All the money we earn from the song will be donated to Ukraine with the help of the Aktion Deutschland Hilft alliance:
www.aktion-deutschland-hilft.de/de/hilfseinsaetze/nothilfe-ukraine/
February 24, 2022. The previously unimaginable becomes reality: Russia commits the ultimate breach of civilisation and attacks Ukraine on land, at sea and from the air.
February 24, 2023. The war in Ukraine rages with an unabated ferocity that seemed unthinkable in the 21st century. In the West, the effect that was quickly to be feared has partly come to pass: Forgetting has long since begun!
"Vergissmeinnicht/ Nezabudka" is HVRTs artistic processing of this incredible tragedy. It is about the "not forgetting" of the ultimate catastrophe, which happens, sometimes very close, sometimes clearly more distant, day by day in this world.
Recorded live in the lowlands of the Rhine at the city limits of Cologne, the song processes the musicicans impressions and feelings of the first months of the war. It was especially important to the band to involve their direct friends, who have Ukrainian roots, in this project. Kirill Gromada, singer and guitarist of Pripjat, Ayahuasca and Raptvre was not only responsible for the recording and mixing, but also sings a significant part of the song. This is the first time that Kirill can be heard in Ukrainian: "I grew up as a Ukrainian with Russian language and hardly learned Ukrainian. Therefore, singing in Ukrainian was especially difficult."
Therefore, Eugen Lyubavskyy, guitarist of Pripyat and Alexey Pasko from Hell:On, were responsible for the translation of the lyrics, written by HVRT singer and bassist Stefan.
Last but not least HVRT were able to win Dasha Pliska for the artwork once again again. Dasha lives in Odessa and has suffered directly from the war and its consequences. The artwork she designed was the last one she could finish just days before the war started.
The piano in the intro of the song, which was the initial spark for the entire composition, was played by an Ukrainian soldier in a completely destroyed house on a broken piano. No one knows if this man is still alive, what his name is or where he is. Thus, he is one of countless people whom this war has already devoured.
This war, just like all other wars, must end. NOW! Ukraine must remain free.
Let us not forget! Let us not forget those who disappear namelessly in the war and never come back.
Forget-me-not! Vergissmeinnicht! Nezabudka!
released February 24, 2023
Stefan Braunschmidt - Bass & Vocals
Florian Stolpe - Lead Guitar
Christian Braunschmidt - Guitar
Tobias Hagge - Drums
Additional Vocals performed by Kirill Gromada
Recorded live and without overdubs by Kirill Gromada & Jan Engstfeld
Mixed and Mastered by Kirill Gromada
Artwork by Dasha Pliska
Layout by Lars Horstmann
Logo by Dominic Sohor
Lyric translation by Eugen Lyubavskyy & Alexey Pasko
Video by Lars Horstmann, additional footage by Noel Auch
Thanks to Lars for DIY-ing the hell out of this video...
Thanks to Mateusz „Havok“ Śmierzchalski for sharing the original piano-footage
Hugs and kisses to everybody involved making this project become reality!