of cooperation. He was replaced by Egor Kuvshinov, who had previously played for Purgen. That same year, another track by the group was released. The musical piece "Betrayal of the Elites" was presented by the musicians during a performance at the Moscow club "Mona". A year later, the death of Alexander "the Elder Dwarf" became known. The musicians decided that fans should definitely know this news, since Gnome made his contribution to the development of the band. As it turned out, the musician died of laryngeal cancer. In 2018, Purgen's repertoire became richer by one more track. The musical work "17-97-17" made a proper impression not only on devoted fans, but also on authoritative music critics. At the same time, the musicians announced that a new longplay would be released soon. In mid-autumn 2018, the album "Reptology of the Lunar Ship" was released. The collection is topped by 11 new and 2 re-recorded old tracks. The Purgen Team: Our Days 2020 began with the Purgen lineup undergoing changes again. The fact is that Dmitry Mikhailov left the team. His place did not remain empty for long. It soon became known that Egor Kuvshinov had joined the group. A year later, several members left the team at once: Rytukhin, Kuvshinov and Kuzmin. It turned out that the guys were quite mature enough to form their own musical project. In 2021, new members joined the band: Alexey, bassist - Sergey, and Dmitry Mikhailov sat on the drums.

Purgen: Biography of the band

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