Louna

Louna formed in St. Petersburg in 2008, starting as a two-piece with vocalist Lou Kerzhner and guitarist Vitaly Demidenko. Their early music had a raw, politically charged quality that connected with listeners in Russia's underground scene. They released their debut album 'Parallel Worlds' in 2009, which mixed melodic metal and rap with social commentary.

Their song 'Mama' drew attention for its subject matter, touching on the difficulties of motherhood and sparking debate. Other tracks like '1984' and 'Мой Рок-н-Ролл' continued to address social issues. Over time, the band expanded to include Sergey Ponomarev on bass, Leontiy Krivoshta on drums, and Ruslan Kalyada on guitar.

They put out several more albums including 'Time Is Up' in 2011 and 'Behind a Mask' in 2014. Their music found listeners beyond Russia, though their outspoken lyrics sometimes led to performance cancellations and criticism from authorities. They kept recording, with later releases like 'Panopticon' in 2018 and 'Origins' in 2020.