Ekzistencia

The ‘Ekzistencia’ music band started on July 3, 2000 (first rehearsal) on deciding to create such a band by two volunteers Aleksey Prasolov and Aleksey Osichenko. Actually, this band was by no means the “Ekzistencia” existing now, but rather a hobby group where all the participants only learned the proper way of playing musical instruments.
The initial cast of the band was as follows:
Aleksey Osichenko - guitars, vocals
Sergey Gonchar - bass
Aleksey Prasolov - drums
Yury Kirsanov - guitars
First rehearsals indulged first attempts to play the immortal and famous “Katyusha”, to compose first songs while sitting on the benches in front of the entrance hall etc., ‘classics’ on the whole.
Eventually, directions of the band development started to be perceived. First of all, the band was given a name – “Ekzistencia” – by the drum player A. Prasolov. The band was decided to perform in the direction of Power Metal, as A. Osichenko and A. Prasolov rather acquired a taste for this particular style of music, whereas it didn’t matter to the other participants what to play.
Then A. Osichenko brings a new guitar player – Anton Maryukhnenko – to the band, whom he met on a trip out of town. By then, Anton performed in the “Agoniya” band and had more practical experience than all the other participants.
As well as many musicians-beginners, the band participants were short of musical instruments of good quality, also there were problems with places for rehearsal and, surely, with finance back-up. Everything got complicated because of family problems arising from this very music. Therefore, rehearsals were rare at that time, were held at various places, and it was almost impossible to gather the complete cast of the band. It was decided to combine the “Agoniya” and the “Ekzistencia’ music bands into one, leaving only their permanent and ambitious members.
Thus, the first change of the band cast occurred:
Alexey Osichenko - vocals
Andrey Kramorenko - bass
Anton Maryukhnenko - guitars
Alexey Prasolov - drums
Andrey Prokhorov - guitars
After this, the band has never gathered with its full cast at rehearsals, and there was a period of stagnation for the band. At this time, A. Prasolov manages to play in the other music band, named “SPLAV”. There he meets Olga Avdeyeva, the keyboard player. She came there on invitation of guitar player, Sergey Klepikov, to perform her songs together. After leaving the musical school, Olga had not performed in any music bands for that time. And whereas there was already a keyboard player in the “SPLAV” band, A. Prasolov offers Olga to play in “Ekzistencia”.
After some rehearsals, the band performs at their first concert in the “Assol” club. This concert appears to be unsuccessful and results in leaving of all the ex-“Agoniya” participants.
Then, after a small break, the band again tries to develop. Rehearsals go on, castings for bass and guitar players and vocals are held now and then.
In November 2001, after the road accident, A. Prasolov gets into a hospital and the band again scrapes through an eight-month break.
After this long break, the band tries hard to go on. New people come and go, among them only Konstantin Zhukov, the guitar player, stays permanently. Rehearsals are again mingled with the periods of stagnation and searches for musicians. The bass player Sergey Gonchar is again invited to the band, as well as Yekaterina Yagup, vocals, who sang for the “SPLAV” and many other Kharkov music bands.
This cast, however, is not destined to be long-lasting one. Yekaterina is asked to leave the band due to her irresponsible position. Meanwhile, A. Osichenko and A. Prasolov have a serious personal conflict resulting in A. Osichenko’s leaving the band.
There go yet another search for vocalist and guitar player. Roman Lukianchuk, the vocalist, comes to the band through the advertisement, and finally roots there due to his great potential and wish to cooperate. Anton Maryukhnenko is yet again invited as the guitar player.
The cast is now as follows:
Roman Lukianchuk - vocals
Konstantin Zhukov - guitars
Anton Maryukhnenko - guitars
Sergey Gonchar - bass
Olga Avdeeva - keyboards
Aleksey Prasolov - drums
At last, having such a cast, the band starts real, full-sized rehearsals, gives concerts in the “Fort” club, has a first guest-appearance in the other city (the “Barvy” club, Kyiv), is a finalist at the “Musical Island” festival.
