Ukraine 2017 - Aghiazma - Synthetic Sun

(Click here to swelter under the spotlights...)

It's been an interesting couple of months for Aghiazma. Back in November, you'll recall, they were flying high in the Ukrainian wildcard with their blistering face-melter Zombie Dogs, until suddenly the rug was whipped out from beneath them as they had a massive percentage of their votes whipped away from them after allegations of vote rigging. Of course, they were understandably livid.

Many less committed acts would have taken their punishment quietly. But not this lot. Instead they lobbied the folks at Ukrainian TV, so that when the list of competing songs were announced they were placed firmly in the middle of it. Result.

However, the song is a slightly different proposition to Zombie Dogs. A calmer, more melodic, yet still pretty damn assertive tune. It's a few beats lower in the tempo stakes, and without much of the more screamo elements that would have made the more traditional ESC fan's toes curl up, the lyric is packed full of charged proclamations about the price of fame and the vacuous nature of music as a commercial art form.

To have a song actively subverting the very nature of the contest take the stage as the home entry would be a thing of extreme beauty, but one fears that internal nepotism has already put paid to their chances on the big stage, and we'll be robbed of that tasty existential treat. Damn shame.