Ukrainian metal band BLIND8: Our mission is to spread awareness about Ukraine abroad

BLIND8 is a Ukrainian metal band founded in 2021 by Kyiv-based musicians Roman Liashchenko, Kyrylo Ozerov, Viktor Bartsikhovsky, and Ihor Liashchenko. Their main mission now is to spread awareness about Ukraine, especially abroad. In 2024, the band released the song "Labyrinth" in collaboration with the Dutch band "Within Temptation" and joined them on their BLEED OUT 2024 TOUR. Currently, two of the band members are combining military service with their music careers, using their platform to raise funds in support of Ukraine. Despite the challenges posed by russia’s war against Ukraine, the musicians continue to create new music and perform live. On February 22, Blind8 held their first solo concert in Kyiv after returning from the Within Temptation tour, where they also organized an auction and collected donations. The band shared with Drive Music Media their experience of preparing for the February concert, their time on tour, and the deeper meaning behind their music.

Interviewer: How and when did your music career begin? Why did you decide to form a band instead of pursuing a solo project?

BLIND8: Our band’s career started at the end of 2021 – that’s when we wrote our very first demos. And why a band? Because all of us always wanted to play in a band. The idea of solo projects was never even considered; we were all in favor of creating music together in this format.

Interviewer: Tell us about the name of your band. Why BLIND8?

BLIND8: We had about 157 different name options. We wrote them all down, numbered them, went to a randomizer service, and picked one. "BLIND8" came up on the first try. But hey, you can look for hidden meanings in the name if you want – who knows, maybe we’re not telling the whole truth.

Interviewer: Tell us about your concert in February. Tell us about the preparation process in the context of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. What challenges do you face in organizing live shows?

BLIND8: The hardest part was mentally preparing the vocalist and, to some extent, the bassist for the show. Both of them are in the military, and there wasn't much time or opportunity to get ready. On top of that, we both got sick right before the concert. Roma performed with a fever and bronchitis, so yeah, it was rough. But other than that, everything else went smoothly. The entire event was organized by faine.events, so we had no logistical issues – our only challenge was personal preparation due to the lack of time.

Interviewer: Tell us about your collaboration with Within Temptation and your participation in their European tour.

BLIND8: Within Temptation has strongly supported Ukraine since the full-scale invasion, which is why they collaborate with Ukrainian artists. They chose us from a selection of Ukrainian bands and invited us to record a song together. Of course, we immediately agreed, and the track was released in September 2024. Along with the song, they also invited us to join the BLEED OUT TOUR, and we accepted, not yet knowing that our bassist and vocalist would later enlist. We just said yes and figured things out as we went. Leaving the country wasn’t easy – there were many obstacles, especially after the guys joined the National Guard. We missed a significant part of the tour, but we still made it to some shows and raised a considerable amount of money for Ukraine’s defense forces. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who helped us with logistics and organization, and of course, to Within Temptation and their team for this opportunity.

Interviewer: Two members of your band are in the military. How do you manage to balance music and service? What’s the hardest part?

BLIND8: I know that many Ukrainian bands have members serving in the military, whether on the front lines or in support roles, and they’re still making music. I don’t know how they manage it, but for us, it's really difficult. We barely have any free time – just a few days each month to handle personal matters and family life. As you can imagine, that leaves very little time for writing songs. The creative process is extremely slow, which is frustrating. The same goes for preparing for live shows – it’s tough due to the lack of time. But we’re doing what we can, step by step.

Interviewer: Is there a song you’ve written but will never release? What makes it special, and why will it never see the light of day?

BLIND8: We don’t have any specific songs in mind right now, but we do have a few demos that are stuck in that stage. They’re not progressing because we haven’t found the right ideas to turn them into full songs. So, for now, they’re just sitting on the shelf. Maybe someday, we’ll come back to them and release something.

Interviewer: What role do current events in Ukraine play in the themes of your music? How has your songwriting and arrangement process changed over the years of full-scale war?

BLIND8: We've written several songs directly related to the war. Our earliest tracks, as well as some recent ones, aren’t necessarily about the war itself anymore. Instead, our newer songs reflect the emotional state of the protagonist after everything they’ve been through – how someone changes internally after experiencing such events. When it comes to songwriting, a lot has changed. Our guitarist, Viktor, who writes the instrumentals, has significantly improved his skills, and his work is much more refined now. Other than that, our recording process remains the same: we lay down vocals or instrumentals, piece everything together, and eventually, a demo turns into a full track.

Interviewer: What role does volunteer work play in your musical journey? How can your listeners support the initiatives you organize?

BLIND8: Honestly, our volunteer work has no direct impact on our music. We do it simply for ourselves, for our comrades and friends who are now on the front lines – we do it just for them. As for fundraising, our listeners can always contribute through the donation links we share in our stories. We constantly post updates on current fundraisers, and all reports are published in our Telegram channel and Instagram.

Interviewer: What projects are you currently working on?

BLIND8: Right now, we’re working on new songs – as much as we possibly can under the circumstances. We’re also considering making a music video for one of our tracks and planning to release an album this year. We’re not sure how realistic that is, but we’d really love to make it happen.

Interviewer: What mission do you have as Ukrainian musicians? Why this particular mission?

BLIND8: Right now, our mission is to spread awareness about Ukraine, especially abroad, which is exactly what we did during the tour with Within Temptation. At every concert, we informed people about the situation in Ukraine, carefully choosing words that would resonate with them and evoke emotions –hopefully inspiring them to donate. That way, we could send more funds to support our defenders.

Interviewer: If you had to describe your music with one word, what would it be? Why?

BLIND8: Probably the word "energy", because that’s exactly what we exchange with our listeners. It happens both through the music itself – when someone listens to our songs – and especially during live shows.

Pictures were provided by BLIND8