After the unrelenting firestorm that was Kob’, Arkona’s latest single “Cectpa” descends into a slower and weightier sorrow that is less of a follow-up than a ritual farewell. Written spontaneously by frontwoman Masha Scream, the song is both a new release and a personal offering, penned initially for one of her vocal students, but ultimately transformed into something far more haunted.
Doom-laced riffs roll like heavy clouds, while the organ lines create an atmosphere that feels ritualistic and almost sacred. Masha’s voice doesn’t just carry the weight of the composition. It is the storm. Her delivery leans into grief and fatigue that sharpens the emotional arc without tipping into excess. With the choir-like harmonies echoing throughout the track’s framework, they nod to Arkona’s pagan folk roots by anchoring the song with Slavic tradition even as it walks a line toward the abyss.
“Cectpa” (Sister) is described by the band as a dialogue with inner torment. Where anguish takes form as a twin and pulls the protagonist toward oblivion. The song’s darkness isn’t performative but lived in. That authenticity cuts through every measure, making this non-album single feel essential, not incidental.
If Kob’ was Arkona’s battle cry, “Cectpa” is the candle-lit funeral march that follows. Quiet, unnerving, and impossible to ignore.
Photo by Edaliana Rennenkampf