In January 2005, the band starts to record its first album, this period lasts the whole year due to lack of experience. A. Maryukhnenko leaves the band again due to his irresponsible position. The band start to have rehearsals on their own rehearsal base, also the band web-site is being started.
In July 2005, the band is temporarily is brought to a standstill due to personal problems of some participants.
In spring, 2006, rehearsals took place again after the continuous break, the album had been recorded completely, a new guitar player was being looked for. In October, 2006, A. Prasolov invites Nikita Rubchenko for guitars. With the latter’s arrival, the band achieves a new rise in development.
The band spends the following two years in constant rehearsals, concerts and creating a new material. Finally, the so-long-awaited album named “Master of Thunder” is released in Russian “Metallism Records” and American “Stormspell Records”.
Meanwhile, however, there were some problems the band was facing. Being an adept of a more aggressive “advanced” music (like “Amatory” etc.) than atmospheric and melodic one, N. Rubchenko has more and more attempts to include some elements to the band music, which are impossible to be used in the primary concept of Power Metal being the key concept in the whole creative activity of the band.
Guitars and bass players also tend to agree with these more brutal changes in the band music. This leads to a conflict with the conservative-thinking drum-player. More and more time at rehearsals is spent for the contradiction between keyboards and guitars.
In October 2008, having understood that there won’t be any “revolutionary” changes, N. Rubchenko leaves the band. A month later, the vocalist Roman Lukianchuk also leaves due to rather significant geographical difficulties (Roman had to travel half the country to get to rehearsals and concerts).
Once again rehearsals become castings for vocalists and guitar players. For half a year, Aleksandr Levchenko has been a vocalist, he also performed in such Kharkov bands as “Farenheit” and “Risehard”. An old friend of K. Zhukov, Konstantin Zubanyuk, is invited as guitar player.
Gradually, new participants start to take active part in the band life, however, not without some difficulties.
Arguments on the style of music recommenced. K. Zubanyuk often misses rehearsals, learns a new material really slowly. Being convinced that the band will not change its style, S. Gonchar leaves in May 2009 looking for participation in more popular kinds of music. K. Zubanyuk finally ceases to take part in all rehearsals and, accordingly, is excluded from the band. All this resulted in the bad mood of all band participants
Still, the band managed to survive these hard times. Soon the bass vacancy is occupied by Viktor Gabelko, who quickly learned all music material in spite of anything. On October 31, 2009 the band takes part in Halloween Fest (Kharkov), which signifies a new start of a new era.
The band cast is decided to comprise only one guitar player:
Aleksey Prasolov - drums
Olga Avdeeva - keyboards, vocals
Konstantin Zhukov - guitars
Alexander Levchenko - vocals
Viktor Gabelko - bass
In December 2009, a new guitar player, Igor Voytus, appears in the band. In 2010 the band gives a series of concerts in Kharkov and starts recording a EP. The recording is again prolongated due to banal lack of time of all the band participants.
In February 2011, Olga Avdeyeva, keyboards, and Aleksey Prasolov, drums, became a young family and they have a wonderful baby-daughter. This event takes Olga Avdeyeva away from the “field battle” for a time being. The band gives several concerts using “digital keyboards”.
n April 2012, with no prospects to be seen, a guitar player, named Igor Voitus, leaves "Eksistencia". Later a vocalist, Aleksandr Levchenko, leaves as well, because of lack of time for creative work. Recording is, therefore, postponed for the unknown period. And another vocalist casting begins. At this time the other participants were partially busy in other projects.
In the end of 2012, the vocalist was finally found. It was Sergey Brykov, a participant of "Caprice" Kharkiv band. In 2013, started vocal recording, also the sheet music for bass and guitar was decided to be recomposed. A keyboard player, Olga Avdeyeva-Prasolova, has returned. Active rehearsals, getting ready for concert activities, work at new material - all this has begun.
June 2013