Belle Morte (band)

Belle Morte is a symphonic metal - gothic metal band from Minsk, Belarus, formed in 2015 by Anastasia Schebrova and Sergey Butovsky.
Belle Morte music style is characterized as “a beautiful blend of dark symphonic metal with haunting gothic and progressive elements laced with a melancholic and “romantic” vibe”.
The band has released one album, one EP, twelve singles, three official music videos and three official lyric videos.
== History ==
=== Formation and early years (2015–2018) ===
Belle Morte's history began as a studio project in 2015. The band's name is derived from the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, where Belle Morte is a secondary character, a member of The Vampire Council of Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter|The Vampire Council .
Band's first single "Mercy" was released in 2017, followed by the first official EP Game on.
=== Crime of Passion (2018–2021) ===
After EP release the band focused on their first full-length album. In 2020, they evolved into a full-fledged band, forming a permanent line-up. Maria Shumanskaya, Ilya Rogovoy, Ilya Petrashkevich and Rostislav Golubnichiy joined the band.
In August 2020, unable to perform live due to COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic restrictions the band took part in the Bloody news online fest organized by Bloody News Metal Magazine and GlobMetal Promotions. 
In 2021 the band signed a contract with Italian label Wormholedeath and released their first full-length conceptual album. The album called Crime of Passion was inspired by John Fowles’s novel “The Collector". 
Musically Crime of Passion has a darker sound and more complicated arrangements, compared to EP Game on, a very diverse material and a lot of djent/Progressive metal|progressive and even some black metal elements. 
===Global collaborations (2021– present)===
The next single Krew features Ukrainian bandura by Yaroslav Dzhus [ua], guest vocals by Alex Pilkevych, prog metal artist of Ukrainian origin and Ada Rusinkiewicz, Polish singer-songwriter (HETHET). The track combines Belarusian, Ukrainian and Polish languages and is dedicated to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
After Krew band released Exorcism single with morin khuur and Mongolian throat singing performed by Mongolian musician Ulziisaihan Horoldamba</ref> US Webzine MetalLair wrote: “Exorcism is in the category of symphonic metal but its more of an auditory vacation! This song is opulent, and beautifully layered with exquisite Eastern inspired soundscapes.”In Blame me single the band continues to experiment with their sound and combines symphonic metal with jazz influences and Armenian duduk, recorded by Lernik Khachatrian, clarinetist/dudukist of Armenian origin.
The most recent single Black waters is recorded in collaboration with Maulana Malik Ibrahim, a contemporary folk musician from Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia. Maulana Malik Ibrahim performed suling and gamelan parts and backing vocals in Sundanese.
==Members==
===Current members===
* Anastasia Schebrova aka Belle Morte – vocals (2015-present)
* Sergey Butovsky – bass (2015-present)
* Maria Shumanskaya – keyboards, violin (2020-present)
* Ilya Rogovoy – guitar (2020-present)
* Ilya Petrashkevich – guitar (2020-present)
* Rostislav Golubnichiy - drums (2020-present)
==Discography==
===Albums===
* Crime of Passion (2021)
===EPs===
* Game on (2018)
===Singles===
* Mercy (2017)
* Devilish Deal (2018)
* Wintersleep (2018)
* My Legacy (2018)
* To Get Her (2019)
* To Get Her (acoustic version) (2019)
* Lace (2019)
* Fallen Idol (2022)
* Krew (2022)
* Exorcism (2023)
* Blame me (2023)
* Black Waters (2023) 
==Videography==
* Mercy Directed by Jack Lytkin
* Lace Directed by Jack Lytkin
* My little demon Directed by Jack Lytkin
* Who are you Directed by Jack Lytkin
* Broken things 
* Krew
* Black waters
Category:Gothic metal
Category:Gothic metal musical groups
Category:Belarusian rock music groups
Category:Musical groups established in 2015