Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Drudkh > Пісні скорботи і самітності (Songs of Grief and Solitude) > Reviews
Drudkh - Пісні скорботи і самітності (Songs of Grief and Solitude)

Gotta love it. - 85%

SeeYouNextTuesday, September 22nd, 2012

To be completely honest, Drudkh is one of my favourite bands of all time, spanning over all genres that I enjoy. Having said this, I found Пісні Скорботи і Самітності to be an incredibly nice listen; an entirely different approach to the atmosphere already created by previous Drudkh works. I really like this album, flat out, and I'll tell you why.

Any listener of Drudkh will instantly recognize the riffs each song is centered around (with the exception of Sunset in Carpathians and Grey Haired Steppe.) I've heard the idea of this album being bad being at fault of rehashing old works and trying to package it as something different. First of all, Drudkh is a band who works in harmony with atmosphere, and each 'rehashed' riff is powerful in itself; if anything, it shows us the versatility of Saenko's riff work and musicianship. Second of all, with the exception of The Cranes Will Never Return Here, original and separate works have been added to each song.

I find myself in MANY instances just humming or somehow 'singing' the songs off this album. Each riff has a certain sense or memorability to it, and I find this through the way they rest in my head, just the way Drudkh intended. I'm not going to get butt-hurt because some (or most) people don't like this album, being such a large Drudkh fan and all, but I do have many legitimate aspects that I think makes this album a classic. It's such an easy listen, and it's really what you make of it. Why The Sun Becomes Sad is, to me, an incredibly upbeat song, and it will always be my drinking song, but that's purely personal experience. Anyone who listens to Drudkh or even black metal in general should have some idea of music creating an atmosphere rooted in repetition, and this album creates this in a true Drudkh style, but in a new way, demonstrating the versatility of the entire band in seperate works.

Despite all of this, taking the album at face value, it's a nice, easy, calming listen depending how you will personally take each song. All together, it is a collection of wonderful acoustic riffs coated perfectly in assorted wind instruments that create a smooth listen to be enjoyed by anyone, and I recommend this album to two groups of people:
1) Fans of acoustic music.
2) Fans of Drudkh

This album will please both, and potentially convert those in neither of those categories. Highly recommended.

Best for a Bonfire - 70%

WindInTheTrees, September 14th, 2012

This album is a complete departure from the bands typical sound exemplified in Autumn Aurora, Blood in Our Wells, and The Swan Road—nonetheless, the album is an interesting one because the band explores a tangential path from the familiar black metal, yet maintains their integrity throughout folk-oriented atmosphere. Songs of Grief and Solitude is an adequate title, and is audibly akin to the tracks "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" from Blood in Our Wells, and "Song of Sich Destruction" from The Swan Road. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the music manages to convey to the listener the profound sense of place imparted to one by the Ukrainian landscape and its people, partially due to the nature clips throughout the album, as well as the warm sound of the acoustic guitar, the eerie refrains of the flute, and a veritable variety of traditional instruments. Interestingly enough, the flute was used liberally, yet was not too overbearing in the overall composition; if anything, it reinforced the atmosphere desired by the band, as seen on their first release Forgotten Legends.

The repetitive nature of the album easily induces a trance-like immersion into a unique soundscape, hearkening back to an older time. The structure of the songs featured is often cyclical in nature, with one ‘riff’ or pattern being dominant throughout, with the occasional deviance with the introduction of the flute. One song in particular, "The Milky Way", is the best example of this trance/ceremonial sound. However, this being said, portions of the album come off as overly repetitive, with the same guitar sequences droning on interminably for the entirety of a couple of tracks on the album (“Archaic Dance” and “The Cranes Will Never Return Here”). While this was certainly not a black metal album, it was an interesting tangent for a respected group of musicians; it transcends the mold they've crafted for themselves, and explores an older branch of their art. I enjoyed it, although it wasn’t the Drudkh I am familiar with as black metal musicians.

Beautiful And Original, In Some Moments - 70%

Killer_Clown, April 21st, 2012

After "Blood In Our Wells" comes their fifth - "Songs Of Grief And Solitude".

