As writers, we are used to receiving sometimes long and extensive presentations from PR companies about the album we’re about to review. I guess each of us has his preferences and ways to interpret what the labels say to know what to expect. I especially liked the one for Drudkh Shadow Play for many reasons. Even if it was fairly poetic, it felt straightforward. Even if I was already won over by the band in question, I found it more appealing and not only did it make me want to review their album even more, it also gave me the possibility to get to work faster as I didn’t have the feeling to “skip the tutorial”. Without realising, such choice also reflects the aura emerging from the Ukrainian black metal scene: a solid impression of “no bullshit” all by being experts in poetry and all that is the finest in atmospheric. It is an honest approach that is pleasantly familiar to me. And to strengthen my feeling to be “home”, the closing sentence of this press-kit turned out to be the most veracious:
“Drudkh continues to illuminate the path for those who dare to wander, to question, and to dream”
To me Drudkh is the band you should listen to when going for a walk. It’s the best way to enjoy their albums and almost to live them as they are designed on the lenght. That is to say that they take the time to skillfully develop their riffs and pretty much everything around it, be it for the melody or the impact. “Scattering the Ashes” happens to perfectly illustrate what I mean. It opens Shadow Play in an equally unusual and cool way with a real recording of someone walking and taking an object (supposedly the urn). The frozen soil, the sound of the leaves, the sniffles, everything’s in there. There is a kind of intimity and the fact it is a pared down track with solely three elements mixing up make it modestly powerful. So there is this recording then this saturated guitar coming up with a ceremonial tone, reinforcing the graveness. It could almost have had a predictable and overrated side of black metal but Drudkh is above this. The clean chords that follow bring a sort of nostalgia and finished sweetness, thus rebalancing it and making it realer. It is interesting, although tragic as it may be the case of so many people these days, that the story starts with an end.
But life, no matter how trying it can be, continues for those who are still there. I think “April” has Shadow Play‘s signature by the way layers were laid, they are slightly similar to the first single. It’s a storming track that would approach the main part of their discography by its aggressiveness and the raw, elongated vocals but again, it’s more than that. It is more melodic and also more rhythmic thanks to the drums and bass bloc.The ornamentations are light then this sudden break with the melodic guitar came to lighten it all not to lead to something powerful but to express a fatigue, something very slowed down. This choice made this moment memorable to me. And I like the following clean chords on the double pedal, it’s a nice contrast and brings a great breath and melancholy by the end. On the whole I love the way all these well chosen elements interact with each other. This songs express strenuousness without being strenuous itself, this is the type of subtlety I appreciate. To make it even better, the abrupt end and smooth succession to the following song is brilliant.
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“The Exile” also has good elements though not everything is as easy to grasp as on the previous one, but the album is called Shadow Play for a reason. It’s an easy flowing track though not a remarkable one to me. At first I didn’t understand why it was chosen as a second single but I guess you need to keep surprises in reserve. Fundamentally, there is a bit of everything, just enough of tension and melodies yet everything in there stays in the same unity and state, it’s almost oppressing. The atmospheric side is more developed by the end but I would like it to be more than this touch. I won’t have it with “Fallen Blossom”. It’s a short track (for Drudkh) that cuts into the flesh. As a black metal fan, I’m glad to have blast beat on most of it but while I appreciate this and these melodic crescendo with guitars and bass, I tend to think it’s one for the fans of the main part of their discography. And I became more demanding in the meantime so this lazy ending, their characteristic bad habit of letting a song fade slowly while the riff is still going strong, doesn’t make me rank it amongst the best songs of the album.
But this is rightly when the exception, at least the first, comes up: “The Eve”. It is the first single and it made an effect as striking as its beginning. The layering is astonishing from the outset. This track has everything and more importantly a common thread that goes where it likes but that is well present. It has more contrast, it’s more of a game of light and darkness than a shadows play and I like it. I like the structure of this song and the fact there is something going on. It tells a story, not impressions. It’s a winning combo as it is both dynamic and inspiring.
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“The Thirst” is also a winning combo because it is what a collaboration between Drudkh and Khors would have sounded like. Despite all the elements which made me think of them, they have not contributed to this incredible track. It starts quite normally until this block of guitars comes up. It is right in the keys that Khors would play, then this spacious break and its long notes remind me of the first track of their latest Letters to the Future Self. And this kind of trippy keyboards, it’s also part of their signature. I really had to force myself and repeat to myself that this is a track by Drudkh. Anyways, this comparison is clearly a compliment from me. All these elements and melodies blend in a marvellous way, they offer an inspiring breath and they haunt beautifully. And it only gets better. This is the 100% atmospheric that I wanted. Even until the very end, everything is refined and well arranged. These last couple of notes, as simple as they are, break their bad habit of churning out their endings. The fading is much more gradual and including the singing into it is brilliant.
In conclusion, Shadow Play is an excellent album. I am not sure it has as much identity as my favourites but since they had kind of lost the will to giving their songs a distinctive character, I am glad to see they kept this going since their penultimate All Belongs To the Night. It seems to me that either way, their new releases are always eargerly waited and while we still have to hang on a little more until the release, I hope this review will help, or tease the fans!
Shadow Play is out on March 21st.
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Loved reading this ! You really nailed what makes Drudkh special, the mix of atmosphere, melody, and raw intensity. The way you break down the songs makes me even more hyped to check out Shadow Play. The comparison to Khors in The Thirst is super interesting, especially since both bands have that distinct Ukrainian black metal vibe. And The Eve sounds like a real standout, layered, dynamic, and full of contrast, which is exactly what I look for in this kind of music. Honestly, this review does a great job of building excitement without overhyping things. Can’t wait to dive… Read more »