Drudkh, White Ward, Ygg, Nocturnal Mortum... all notable and great projects in the pantheon of Ukranian metal music.

Now, make room for Dr. Heavy.

While Dr. Heavy is the sole creation of one Volodymyr, his work is tangentially related to Otrebor’s (Botanist, Lotus Thief, Ophidian Forest, etc...).

Rewind to the early 2000s, circa 2002, for Otrebor’s first attempt at a band. He met up with Aleksey and Volodymyr, a couple Russian kids in San Francisco, and formed a project called “Rubicon.” It was little more than a rehearsal project, as it was the Russians on guitar, Otrebor on drums, and no other members. A couple loose tracks in both music and concept, with titles like “The Fall of Rome,” were put together and recorded on a long-lost hand recorder.

All the while, and unbeknownst to Aleksey and Otrebor, Volodymyr had a plot of his own. He had been working in secret, at home on his computer with his guitar, USB microphone, and Fruity Loops DAW, writing and recording songs that he intended the “band” to learn and play. He also missed / ignored how the project already had a name and wanted it to be called Dr. Heavy.

The five tracks from Dr. Heavy’s only recording, the demo, nay, *album*, “Breaking Free,” were foolishly rejected and cast aside by the other members of Rubicon, which led to the fledgling Dr. Heavy project to soon end. Rubicon ceased to practice soon after, as well.

Little did Aleksey and Otrebor recognize the raw potential and kvlt idiot savant genius of what Volodymyr had recorded. But perhaps it was for the best, as any inclusion of other band members would only dilute Volodymyr’s vision. As proof, Otrebor tried to re-kindle the dormant project with Volodymyr, under strict agreement that 1) Volodymyr would write all the music, 2) Volodymyr would do all the lyrics and vocals, 3) the project had to retain the name “Dr. Heavy” (Volodymyr wanted to rename it “Heretic”). A few songs were written and instrumental demos recorded (like “Thirst for Fire” on an album to be called “Heretic”) , but already it was apparent that any outside influence or presence in Dr. Heavy was but a mere adulteration of Volodymyr’s vision, plus he had little to no understanding or appreciation of why the people who loved it, loved it.

And people LOVE Dr. Heavy. Literally, over the 15+ years since this recording was made, it’s been shared privately with dozens of people in Otrebor’s private life, and everyone has been fascinated, appalled, baffled, excited, entranced, inspired, aghast... delighted by it.

And now, as a sort of Christmas gift to all of Botanist’s fans, Otrebor is making these recordings free for all to enjoy. You have the option of paying for them only if you want the album to show up in your feed. So, please download and kick back and enjoy a half hour with the good doctor.

We don’t recommend you eat or drink anything while listening.

He’s Ukrainian!

He’s an electrical engineer!

He’s a member of Mensa!

He’s far more evil than anyone realizes!

He’s... Doctor Heavy!