As I noticed there are two Drudkh's full-lengths dated by the year 2006. There was stated that one of them would be atmospheric BM in the vein of the first two full-lengths and the second one would present us the unique acoustic folk masterpiece (actually, it is the acoustic version of the songs composed earlier by Drudkh themselves).

If the first one (of year 2006) I consider as one of their best ever, "Songs of Grief and Solitude" left me quite disappointed. Yes, it has its beautiful moments and it sounds original for the greater part (probably, because there are just few examples of such experiments in black metal; and one of them - "Kveldssanger" by Ulver), but, obviously, this album is not able to compare with other works by Drudkh. Why?

1) Because of its weakness of musical constituent part. Everything, what we see here is just the previous material in modified variant, taken from the foregoing releases. Moreover, I was nearly to fall asleep as soon as the first track ended.

2) It is meaningless. If there were no "Songs Of Grief And Solitude", nobody would observe. The truth is that Drudkh became a commercial band in due course (not at all but for the greater part). And, maybe, they released the album just to earn more money.

The music out there is (as I said) a pure folk without even any metal influences. No metal at all. If you need metal, you won't find it here - look for metal somewhere else. I don't want to seem arrogant, but "Songs Of..." is a good example of a boring music (at least, for me).

Only because of being a big fan of Drudkh's music, I give this 70 of 100. If that were a release by another band, I would never evaluate it so indulgently.

Though I criticized the album so much, there are enough rather pretty cool moments. Acoustic songs are not as bad nevertheless. The problem is that there's too much of acoustic moments (even too much!!!) and exactly this makes this album so unattractive in opinion of the majority of fans.

To highlight: Tears Of Gods and The Milky Way.

Drudkh - Songs Of Grief And Solitude - 20%

ConorFynes, August 23rd, 2011

There may not be a style of music so earthly and connected to nature as folk. Folk, by its very nature is meant to be beautiful in its simplicity, and can let a listener sink into equal parts nostalgia and a bond with their surroundings. As a style of music that is so connected with primal forces, it should not come as much surprise that many bands in the black metal genre are attracted towards the warmth of folk. Drudkh is a band who has let nature worship drive their music from their inception onward, and from the second album 'Autumn Aurora', there have been sounds of Ukrainian folk music infused with their typical style of atmospheric black metal. 'Songs Of Grief & Solitude' is Drudkh's fourth outing, and instead of merely adopting folk into their sound this time around, they have made an album that sheds any of their metal leanings, leaving a pure arboreal folk album. I have loved it most times when good black metal bands take neofolk to heart, and that is precisely why I find myself so surprised that I cannot find much good to say about this album. Drudkh's intentions may have been all well, but the execution of the album has led to a lukewarm mess, consistently dispassionate from the first song through to the last.

First to describe the sound; there is nothing save for a set of acoustic guitars, and a whistling flute. Even with so little, ingenious things can still be worked out, but Drudkh seems to have missed the boat on that one. Here, they disprove the fallacy that 'less is more', and with nothing gained, they have shed most of the dreamy atmosphere that the electric guitars gave to their sound. The production here is raw and dingy, and there is nothingness in between guitar parts. There is nothing to keep the listener holding on, nothing done in the studio to make the album sound professional. I could go as far as saying this whole project sounds like the band sat around at lunch time, threw some ideas together on acoustic guitar, recorded them throughout the afternoon, threw in a little flute noodling, and had themselves a new album by nightfall. The album truly feels that half- assed in virtually every respect.

The songwriting and performance here does not stir the imagination, and I can even recognize ideas on the acoustic guitar here that they stole from earlier albums. 'Why The Sun Becomes Sad' has a distinctive riff plucked from 'Autumn Aurora', and there's been nothing done to show it in a new light here, except that it is strummed slowly with an acoustic guitar. There is sometimes a visible effort to have melodies in the music, but there is never anything sufficiently memorable or beautiful, the only sense of feeling that gets across here is that of apathy. Drudkh is a great band, and have created some incredible atmospheric black metal, so I am that much more surprised by how little that translates onto an unplugged setting. This is a tragically disappointing album, especially due to the fact that by all means, a neofolk incarnation of Drudkh should have been excellent.

