Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Garrett Russell, the singer of Silent Planet, discussed his band’s performances in Ukraine with Metal Hammer, as per theprp. The alternative metalcore band from California is one of the few foreign performers that have performed there since Russia began its invasion in 2022. The duo had previously raised money for Ukrainian children impacted by the ongoing Russian war by using their 2025 song “Wick,” which was inspired by Holodomor. Russell discussed the dangers and challenges of travelling in a war-torn nation in this recent conversation. Among these were the numerous excursions to bomb shelters during drone attack threats and the inability to rent a van from outside the nation because of insurance concerns. According to Russell, the band was subjected to three air raid sirens while they were there.
The first day, when we were in Kyiv, we got all the gear in and they started plugging everything in, and I hadn’t eaten all day. I went to this grocery store and, as I’m walking out, Oleksandra – our tour manager, an amazing person – was like, ‘There you are! All the band’s in the bomb shelter!’ There was an air alert: a couple of Russian drones were flying over Kyiv.
I checked my phone and there were 50 texts, like, ‘Where the fuck are you?!’ But you look around and no one seems concerned, and there’s supposedly an explosive drone somewhere over town. The danger is very real, but there’s also kind of a casual approach that people take to it.
The second night we were at our hotel in Kyiv, we got woken up by one, so we went down to the bomb shelter. Then we went back to bed, and apparently there was another bomb warning that same night but I just slept through it. My bandmates went back down, so they basically didn’t sleep the night after the first show.
He gave this response when asked how he felt about possibly being the first American band to play in the nation since the invasion.
It makes me sad. What breaks my heart is bands have been playing Moscow for the last few years, and getting paid really well to do it, and it seems fucked-up that the country getting invaded by Moscow is not getting shows because of Moscow.
Since the aforementioned invasion, many foreign performers have avoided touring Russia, however a contentious metalcore band As I Lay Dying are one of the few to play many shows throughout the country in recent years. Russell continued by praising the spectators’ fervour at the performances and the tenacity of the Ukrainian people. When asked if he would encourage other artists to follow suit and play a concert in the country, Russell said.
Yeah. I really do believe, in the scheme of things, it’s safe. Touring is inherently dangerous: we went through a van flip [in November 2022] and my back’s not been the same since. I think a tour across the United States between November and February is probably more dangerous than going to Ukraine.
