In 2013, the band prepared a follow-up single titled Petrichor, featuring bouzoukitara playing and a guitar solo from Yossi Sassi, at that moment the guitarist of oriental metal fathers band, Orphaned Land.
In 2015, the band finally changed its name to IGNEA and released a new work called Alga, named after a war call of Crimean Tatar people. This song is contributed to Crimeans who are defending their land.
Alga is the first ever original song from a Ukrainian band, recorded with a full symphonic orchestra. The video was shot unintentionally and on low budget as the band wanted to use orchestra sessions footage in something bigger, than video diary. Over the year, the video gathered over million views on YouTube.
Recently, IGNEA opened the show of Orphaned Land, fathers of oriental metal, in Kiev, Ukraine.
In 2017, the band released its first full-length album called The Sign of Faith, having a heavier sound, both clean and extreme vocals, and authentic middle-eastern melodies. Its first song, Şeytanu Akbar, was accompanied by an animated anti-terrorism video in a surrealistic style. Despite the provocative title of the song, the band’s intention is to carry the idea of peace.
Over 2017, IGNEA has been promoting the new album through solo shows and festivals in Ukraine within ‘The Tour of Faith’. Early 2018, IGNEA has released an official live experience video for Şeytanu Akbar recorded at national The Best Ukrainian Metal Act awards, where the band has entered the top 3 best metal bands in the country.
In April 2018, the band has released an animated video for its OST-like song How I Hate the Night, the lyrics to which belong to the paranoid android Marvin from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The video contains lots of references to the original movie.
For IGNEA, the years 2018 and 2019 were dedicated to touring and writing the new material. In May 2018, IGNEA has toured in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, together with the Nordic death metal legends Illdisposed, as well as performed selected shows in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and festivals in France, Lithuania, and Ukraine.
September 2018, IGNEA released a new single Queen Dies with an art video and hopped on a 3-week tour across 9 countries within the Female Metal Voices Tour 2018 headlined by Butcher Babies and Kobra and the Lotus. In summer 2019, IGNEA had a small leg of headline shows in Spain and performed at the main stage of the Vagos Metal Festival in Portugal.
IGNEA’s second full-length album The Realms of Fire and Death was released on April 17, 2020. It was fully funded by the band's patrons. It is a concept album with strong story-telling, metaphors, symbols, and is accompanied by a book of short tales incorporating the lyrics of each song. It is divided into three major parts, each consisting of 3 songs, plus a bonus track — an English version of the Ukrainian Чорне Полум’я (Chorne Polumia). Songs of each part are outlining a certain separate story, bringing the themes of fire and death from various perspectives. The band also released two official music videos video for the song Disenchantment and Jinnslammer.
According to the national awards The Best Ukrainian Metal Act, The Realms of Fire and Death has been selected as the metal album of the year and IGNEA has been named the best Ukrainian metal band of 2020.
In June 2021, IGNEA signed a deal with Napalm Records and started working on the third album that was planned for 2022. The album release has been postponed to 2023 because of the Russia-Ukraine full-scale war.
Before bringing the new full-length record to the world, in October 2021, the band treated its fans with BESTIA, a concept EP about the human nature of Slavic mythological creatures and the world’s duality. In Ukrainian, BESTIA (Ukr. «бестія») means both a savage beast and a mischievous person. This is a split record that consists of songs by two Ukrainian bands — IGNEA and ERSEDU — and is a result of their 10-year friendship.
IGNEA’s third full-length album Dreams of Lands Unseen is out through Napalm Records on April 28th, 2023.
In 2023, IGNEA has released official videos for the songs Nomad's Luck, Dunes, and Incurable Disease.
The 10-track concept album reflects the life of Ukrainian photographer and documentarian Sofia Yablonska, known for traveling to very distant corners of the world while documenting the lives of tribes and natives, which was especially dangerous and uncommon for a woman of her time. Sonically, IGNEA creates a captivating masterpiece which resembles, thanks in part to diverse genre-influences, an epic soundtrack-like experience.
The band will present the album live at such European festivals as MetalDays, Leyendas del Rock, SummerBreeze, as well as at club shows on EU & UK tour with Fear Factory and Butcher Babies.
IGNEA are:
Helle Bohdanova — vocals;
Yevhenii Zhytniuk — keyboards;
Oleksandr Kamyshin — bass;
Ivan Kholmohorov — drums;
Dmytro Vinnichenko — guitars.
Last Chosen by You
Ignea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And breathe the threads of costly silk and precious gems
My pale skin untouched by sunlight beams
Is weary of your hands and your seraglio's lamps
I tear the veil upon my flesh
Disrupting upper hand
I could not be your friend
Calling you my Bahadir
For the final time
Did you think of your end-point
When choosing me to satisfy?
Out of time to press alarm call bell,
Your hands are both cut off and bleeding crimson rain
Scream is dumb from your demanding mouth
Cross gag made of my burqa, do you like its taste?
