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Drudkh: Microcosmos

07/10/09 || The Duff

Black metal has gone through many a phase, and personally, I’m fond of most if not all, excluding probably later-era Dimmu Borgir. Recently, styles that seem to predominantly compose the sub-genre are the real dark, seedy atmospheric style that makes you think there isn’t a chance for a newborn in the world, and the light, atmospheric, folk/Viking styles like Negura Bunget, recent Blut Aus Nord and new-ish darlings of the underground scene Drudkh. Consisting of members of Hate Forest and Astrofaes, this band is one of the most prolific I’ve seen, releasing close to an album a year – praise never seems to fall short when it comes to these Ukranian black metallers, the prolonged duration in which this album was released to its immediate predecessor possibly due to the only time I’ve heard of the band going through a bad patch, namely with albums “Songs of Grief and Solitude” and “Estrangement”; not being the slackest of slouches when it comes to Drudkh, having heard and thoroughly enjoyed their considered best albums “Autumn Aurora” and “Blood In Our Wells”, I’m pleased to say that, although not without flaws, “Microcosmos” measures up close to the band’s lengthy, winding passages of old as well as to the current scene that has released some spell-binding atmospheric metal of late.

First thing, as per Drudkh fashion, expect epic tracks, not much music and a lot of repetition akin to Burzum – often opening and closing an album with brief instrumentals, you’ll be lucky to get more than four complete nuggets on a Drudkh album, and on “Microcosmos”, your luck equates to that of a eunuch who wants to be fucked silly by a harem of sprightly, horny young lasses. The point where your luck pans out to the degree where you can at least get an erection and have three women simultaneously sitting on your face whilst one licks the flap of skin where your nuts used to be is that the music is absolutely great – yes, great. Dense, alternating between vicious blasting/furiously picked riff mayhem and dreamy, slow paced acoustics and the unusual style of chord selection synonymous with traditional black metal overlaid with the tortured howlings of Thurios, the guy who makes many a Drudkh album what it is other than by his contributions to the music’s composing.

Despite all of these things being the pillars of awesome by which Drudkh often support their efforts, I can’t help but notice that the one thing that helps “Microcosmos” stand out most is the production, which is very rich, bass-heavy and simply perfect – right amount of fuzz to the guitars, nice, hollow sound to the drums, harsh, resonant vocals and full-forced yet light bass tone, not your usual when it comes to this style of black metal – imagine the production of “Blood In Our Wells” but make it clearer, more flirtatious and enchanting, staggering if you’re expecting the faintness that seems to be all the rage these days in epic Viking BM. Yet the feel for the “natural elements of the Earth and all life to which they provide energy” and blablabla (or as I like to think of it, “running through a moonlit forest with a naked hot chick, our respective genitalia flapping wildly in the wind to the sound of our unified heartbeats driven by a flaming lust for intercourse”) has not only not been sacrificed, but drastically augmented by a production that offers a thick tapestry of sound that is so lush. Yes, most positively representative of the artwork that evokes more than the imagery of that it depicts (FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP).

Sooooooo getting back to my duties here at Global Domination, the musicianship doesn’t strike me as particularly difficult to execute, but then I wouldn’t class this as anything less than genius. There is a real solid pace to the album with the exception of “Decadence” – it’s the intention to meander, and I really love such a thing because I don’t listen to such music for the need to focus (plus Floyd worship in BM is really making its home comfortably in the sub-genre), but I can see some of you growing restless with such lengthy introductory segments. What strikes me most is that the haunting keys that the band integrated so tastefully into their music in the past have entirely fucked off, making me wonder of the possible routes they could have taken things, but such is unimportant as the chords are interesting enough as they are, mixed in with folk acoustics, moderate to intense drumming and even a number of chances for bassist Krechet to shine (aside from an extremely present position in the mix). Drudkh have essentially released a very good album that does their legacy proud, even if it doesn’t live up to it. Unfortunately it doesn’t match BM contenders of the year either, so whether this will be worth it to those tight on the money front, it’s a risk for me to say, especially when I’m still disorientated from the endorphins released after a particularly aggressive wank-sesh; fans of the band shouldn’t hesitate, but newcomers would do well staying clear for now and sidestepping the steep “out of print” prices and awaiting Season of Mist re-issuing the first four classic discs.

Information
Released: 2009
Label: Season of Mist
Website: Drudkh MySpace
Band
Thurios: guitars, vocals
Roman: guitars
Krechet: bass
Vlad: drums

Tracklist
01. Days that passed
02. Distant cries of cranes
03. Decadence
04. Ars poetica
05. Everything unsaid before
06. Widow’s grief

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