DRUDKH – Shadow Play
Release Date: 21st March 2025
Label: Season of Mist: Underground Activists
Bandcamp
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Pagan Black Metal.
FFO: Agalloch, Saor, Winterfylleth, Paysage d’Hiver, Mgła, Djevel.
Review By: Rick Farley
“Born from the whispering winds and the brooding landscapes of Ukraine, a realm steeped in history and draped in the enigma of folklore, emerges Drudkh – a beacon of profound expression in the vast expanse of black metal. In their essence, Drudkh are the custodians of a narrative, combining atmospheric and pagan influences into a mesmerizing portrayal of their homeland’s soul. Their journey is one of introspection, seeking to create music that evoke a profound emotional resonance that stirs the depths of human experience.”
Stirring words from the press release that I feel captures the essence of the band in a short paragraph. I chose to include it, because honestly, you could be captivated enough to discover this amazing band just from that paragraph alone. Onward and forward.
Shadow Play marks the bands 13th full length studio album since their inception in 2002. There’s not one misstep in the bands varied discography, and have reached the peaks of untouchability when it comes to releasing new material. After twelve records with countless moments of lush atmospheric black metal, you would think that the quality of creating remarkable melancholy would somehow diminish or there would be nothing left for the band to say. Turns out the depths of anguish and gloom go on forever, hand in hand, with no end in sight.
Shadow Play begins with Scattering the Ashes. Seven minutes of ethereal instrumental that’s sole purpose is to paint a picture of transcendental mood. Someone is briskly walking, cracking the frosty leaves and broken branches beneath their feet, presumably carrying a yarn. It’s not exactly known what is truly happening, but the music that lingers on between two different sections is dramatic and quite ghostly in setting. It instantly grabs a hold of your attention, as if you have no choice but to hear its distressed beauty. A sustained synth rings out underneath a simple melodic riff that somehow beckons for the journey you’ve just embarked on. Drudkh are masters of pure atmosphere, easily bewitching the strongest of wills. The tapestry of dark, bleak, and mysterious soundscapes begins.
April surges immediately into a cerebral chord progression that’s heavily tremolo picked, while the seizing bassline and double kick guide you forward rapidly through. Ghastly shrieks ring out over the enveloping, driving black metal with pained venom. Brushes of dancing melodies intertwine mystically while the dark, blissful melancholy rages on. This is atmospheric black metal in its highest form.
The Exile is a ferocious track filled with skittering tension. Drawing inspiration from the bands classic sound, delighting and ravaging my soul with its trampling stomp. Searing guitars storm their way through the darkness. The backdrop of nightmarish aura weaves its way across meditative patterns of infernal savagery until you’re left with complete disorientation. The amount of otherworldly, haunting grandeur on the entirety of Shadow Play is astonishing.
With six tracks at 55 minutes, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into, demanding your attention for every second. The powerful and the frail, the darkness and the beautiful aligned with the menace of black metal and the balance of shadows creating a dismal yet endearing aura. Bits of post black, pagan, and folk are intertwined with the love of Ukraine poetry, nature, and atmosphere. As always shrouded in mystery and secretive, no credits of any kind are given, so we are left with just the music.
In a world that already contains Blood in our Wells, the bands fourth album, it would be easy to cast Shadow Play off as just the new album, but that would be a significant mistake. I can’t just yet say this is as good as Blood in our Wells, but in all fairness, I’ve heard this album a whole lot less and its grip is not letting go anytime soon. Shadow Play feels like a rebirth of everything that makes this band so amazing, often reaching as far back as the earliest days. If you’re a fan of atmospheric black metal even the slightest bit, you would be hard-pressed to find anything better than Drudkh. Rest In Power, Amorth.
(5 / 5)