Songs of Grief and Solitude - 80%

whitefrozen, August 30th, 2010

For the uninitiated, Drudkh are a band from the Ukraine who play a fairly decent style of folk/black metal, with emphasis on a mournful and at times dreamy atmosphere. I'm not one of their many, many fans who revere their music; actually so far I've only liked on average one or two songs per album they've made. However, this album, Songs of Grief and Solitude, caught my ear and has pretty much hooked me.

The biggest reason I like this album is because it's entirely acoustic. Acoustic guitars, flutes and a few percussive moments take the place of the normal guitar and black metal drumming, and the result is quite interesting. There's no vocals except for the odd whisper here and there and the songs are very, very, repetitive. This actually reminds me of Hex(or Printing in the Infernal Method) by Earth in that this is probably as close to drone as you can get in terms of musical writing without actually being drone. The mood is generally somber and mournful as is the norm for Drudkh, and if one knows the history of their home country one can see how this is a completely appropriate atmosphere to want to achieve. The repetition really is what makes the atmosphere what it is; gentle guitars and flutes playing very simple folksy melodies for nigh on 40 minutes can be quite an experience if the music is well composed, and I believe Drudkh more or less nailed it here. A lot of the music particularly the bits with the flute remind me of Native American music; it has that same feeling of being close to nature.

There's no flash here, no solos, nothing that will really make you stop and take note of what you just heard. This is gentle, somber music that takes one to the vast plains and forests of the Ukraine, under the stars beside a crackling fire. Songs of Grief and Solitude has become the mainstay of my pipe and cigar smoking playlist, especially when I smoke outside with the sunset. This is a relaxing journey through Drudkhs homeland, and a terrific piece of acoustic/ambient/slightly drone music. This music feels like nature, if that makes any sense. Relaxed, mellow, organic, ambient and even a little drone-ish, Songs of Grief and Solitude is well worth your time.

Black Metal For Your Fireside - 65%

Crank_It_Up_To_666, July 19th, 2010

[ Originally written for http://www.fueled-magazine.com ]

If your interest in black metal is primarily a surface one – meaning that when you think of it, your thoughts don’t take a more terribly dangerous direction than that of Emperor, Venom, Bathory, Immortal and Darkthrone – then ‘Songs of Grief and Solitude’ by Ukrainian black metallers Drudkh might actually be the best first step in black metal’s, ahem, nether-regions that you’ve been looking for. If for you black metal has been, up to this point, mostly about bone-chilling atmosphere playing a close second to flesh-shearing abrasion, then the discovery of this whole new kettle of fish will be quite something for you to sample indeed.

‘Songs of Grief...’ is an album that works sublimely well as a record to ease oneself with reasonable gentleness into the wonders of folk black metal, otherwise known as the subgenre that finally proved that even BM purists can’t resist compartmentalizing and labelling what they listen to. Relying on acoustic instrumentation throughout and with not a single lyric spoken, this is music that is more concerned with the eye of the storm rather than flinging oneself headfirst into the whirling chaos. Listening to it as a newcomer, one comes to a much clearer understanding of that other side of black metal, looking beyond its rawness and devotion to soulless evil and approaching it as music with which to create landscapes, not walls, of sound.

Listening to it as an experienced fan, on the other hand, is another matter entirely.

And that’s the big problem with ‘Songs of Grief...’ – if you’ve heard this kind of thing once, then you’ll not find anything especially new or intriguing from Drudkh here. To be sure, this is an album of instrumental restraint and melancholic thoughtfulness as much as it is an album of epic scope and broad vision, but there is something about the record that has a cloying smell of bland inoffensiveness hanging around near enough constantly.

The production can take partial credit for this – even when the band take a leaf out of Bathory’s book and sample natural sounds (including what must surely be the ripple of waves on the shore), the ending result sounds too pristine, too clinical, to be full-bodied and to convey much in the way of real emotion. The songwriting, meanwhile, is undoubtedly evocative and richly textured, but that never quite stops the record from falling into the age-old trap where every song begins to mesh together into one long piece.

Before and since, Drudkh have made much better albums, but that’s not to say that ‘Songs of Grief and Solitude’ is any sort of blemish upon their already distinguished output, and is a stellar, compelling album for anyone newly arriving at black metal’s more mysterious, mystical circles. But anyone looking for a little more kick in their folksy brew had probably best look elsewhere.

Needs Clarification and depth - 65%

ginometalhead, June 14th, 2009

I came across Drudkh several times as I scowered the world of black metal. They seemed to have a raw and old-school sound to them. So, I eventually decided to plunge about a dozen bucks for one of their cds. I saw Songs of Grief and Solitude sitting on the shelf of my local metal store and thought this could be a good one. I was in for a delightful shock. From the album's title I conjectured the songs to be depressive, tranquil, dark, and mysterious. I was right, the album contains all of the aforementioned characteristics, just not in a black metal sense.

Upon inserting the cd into my pick-up truck's player, I was treated to a delicate layer of nature sounds, flutes, and somber acoustic guitar playing. I was disappointed. Nowhere on the cd did it indicate that this was an acoustic/folk album. Nevertheless, I listened to the album all the way through, and came to the conclusion that this is a decent album and that I would indeed add it to my black metal collection. The album may not be black metal, but Drudkh is.

All black metal fans should understand the importance of the many tributaries black metal has running into its proverbial river. Ambience, folk, classical instrumentation (i.e. flutes, horns), mouthharps (listen to the Enslaved album Frost), etc. all make their way into the creations of many black metal musicians. Drudkh simply decided to create a purely acoustic/folk album, nothing wrong with that. Also, keep in mind that hundreds of folk black metal bands exist, and to create a folk, acoustic album may be an eventual route to take for many.

The music on Songs of Grief and Solitude is bleak, sparse, and sad, eloquently befiitting it's title. The acoustic guitar plays riffs over and over, creating a minimalist atmosphere, pulling you deeper and deeper into solitude. The riffs are well-written, creative, and emotional. At times you are treated to peaceful nature sounds and flutes that accompany the hypnotic guitar playing as certain songs reach over eight minutes.

While the album is successful, there are many elements lacking that could have made it an even bigger success. The biggest complaint I have is that I thought I was buying a black metal album. Nowhere on the cd does it indicate it being acoustic/folk. While I like the cd, I wanted a black metal album. Drudkh needs to clarify this somewhere on the cover. Furthermore, I don't know what Drudkh was thinking, or not thinking, when they did not include other instruments in Songs of Grief and Solitude. This album could have been a must-have for folk enthusiasts if they would have diversified their instrumentation. The acoustic guitar is excellent, if only it would have had some occasional bass drum and snare to accompany it. This would have created a thicker sound and thus more enjoyable listening experience. The drumming would not need to be more than very basic to go a long way. Another problem is the lack of vocals. There is nothing wrong with vocals on an acoustic release. Perhaps Drudkh meant it this way in order to create complete bleakness. I figure if there were some chanting, humming, speech, or any kind of vocalization it could have added to the mysterious atmosphere.

If you're looking for black metal, do not buy this album. It may appeal to a certain sector of the black metal fan base, as the songs are emotionally fueled with grief and solitude. However, understand what you're buying before you purchase. This is not balck metal. It is a decent album of folk/acoustic persuasion, though it could have been infinitely better with a touch of drums and some bleak vocals.

Bites The Hand That Feeds It. - 60%

Perplexed_Sjel, November 17th, 2007

I read somewhere that Drudkh were planning on writing two full-lengths and releasing them both in a short period of time. The news excited me, but then I discovered that one of these full-lengths would be totally an acoustic folk album, which virtually no metal influence whatsoever. Optimism wasn't flowing through my body. I admit, when it comes to music, i'm a bit of an elitist. I like what I like and I dislike everything else. So what? Everyone likes their music, otherwise they wouldn't listen to it. Folk isn't something I generally listen to, but with it being Drudkh, the name swayed me towards picking up a copy and hearing it.


'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' is exactly what we, as an audience, are introduced to here. Drudkh have obviously stated their intentions to continue their black metal onslaught, otherwise 'Estrangement' would never have been released. 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' is obviously an incredibly different full-length from Drudkh to what we have heard before. The lack of assertiveness is apparent throughout. Without the buzzing sound of those electric guitars, Drudkh doesn't quite have the same appeal. There is an obvious folk element running through most of their music, but here it's the only thing on show. I can take their blend of folk music because it is heavily induced with black metal. Drudkh don't necessarily make a hash of this folk approach, but it's simply not them.


We've seen several black metal bands attempt something a little different to the ordinary over the years. We all recall Burzum's electronic based full-lengths, but they're something we'd rather forget. When it comes to 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' the truth isn't as harsh. Drudkh have the qualities to produce whatever they want, and they are well within their rights to do so. The way I see it is that 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' is basically a vastly toned down black metal full-length. It reminds me of the folk elements Nokturnal Mortum have introduced into their music, namely their latest offerings. Every song has it's own place and it's individual qualities, but it lacks power. With it's imagery of wandering through gay meadows, Drudkh don't quite have the same appeal.


As an audience, we're used to dazzling black metal riffs that cause shock waves through the listeners nervous system. This doesn't happen on 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude'. Every element of the music sounds laid back and mellow. Whilst it's quite relaxing to hear the acoustic guitars intertwine with the more folk based instruments, flutes and whatnot, this style isn't Drudkh's true style. 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' is largely quite flat. Without the distortion the electric guitars bring to the mix, the acoustics sound dull. Also, the sheer lack of vocals has disrupted the flow and harmony. I think a clean style of vocals, perhaps female vocals, would have made 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' a much more enjoyable listen.


A full-length like 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' makes me wonder what the motives behind it are. When I look at 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' and study the bigger picture, I just can't see it's point. Therefore, the full-length in it's entirety lacks a direction and meaning. Whilst Drudkh do produce some fairly melancholic and gloomy riffs, they're nothing without the action packed style both the vocals and the percussion section bring to Drudkh. 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' is floating aimlessly between mediocrity and an unknown destination. Without understand it's meaning, I will probably always view this as nothing more than a temporary form of musical exploration. That's exactly what it seems to be. An exploration into another realm of music Drudkh take inspiration from. 'Songs Of Grief And Solitude' has a habit of becoming so repetitive, that you'll forget when song changes occur, it's simply not powerful enough to stand the test of time.

Songs of Grief & Solitude - 96%

Daemonium_CC, November 7th, 2006

Here is an interesting album released only last month. Those of you who are familiar with this band know that they have a rare talent for bringing out their emotions in their music, in traditional Black Metal style. They do what they do and they do it much better than most other bands in the genre. They have an uplifting yet raw sound, but also melodies so unique, so timeless, that it really sets them apart from other bands in the genre.

What we have here is something totally different, except not really. Drudkh have put away their electric guitars, amps and drums in favor of a more traditional folk sound. The music played here is done on acoustic guitars and flutes. This may come across as strange to some, or even a huge let down to fans, but for me personally, it works so much better than their Black Metal sound. Not to say that I do not appreciate the classic “Blood in Our Wells”, but this album here is very different, and in a way, much more appropriate for what Drudkh is all about.

The concept, theme, and general purpose for this album is to pay homage to their Ukrainian roots, and to take you back to that time period. Well, I must say that they did a damn good job, because from the very first seconds of “Sunset in Carpathians”, you can practically smell the grass and feel the warm wind on your face. This record is all about atmosphere and the transition of emotions, and it is all captured in a very unique manner.

One thing I like about this album is that the band did not focus too much on recording perfection. Here, everything is laid down to its bare core. You can hear the buzzing and scratching of acoustic guitar strings, and even breathing. This gives the album a very personal feel which simply could not have been captured in Pro Tools. Most of the time you get the image that the songs are being played in a huge grass field with a pale sunset rising in the horizon, and I get the feeling that that is exactly what the band had intended.

Another thing that I love about this band, is that they don’t really care about the music or metal scene. They play what they want to play, and they enjoy it. For any single person who does get satisfaction from their albums, well, that’s just an added bonus. They do not give interviews, and they do not reveal their future plans. That is exactly what this form of music should be like. That is exactly what music should be like, period. But for this particular band, it fits in very well, as it leaves a haunting aurora of mystique around them, which I find fascinating.

“Sunset in Carpathians” is the first track on the album, and it’s pretty uplifting. It is basically an acoustic guitar song complemented by sounds of nature, and some tasteful flute playing. It melds nicely with the next track, entitled “Tears of Gods.” As can be expected from the title, this track is a lot more sorrowful, led this time by a haunting acoustic guitar line. The section which starts at 01:56 is very sorrowful, but the song picks up once again with some more flute melodies.

Track three, “Archaic Dance”, is practically the same formula. The songs starts with the sound of crackling fire, which again takes you to the vision of the band playing these songs on an open field. The flute is pretty dominant on this track, as well as some nice and even passages that seem to flow into each other with ease. Track four, “The Milky Way” is possibly my favorite song off of this album. It features only two acoustic guitars, but the atmospheres they create are very impressing. The melodies to be found here are each very unique, and they literally take you back in time. The song clocks in at just under ten minutes, so it is more like a ritual than a song. It’s very easy to close your eyes and just drift off to far away lands.

Track five, “Why the Sun Becomes Sad”, is surprisingly uplifting, considering its title. Dual acoustic guitars, and the ever apparent flute once again drive this track, and leads the way for track six, entitled “The Cranes Will Never Return Here.” For those of you familiar with past Drudkh releases, you will easily recognize this melody from their previous release, “Blood in Our Wells.” Actually, throughout the whole album, Drudkh revisit their previous works and revive some familiar themes. Very well done. A single acoustic guitar and some drone noises sets the perfect atmosphere for this song.

The final track on the album, called “Grey-Haired Steppe” is a triumphant way to end this album. Extraordinarily sorrowful acoustic and flute lines are played with passion and emotion, with no technical concern whatsoever. If there was one word I had to use to describe this song, it would be flawless.

And there you have it, a ritual which lasts for almost 35 minutes. Some people expected another Black Metal album in favor of this one, but I would personally prefer this any day of the week.

A Look Into Genius - 96%

orionmetalhead, October 30th, 2006

As soon as I heard that Drudkh were releasing an album completely completely comrised of Ukranian Folk music played completely acoustically, I was overjoyed and elated such as I have never been before. I simply could not wait to turn it on and look deeply into the place where Roman finds his inspiration for this band. Throughout Songs of Grief and Solitude you can pick out songs and melodies that have been used in past Drudkh releases.

Parts of Why The Sun Becomes Sad remind me of Autumn Auroras Sunwheel. and The Crane Will Never Return Here also reminds me of past songs at parts. There are numerous moments of Deja Vu dispersed through this masterpeice. Occasional moments of serene nature sounds bring the nature element into the music and accompanied by woodwind instruments add a majestic and celtic feel to the music. Its a beautiful album, extremely serene and mellow yet, much like jazz - an influence that is seen in the drumming on past albums - does not get boring but more importantly gets more interesting as songs change and morph as your listening to them.

What is so incredible about this album is that it shows the versatility of Roman Saenko's musicianship vision. He is not only seeking to create black metal that is rooted in Ukranian folk-music but also seeking to bring that folk music back to the surface. He is a man who really wants to leave something special for the fans and those who really love what he is doing with Drudkh. The fact that he doesnt give interviews or present us with any information regarding what his plans and dreams are, we have to interpret that through what he does musically. This album is another peice to showing what he really wants to do musically. By welding both traditional folk music and black metal he is drawing two audiences to one point and showing how the music is very similar and dependant on the other.

This is another classic album by a band quickly becoming one of the most prominent and important forces in black metal. With no signs of stopping, Drudkh is paving a road to glory and leaving all other bands in its wake. Pure genius is shaping this band and Saenko, Thurios and Yuri are masterfully creating the future of the genre one masterpiece at a time. This album is yet another addition to that legacy and should be repsected for everything that it offers.

Rather Boring Change of Style - 37%

toxicparadox, October 25th, 2006

Drudkh has become an increasingly popular band with their last album scoring high here on metal archives for it's rich, raw BM style. Therefore, it is unclear to me why now at the height of their popularity they would release an album I would categorize as extremely boring acoustic guitar music. The album is boring in the sense that virtually the only sound is a single guitar, for the entire track, and for each and every track. We do hear some flutes later on. Each track sounds similiar.

This type of album strikes me as something that a band would record for fun and play back to themselves when they are thinking for inspiration for new material. Drudkh should STAY with black metal and stop producing this music. It is not at all innovative for folk/acoustic (whatever you prefer) "metal." I hate to echo the reviews that have already been written, but this album is truly saddening to a fan of drudkh's previous work. In NO way can this be compared to Ulver, who after producing some great black metal transitioned into more acoustic material. Perhaps what this album is missing is some soft vocals and more melodic background rather than simple, boring, repetitive strumming of an acoustic guitar.

Drudkh should stick to black metal - 40%

Kraehe, October 21st, 2006

I am writing this review primarily as a warning to anyone (like me) who assumed that just because Drudkh writes excellent metal that they could write excellent acoustic music too. Hopefully this will persuade some people to listen before buying it, and perhaps save themselves some money before the hyperbole spewed over this album completely drowns out any criticism.

First and foremost, this does not contain some kind of mysterious 'Spirit of Drudkh'. Anyone who claims that they would recognise elements of Drudkh's metal music in this (if it was presented to them without them knowing the band was responsible for it) are most likely mistaken.

If you have heard any new-age panpipe music (you know, the 'haunting' echoing kind of stuff, usually with claims of being 'Celtic' attached to it), then you will know what to expect with the first track of this album. It sounds like an out-take from the 'Last of the Mohicans' soundtrack.

When the acoustic guitars emerge to lead the music on track two, this is what the album will sound like throughout. It won't change an iota until the album finishes: this formula is extremely repetitive and self-consciously dour. This is further reflected in the track titles, which due to the lack of lyrics and samey nature of all the tracks are essentially meaningless.

The music steadfastly plods at a slow-to-mid tempo with the occasional breakdown. The breaking point for me came halfway through the ten minute track four when you realise that this is all you are going to get. The general artistic level of the music is what you would expect from an interlude or intro/outro.

There are no vocals of any kind, neither traditional black metal nor 'folk', which heightens the faceless nature of each track. The panpipe-like instrument heard in the first track actually becomes one of the more desirable things on this album. It somewhat alleviates the monotony when it arrives, but this is absolute desperation on my part to find something stimulating on this album.

A fundamental problem with the style of music used on this album is it tries to synthesise the repetitive structures Burzum pioneered into a medium that is unfit to sustain it. It works in metal because there are (generally) drums, vocals and a multitude of electric guitar layers, tones and production types to make it diverse and unique enough to avoid total monotony. The use of the pipe instrument also implies a kind of 'folkish authenticity' which it also completely lacks. The guitar writing sounds amateurish in its simplicity and the pipe adds an unbearable kitsch quality. This is not droning Pygmy music, 'folk' would generally not be as repetitive as this album, nor would it be so monotonous, formulaic and without sparkle.

It is hard to gauge the quality of the playing as it is extremely basic throughout and even then there are some rough moments. There are also a few extremely poor-sounding samples used throughout. It is also unfortunate to describe an album as background music, but that is what this album is: it became much more tolerable as I left it on repeat as I wrote this review. This is not a good thing.

There is so little variety that if you are desperate for such an experience, one could call it 'hypnotic', but why choose this over a thousand other albums which have a similar effect, other than through misplaced brand loyalty? Faux folk can be heard done in much better and more varied ways (although I am not great fans of either) in albums by Empyrium and Ulver.

In the Carpathians... - 90%

AlastairN, October 20th, 2006

Drudkh, everyone's favourite band from the Ukraine, have released their second album in the calendar year, Songs of Grief & Solitude. Whilst Blood in our Wells was raw, ugly BM, this album sees a return to the Autumn Aurora-style, 'nature' black metal.

The opening track, "Sunset in Carpathians" is a beautiful tune played eloquently to set the relaxing tone of the album, designed to transport you from your current situation and to place you in a hut, deep in the Carpathians, surrounded by the world's natural pulchritude.

As the album continues, folky tunes are whistfully played to entrance the listener into the imagery that they wish to portray through their music. Softly played acoustic guitar , keyboards and woodwinds are used extensively. The album closes with "Grey-Haired Steppe," which is an alluring track that completes

The album has no standout tracks, as they all sound very similar. It flows effortlessly and is a peaceful, relaxing album that showcases Saenko and his band's talents with not only their instruments but their ability to portray the atmosphere that many bands attempt to attain but fail. Drudkh is one band in the black metal field who are experimenting against the hackneyed raw production and have succesfully produced yet another somniferous album in the vein of Autumn Aurora.