Sanctity is nothing against freedom
I would die by hunger but escape
Let's rejoice my birth, my lively morphing,
Sing with me and play my wicked game
The lyrics of Ignea's song "Last Chosen by You" describe a woman who has been living a constrained life, trying to conform to societal expectations and conventions. She has been hiding behind a veil, trying to please her partner and society, but her soul is tired of living in the shadows. The reference to silk and precious gems conjure the image of a harem or a wealthy household, where women are often kept hidden away and objectified. However, the woman is no longer willing to live under such conditions, and she rips off the veil from her flesh. This act reveals her true self, disrupting the status quo and the power dynamic that previously existed.
The woman's liberation comes at a cost, as her partner is unable to accept the change and tries to control her through physical abuse. However, the woman refuses to be a slave and empowers herself by taking control of the situation. She refers to her partner as "Bahadir" for the last time, indicating that she is severing her ties with him. The chorus, "Did you think of your end-point when choosing me to satisfy?" suggests that her partner had only considered his own pleasure and satisfaction in the relationship, without thinking about the implications of his actions.
In summary, "Last Chosen by You" is a powerful song that explores themes of female empowerment, oppression, and the struggle for freedom. The woman in the song represents the many women who have been forced to live under oppressive conditions but have found the strength to break free and take control of their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Tried to live under the cloth like freak
I attempted to live a sheltered and repressed life under the constraints of societal norms.
And breathe the threads of costly silk and precious gems
I sought to find comfort and security in material possessions and status symbols.
My pale skin untouched by sunlight beams
I have been shielded from the natural world and deprived of experiences outside of my confines.
Is weary of your hands and your seraglio's lamps
I am tired of being controlled and objectified by others, particularly in a space designed to cater to male desire.
I tear the veil upon my flesh
I am rejecting the idea of hiding behind a veil and finally exposing my true self.
Disrupting upper hand
I am challenging those who hold power over me and attempting to upset the social hierarchy.
I could not be your friend
I refuse to maintain a relationship with someone who sees me as an object to be controlled.
Bending knees as slave
I will not submit to being treated as a second-class citizen or a servant.
Calling you my Bahadir
I am addressing you as my oppressor, acknowledging your role in the power dynamic between us.
For the final time
This is the last interaction I will have with you.
Did you think of your end-point
Did you consider the potential consequences of your actions?
When choosing me to satisfy?
When you decided to use me for your own pleasure?
Out of time to press alarm call bell,
You can no longer call for help or escape this situation.
Your hands are both cut off and bleeding crimson rain
You are now suffering the consequences of your actions and have lost all power over me.
Scream is dumb from your demanding mouth
You are unable to make demands or exert pressure on me anymore.
Cross gag made of my burqa, do you like its taste?
I have turned the veil that was once used to silence me against you, and you must now face the consequences of your actions.
Sanctity is nothing against freedom
The sanctity of traditions and societal norms is meaningless in the face of true personal freedom.
I would die by hunger but escape
I would rather risk everything and face the unknown than continue to be confined and oppressed.
Let's rejoice my birth, my lively morphing,
I am embracing my true self and the potential for growth and change.
Sing with me and play my wicked game
Join me in breaking free from societal constraints and embracing our true selves, even if it means challenging those in power.
Contributed by Mila I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
FrankCoffman
Tried to live under the cloth like freak
And breathe the threads of costly silk and precious gems
My pale skin untouched by sunlight beams
Is weary of your hands and your seraglio’s lamps
I tear the veil upon my flesh
Disrupting upper hand
I could not be your friend
Bending knees as slave
Calling you my Bahadir
For the final time
Did you think of your end-point
When choosing me to satisfy?
Out of time to press alarm call bell
Your hands are both cut off and bleeding crimson rain
Scream is dumb from your demanding mouth
Cross gag made of my burqa, do you like its taste?
Sanctity is nothing against freedom
I would rather die by hunger but escape
Let’s rejoice my birth, my lively morphing
Sing with me and play my wicked game
Lunae Iraes
I don't remember the last time I liked every song from an album :D
Isaiah Welch
Ignea is my second band where I've loved every song from an album -- and the reason why Unleash the Archers is the other band is because I found them first, before Ignea, lol.
jahron simon
i was thinking the same then i saw ur comment.. its been such a time since every single song on an album was amazing
Macnavor
It sounds very mystic and empowering!!!!
IGNEA
that's awesome! :)
Sergio Ortiz
Okay i listen to this one everyday by far my favorite. Y'all have brought my faith in music back. Thank you for that. Can't wait to see y'all play in San Antonio Texas.
IGNEA
Thank you for great words, Serge! it gives us strengths to develop as a band and create new music. Looking forward to meet you at one of our shows!
Stanley Schmidt
This might be my favorite song on the album. They are all so darned good it's hard to pick...but this one gets my motor runnin'! :)
Dan Griffin
I prefer Alga just for its orchestral arrangements. Big fan of symphonic metal so that really hit the spot. Her growls in this song are excellent however.
Stanley Schmidt
@IGNEA What a good choice!! Work the crowd into a frenzy with the first song!! I love it!! :)