_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!/// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Drudkh ::\ :: Album :: Microcosmos :: :: Year :: 2022 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CDDA . :: :: Label :: Covil Records R.date :: 09.09.2022 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: COVILCD017 Size :: 84,0 MB __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 265kbps : . . Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo . . . Website :: __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 01. Days that Passed 01:07 :: :: 02. Distant Cries of Cranes 09:37 :: :: 03. Decadence 10:32 :: :: 04. Ars Poetica 09:48 :: :: 05. Everything Unsaid Before 09:33 :: :: 06. Widow's Grief 01:08 :: :: ------- :: .. >> 41:45 min .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: Drudkh is a Ukrainian atmospheric black metal band with :: :: folk influences. Drudkh has always been a very mysterious :: :: band, with a no pictures, no gigs, no interviews policy for :: :: the entirety of its existence. They actually have no :: :: official website, no band-run myspace (only fan pages), and :: :: no official line-up list. In fact, the only confirmed :: :: member of the band is guitarist Roman Saenko, mastermind of :: :: such projects as Hate Forest. The aura of mystery the band :: :: creates around itself does nothing to hurt their reputation :: :: and has led to them developing something of a cult :: :: following (or rather, kvlt) in many black metal circles. :: :: :: :: "Microcosmos" is the bandÆs seventh full-length, and I :: :: would call it a masterpiece in its own right, easily worth :: :: a five-star rating. The impressive part is that I wouldnÆt :: :: even call "Microcosmos" the best album Drudkh has made, :: :: with the albums "Autumn Aurora" and "Blood In Our Wells" :: :: tying for that honor. That I give this album 100 without it :: :: even being their magnum opus just goes to show the high :: :: esteem I have for Drudkh, and it is hard-earned indeed. :: :: :: :: The cover art is a slight departure for Drudkh, which :: :: traditionally uses brighter and more organic colors such as :: :: light browns and sunlight oranges to convey their sunrise- :: :: in-the-Slavic-woods type of Pagan feel. Instead, this cover :: :: artwork has a dark blue that is reflective of their general :: :: change in lyrical direction in this album, switching from :: :: the formerly dominant Pagan/Slavic nationalism themes to a :: :: more cosmic and philosophical direction. :: :: :: :: Musically, the album features outstanding musicianship in :: :: every department. The guitars play mostly extremely :: :: emotion-filled tremolo riffs using dissonant chords typical :: :: of black metal. The lead guitar has an extremely high- :: :: treble high-gain tone that will probably sound familiar to :: :: most Drudkh fans, while the rhythm guitar plays with a much :: :: lower-gain that is used for the soft quasi-clean passages :: :: that are tastefully spread out through most of the songs. :: :: The bass is far more prominent in this album than any other :: :: Drudkh release I have heard, and adds more to the texture :: :: of the songs than does the bass in probably ninety-five :: :: percent of black metal albums out there. The bass in :: :: "Microcosmos" aids the rhythm section wonderfully, while :: :: playing counterpoints and at some times entirely separate :: :: melodies that compliment the guitar line. In the first :: :: track proper (the first real song after the intro track), :: :: "Distant Cries of Cranes," there is even a bass solo that :: :: begins at 6:08 and kicks into full-gear at 6:30 or so. The :: :: guitar riff following this section is also one of the most :: :: notable examples in this particular song of DrudkhÆs :: :: highly-emotional melodies. It would seem that Roman Saenko, :: :: who handles both bass and guitar on the album, had a bit of :: :: spare time on his hands and decided to become very good at :: :: bass as he was already an accomplished guitarist. The bass :: :: is also so clear that I can distinctly hear that he is :: :: using finger-plucking as opposed to a pick, and thus took :: :: (in my humble opinion as a bassist of course) the longer :: :: and far more rewarding road. For him this would have meant :: :: that he was forced to approach the bass as a separate :: :: instrument, whereas many guitarists who also play bass :: :: simply ôplay guitar on bassö by way of a pick, which I :: :: think is cheating somewhat. His use of slapping and popping :: :: the strings on his bass is also prominent, especially in :: :: the aforementioned bass solo, though also in random riffs :: :: in most of the songs. :: :: :: :: The drumming on the album is some of the most innovative :: :: drumming I have heard in a good while in black metal. It :: :: has more combinations of mid-tempo blast beating, :: :: traditional blastbeats, weird fills, and polyrhythmic :: :: madness than most black metal drummers bother to do. Hence, :: :: the drumming is never boring but always fitting, and is :: :: also placed well in the mix so that it never becomes :: :: distracting which would detract from the music itself. :: :: :: :: The vocals, while somewhat distant sounding, have the same :: :: ôSlavicö sound similar to many other Eastern European black :: :: metal bands (i.e. Lutomysl, early Behemoth, etc.). They are :: :: also abrasive enough to sound angry and hateful, but not so :: :: hateful as to contrast with the music itself, which ranges :: :: from solemn to melancholic to (surprisingly enough) happy. :: :: Those of you who have sampled "Autumn Aurora" by Drudkh and :: :: have listened to the song "Sunwheel" will know what I mean :: :: when I say that sometimes Drudkh can sound happy and get :: :: away with it without being any less black metal. :: :: :: :: The production is very clear on this album, though by no :: :: means polished, which perfectly brings out the atmosphere :: :: which Drudkh sought to create. It is easily the most well- :: :: produced Drudkh album to date. There are also just-over- :: :: one-minute folk instrumental tracks that open and close the :: :: album as a nice touch, and continue the bandÆs tradition of :: :: folk influence. The last special treat is extremely well- :: :: thought-out and adeptly played guitar solos that lightly :: :: pepper the albumÆs forty minutes with a taste of Roman :: :: SaenkoÆs guitar virtuosity. The solos compliment their :: :: respective songs and the rhythm sections exceptionally, and :: :: are a nice treat as DrudkhÆs other most recent releases had :: :: no solos. Not to mention that guitar solos can tend to be :: :: very sparse in black metal in the first place. :: :: :: :: Overall, this album is brilliant. And it isnÆt even :: :: DrudkhÆs very best. But I can honestly say that I wouldnÆt :: :: change a damn thing on this album. I easily give :: :: "Microcosmos" 100 and will assuredly lose no sleep over it. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2022 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :