'We Are The Voice For Everyone Who Can't Shout So Loud': Introducing Death Pill
Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Written by Emma Wilkes
Death Pill vocalist and guitarist Mariana Navrotskaya is feeling subdued. She’s based in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, and on the day of our interview, there’s just been another deadly Russian missile strike. Attacks like these, she says, cast a shadow over her entire day. Midway through the conversation, her shaky internet connection falters, but she returns when she’s been able to get a signal and find a light source.
Due to the ongoing war, Death Pill are now split across three countries, with bassist Natalya Seryakova and drummer Anastasiya Khomenko based in Australia and Spain respectively. In some ways, the making of their self-titled debut album has been intertwined with the conflict’s progression. The war broke out while the album was in the mixing stages, and it is being released on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The trio are aware that the war has put a spotlight on their home country and they are caught under its glare as a result, but they don’t take issue with this giving their band more attention even if it is equally important for them to be known in their own right. “[The attention] is one of the most positive things we have right now, and we can spread the word, [and speak our] truth of what we’re going through,” says Anastaysia. “I don’t know if I can say it’s lucky—it is and isn’t.”
Generally, they remain in good spirits, even when it’s difficult logistically to organise things in the run-up to the album’s release. “It’s not the same as having fun together in real life,” Anastaysia continues. “But we still believe we will soon be together and it will be our victory.”
The same fighting spirit powers their music. Imagine Bikini Kill, Black Flag and Slayer trading sweat in the pit and you have Death Pill’s sound: a thrashier take on riot grrrl-era punk that blazes with fury and the determination to spread empowerment. Their debut album dives into both the political and the personal, kicking the patriarchy in the shins before harnessing the ire of a woman scorned in its closing tracks, both of which are about an ex of Mariana’s who turned down her proposal of marriage.
“For us, feminism is not about [whether or not] you shave your underarms and legs, or [there being] not enough women characters in video games,” explains Natalya. Particularly pressing to them is the abuse of women and girls, which is the central theme of mid-album highlight It’s A Joke.
“I know of situations where women hurt themselves because they thought that something was wrong with them or they think it’s normal for your husband to punch you in the face because no one talks about it,” she adds.
It's also crucial for them to be a voice for the voiceless. “We are the voice for everyone who can’t shout so loud because they are scared or afraid,” says Anastaysia. “They can scream with us.”
'Death Pill' is out now via New Heavy Sounds.
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