Drudkh - Eternal Turn of the Wheel
In late 2009, a friend made me a copy of Drudkh’s Microcosmos LP and told me, “Dude, you’ll love this shit.” In retrospect, I did not, in fact, love that shit, although it wasn’t bad at the time. It was a melodic Black Metal album with a strong melodic Black Metal focus mixed with hints of melodic Black Metal and occasional melodic Black Metal flourishes. A decent assembly of pretty, 10-minute numbers that was ultimately forgotten three years later. Having not thought much about these mystery men from the Ukraine during that span, it seems I missed out on their Handful of Stars LP which was rumored to be a drastic Art Rock style change. A shame, because good or bad I might’ve actually remembered that one. Back to doing what got them there, Eternal Turn of the Wheel is basically Microcosmos 2, which means… you guessed it… more melodic Black Metal. I will say, the production is slightly better, the playing a little sharper, and I love that flanged hook on “Breath of Cold Black Soil.” Thurios’ raspy bark is a bit more grating this time around. It doesn’t lend itself well to the band’s serene vibe, and the lyrics not being in English doesn’t help. Like Wolves in the Throne Room with significantly less head-up-ass, these guys are maestros at weaving fragile melancholy with blasting frostbitten grim, but the bottom line is that all these melodies just don’t hurt enough. Go suicidal or go home. People already want to die, so the hard part’s done for you. Drudkh are convincingly adept at creating atmosphere —nature-inspired, calm yet volatile, morose— but in the end it’s just another decent assembly of pretty, 10-minute numbers that will ultimately be forgotten three years later.
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