Alisa (Алиса, Russian for Alice) is a Russian and Soviet hard rock band, on… Read Full Bio ↴Alisa (Алиса, Russian for Alice) is a Russian and Soviet hard rock band, one of the most influential in the Russian rock movement. Their lyrics, written by vocalist Konstantin Kinchev, are about social problems, rock lifestyle, Slavic culture and, recently, Christian faith. Alisa's music evolved from post punk in the 1980s to heavier metal sound of recent albums.

Alisa was founded in November 1983 by bassist Svetoslav Zadery. The name of the band is borrowed from Lewis Carroll's book "Alice in Wonderland". The band's lineup was finally completed in 1984, when new vocalist Kostya Kinchev (born Konstantin Panfilov) and guitarist Pyotr Samoylov joined Alisa. Their debut album "Energia" (Energy) was released by Melodia, the state publishing monopoly, and was sold in numbers of more than one million.

But the relations between the two leaders, Konstantin and Zadery, were poor, and finally Svetoslav left the band. This occurred just one hour before Alisa was to perform at a concert. Alisa had to ask Кино bassist Igor Tihomirov to replace him for one concert. Later Zadery created his own band 'Nate!' ('Take it!').

The growing popularity of the band created a fan community called the 'Army of Alisa', known for their rough behaviour at concerts. It led to animosity between the band and Soviet officials. In 1987 the newspaper Smena accused Kinchev of Nazi propaganda and worshipping Hitler. Alisa's leader Kinchev filed a suit for calumny and moral loss compensation. After the year-long court process the magazine published the refutation. Alisa's next album was titled Article 206 part 2, a chapter ('Hooliganism') of the USSR Procedural Code, alluding to this process.

There were new lineup changes in 1988, when guitarist Igor 'Chuma' Chumykin joined Alisa. This change was followed by the heavier sound of next albums Shabash and For those Who Fell From the Moon. Alisa toured through Europe and Israel together with Aria. The album Black Mark, 1994, was dedicated to the memory of Chuma, who committed suicide by jumping from the window.

In the new millennium, with albums such as Seychas Pozdnee Chem Ty Dumaesh (It is Later Than You Think, 2003) and Izgoy (Exile, 2005), the sound of Alisa was changed to a heavier one, including elements of nu-metal, industrial and heavy metal. Music critics credited Clawfinger as Kinchev's greatest new music influence. This gave Alisa a new fan base among Russian hard rock fans, and three songs from Izgoy continually reached the top of the NASHE radio chart.

Kinchev was baptised in 1990, and since then Christianity has been the main influence on his alignment and his lyrics. Although early Alisa lyrics were typical for Russian rock - the social protest and rock 'n' roll hype - since the late 1990's their main theme has been ideas of Christianity, Russian patriotism, and Slavic unity.

Konstantin is in good relations with the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, especially Andrey Kuraev. Alisa has participated in many religion-supporting festivals, such as 'Musicians for the Christ Savior Cathedral'.

Печать зверя
АлисА Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Печать зверя - клеймо стада,
Девиз бойни - "Всегда рады!"
Козлов кодлы пасет воля,
Шагать строем слепых доля.
По чью душу рычит свора.
Закон труса - служить вору.
Блажит левый, ревёт правый:
"Виват, Мао! Адольф, браво!".

К концу бреда верней корчи,
Жутки песни мои к ночи.
Как над миром заря,
Солнца ясная дочь,
Успокоит меня
Лишь только кончится ночь.
Надо мной и тобой
Ветры пенят восход,
Не тревожься, не плачь,
Вот-вот и солнце взойдет.
Но ночь в силе, как пресс зоны,
Прикол гимна - душить стоны.

Мораль бойни: "Убей, веря!".
Иконам слёзы клеймить зверя.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Печать зверя" by Алиса describe a dystopian society, where humans are depicted as a herd of animals, controlled by codes and systems of power. The title "Печать зверя" can be translated as "the mark of the beast", which is an allusion to the Biblical reference to the Antichrist. In this context, the mark represents a symbol of the oppressive system that enforces conformity and subjugation.

The first verse talks about the stamp of the beast as the label of the herd, and the motto of the slaughterhouse is always happy. The following lines describe how freedom is an illusion and how even the black goats follow the herd. The second verse portrays the senseless violence and the blind obedience to authority. The lyrics mention how the pack roars for whose soul, and the cowards serve the thief's law. The third and final verse is somewhat hopeful, as the singer describes the dawn that will come after the dark night. The lyrics suggest that the oppressive system will eventually fall, and freedom will prevail.

Line by Line Meaning

Печать зверя - клеймо стада,
The stamp of a beast - the mark of the herd,

Девиз бойни - "Всегда рады!"
The battle cry - "Always happy!"

Козлов кодлы пасет воля,
Goats graze on freedom,

Шагать строем слепых доля.
Blind fate marches in formation.

По чью душу рычит свора.
Whose soul does the pack growl for?

Закон труса - служить вору.
The law of the coward is to serve the thief.

Блажит левый, ревёт правый:
The left flatters, the right roars:

"Виват, Мао! Адольф, браво!".
"Hail Mao! Bravo Adolf!"

К концу бреда верней корчи,
Towards the end of delirium, writhing in pain,

Жутки песни мои к ночи.
My eerie songs to the night.

Как над миром заря,
Like a dawn over the world,