Drudkh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
| Drudkh | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| Genre(s) | Black metal Folk metal |
| Years active | 2003 – present |
| Label(s) | Supernal Music |
| Associated acts | Hate Forest Astrofaes |
| Members | |
| Roman Saenko Thurios Amorth (Yuriy Sinitsky) |
|
Drudkh, meaning "wood" in Sanskrit, is an atmospheric black metal band from Ukraine formed by Roman Saenko, the leading member of Hate Forest, Dark Ages & Blood of Kingu, who releases about two to three albums per year over various projects; Thurios, the leading member of Astrofaes and, with Saenko, a former member of Hate Forest; and Yuriy Sinitsky, of Lucifugum and Definition Sane. Their strongly folk-influenced music focuses on a strong atmosphere with a lot of feeling, and the lyrical contents embrace Slavic mythology, seasons and poetry. Many of the band's lyrics are derived from the works of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Ukrainian poets, especially Taras Shevchenko.
Drudkh have frequently been associated with the National Socialist black metal movement, a charge that has proven controversial among some of the band's fans. The tape versions of Drudkh's albums have been released by Oriana Productions, a label ran by a member of Ukrainian NSBM band Nokturnal Mortum, and one of Drudkh's shirts, albeit one of dubious authenticity, also describes the band's music as "Art for White Intellectual Elite". However, many fans consider Drudkh's categorisation as an NSBM band to be misleading, since there is nothing in Drudkh's music or lyrics that would suggest a National Socialist outlook, and Drudkh's official press releases describe their politics as Conservative Revolutionary, referring to a German movement from the 1920s. This movement somewhat predates Nazism as it was anti-democratic, anti-liberal, anti-egalitarian, anti-communist and rejected Enlightenment ideals; however, the majority of Conservative Revolutionaries eventually opposed the Nazi regime, mainly because National Socialism became a demotic and populist mass movement while Conservative Revolutionaries were strictly elitist and intellectual. Perhaps reinforcing the band's description of its politics as Conservative Revolutionary, it has also named one of its instrumentals in honour of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a nationalist guerilla army which fought both Nazis and Communists during World War II.
Drudkh have been particularly secretive throughout the course of their career, even for a black metal band, giving no interviews and not releasing the lyrics to several of their albums.
Contents |
[edit] Career overview
Drudkh have released six albums and one EP on the English extreme metal record label Supernal Music. All albums (with the exception of the EP) have also been released on vinyl through two Finnish black metal labels, Northern Heritage and Faustian Distribution.
The band's first album, Forgotten Legends, was released on February 23, 2003 (see 2003 in music). The album establishes the band's trademark epic sound; its three tracks and one outro span nearly forty minutes, with the longest track, "False Dawn," nearing the sixteen-minute mark. The sound and atmosphere of the album have been compared favorably to those of Burzum and Ulver.
Autumn Aurora followed on November 28, 2004 (see 2004 in music). While continuing the same general mood and atmosphere of its predecessor, it distinguishes itself from its predecessor by being the first Drudkh album to incorporate synthesizers and other such keyboard instruments. Autumn Aurora has frequently been cited as Drudkh's finest album, although some fans give the nod to the later Blood in Our Wells.
The Swan Road (Лебединий Шлях), released on March 14, 2005 (see 2005 in music), marked a departure in a number of ways. It was very well received and is the first Drudkh album to feature printed lyrics, all of which are adapted or taken directly from the works of Taras Shevchenko. With the addition of Shevchenko's poetry, the material can also be said to have taken a more pronounced nationalistic leaning on this release (a move continued on the next album). The music's atmosphere is also significantly more urgent, with the drums pushed to the forefront of the mix and a vastly increased use of blast beats.
On March 23, 2006 (see 2006 in music), Drudkh released Blood in Our Wells (Кров у наших криницях), once again through Supernal Music. On this album, poetry from four of the most respected nineteenth- and twentieth-century Ukrainian poets (including Shevchenko) serves as lyrical material. Musically, the album adds progressive rock influences and an increased use of traditional heavy metal soloing into the mix, while retaining the band's trademark blend of black metal and traditional Ukrainian folk music. Because several tracks sample the classic Ukrainian film Mamaj, the album is considered more cinematic than its predecessors. Many fans have cited this album as the band's best work to date.
On October 19, 2006 Drudkh released yet another album, entitled Songs of Grief and Solitude (Пісні Скорбти і Самітности), marking a different path for the band. Rather than being a black metal album, this release is composed of Ukrainian folk music, with much of the music inspired by, or even taken directly from, previous Drudkh compositions (for example, "The Cranes Will Never Return Here" is based on a riff from "Solitude" on Blood in Our Wells, and "Archaic Dance" is based on a riff from "Glare of 1768" on The Swan Road). It is entirely instrumental, with barely any drumming, and prominently features wind instruments such as flutes (which has led some listeners to draw comparisons to Drudkh's countrymates in Kroda). The album received mixed reviews, with some fans criticising the band for reusing old material, and others praising the band's radical reconstruction of its own sound.
On April 16, 2007 (see 2007 in music), Supernal Music released Drudkh's Anti-Urban, a 45-RPM 10 inch coloured vinyl limited to 999 copies containing exclusive tracks available only to Supernal Music customers. The EP demonstrated a return to the band's black metal style; it was significantly more minimalistic than other recent Drudkh releases, leading some fans to draw comparisons to Forgotten Legends. It received a mixed reception.
The band's next release, a full-length black metal album titled Estrangement (Вiдчуженiсть), was released later the same year. Supernal Music announced that the deluxe version of Estrangement, which was available for limited pre-order, shipped on Aug 25th, 2007 [1]. The album, which was previously known under the title River of Tears, had been rumoured to have a "Burzumic" feel before its release, and in some ways this was borne out by the album's release; its songs were in many ways significantly more minimalistic than those on Blood in Our Wells. Reception to the album has been largely positive, with many fans hailing it as a return to the band's roots or praising the band's musicianship demonstrated in the album's many solos. Notably, the album also featured the band's first prominent use of blast beats since The Swan Road.
By the time of Estrangement's release, Drudkh had apparently also already recorded their seventh full-length album, which is titled Microcosmos and will contain five tracks.
[edit] Band members
- Roman Saenko (also in Hate Forest) - guitars, bass
- Thurios (also in Hate Forest and Astrofaes) - vocals, keyboard
- Amorth (also in Astrofaes) - drums, keyboards
[edit] Former band members
- Yuriy Sinitsky - drums
[edit] Discography
- Forgotten Legends - 2003
- Autumn Aurora - 2004
- The Swan Road - 2005
- Blood in Our Wells - 2006
- Songs of Grief and Solitude - 2006
- Anti-Urban EP - 2007
- Estrangement - 2007
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
