Forgotten Legends

Perhaps everything is already said and done after 15 reviews for an album with just three tracks and an outro. Nevertheless, Drudkh’s debut has a magical component that makes it difficult to write not about it. And what is still the sweetest thing about temptation? Of course, giving in to it. Moreover, good albums cannot be praised enough in times like this when myriads of mediocre formations overflow the market with their digital crap. So let’s give our best that the title “Forgotten Legends” does not become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Okay, let’s go one step back. With regard to the here reviewed output, the term “legendary” would not come to my mind due to three reasons. Firstly, its production suffers from imbalance. The voice did not get the room in order to be on a par with the instrumentation. (On the other hand, I freely admit that exactly this mix ensures an impressive density.) Secondly, the outro is completely useless. I mean, who needs an atmospheric outro after 36 minutes of atmospheric black metal? Well, I learn that sometimes it rains in the Ukrainian forests. Nice to know, but not really crucial for my future, I guess. Thirdly, it was no ground-breaking full-length. The here presented style was already well introduced,

Apart from these details, “Forgotten Legends” delivers pure art, a stunning mixture of absolute concentration and pure favour. Yes, just like hundreds of other bands, the Ukrainian unit cannot hide its main influence. Sorry that I forgot its name, was it Muzrub? Must be something like that, I just remember that it was a lonesome weirdo from Norway. I don’t know whether or not he likes albums like this debut, but one thing is for sure: do not invent a new style if you cannot stand the fact that other artists can perform it as well, in the same quality or even better. Drudkh celebrate this form of atmospheric (not orchestral!) blackness with utter dedication – and with hypnotizing guitars that are rarely matched. Of course, those who hate any form of repetitive art should stay away from this record, but the creation of a trance-like condition cannot be produced at the touch of a button. In addition, be aware that repetition does not necessarily indicate a lack of substance. The compositions avoid boredom cleverly while offering different melodies, different tempos and different levels of vehemence. Yes, the production lacks balance, but the song material finds the perfect path at the interface of melancholy (or even poetry) and metal. Some parts of the fantastic “Forests in Fire and Gold” sound like a less brute version of Muzrub’s “Jesus’ Tod” and the (at the beginning comparatively nervous) guitar work of “Eternal Turn of the Wheel” also leaves its mark, especially in the song’s second half. But regardless from influences of any kind, it’s really interesting to see that all regular tracks rest in themselves without lacking a proper dose of aggression.

Honestly speaking, this CD was silently rotting on my shelf for a long period. Maybe I wasn’t aware of its class anymore with respect to a couple of further, less strong outputs of Drudkh. So if you like to take a dive into the rich discography of the band, it could be a good idea to start with the debut – not only due to chronological reasons. It’s a mature, intriguing album that invites your soul on a tour through unknown forests and windy fields. Moreover, it has stood the test of time in the last 17 years and I am sure it will still be heard by well-informed music lovers in the year 2037.

Atmospheric black metal can be a real crapshoot. There's a thin line between spellbinding atmosphere and tiring repetition. Drudkh have found themselves on both sides of that line many times, and the first time around they planted themselves firmly on the favourable side. Forgotten Legends is one of Drudkh's most subtle albums; there's not a trace of the flashy guitar solos that would grace Blood in our Wells. Legends lays down a template that Drudkh never really strayed too far from, choosing to embellish it with different flavours throughout their career (for better or for worse).

First things first - Drudkh could not exist without Burzum. However, this doesn't lend credence to accusations of them being opportunistic Burzum facsimiles. They take the foundation level elements of Varg's vision and etch new life on top of it. The intent is simply different - while Varg's music conjures images of icy forests, Drudkh puts forth much warmer and lush soundscape (they definitely doubled down on the forest shit, though). Fuzz-drenched guitars put forth waves of subtly-melodic tremolo. It's vaguely folky and perfectly captures smoky images of Eastern European forests. I don't want to get too purple about this, so I'll just say this is one case where the cover art perfectly encapsulates the mood of the album.

This is decidedly not a riff-driven album in the sense that massive barrages of riffs will come cascading out of the fray to hammer you into oblivion, but Drudkh's riffs are very effective in their own subtle way. Their sequencing is excellent; the way melodies subtly unfold and how each riff segues seamlessly into the next. The drumming has long been one of my favourite thing about Drudkh and it's goddamn excellent out the gate. This guy really knows how to lay down intricate cymbal work and his bombardment of rollicking toms in "False Dawn" just cements its position as the best song on the album. While the bass largely plays a background role, there's this really neat part in "Forests in Fire and Gold" where a pretty bass melody rises above the guitars and takes centre stage. The only superfluous section of Forgotten Legends is the outro "Smell of Rain". The whole thing is just a sample of a rain storm. Perhaps this wasn't done as often back then, but it's something current nature-loving metal bands do a lot and it's quite lame and obvious.

Drudkh have done a lot worse, but Forgotten Legends is still one of their better albums and laid the groundwork for the rest of their career. They fleshed this template out and made their jaw-dropping magnum opus Autumn Aurora just one album later. If there's one reason I don't listen to Legends more often, it's just that Aurora is so damn good. Nevertheless, Legends is a thoroughly worthwhile album and provides an impressive start to a pillar of the Ukranian black metal scene (even if their discography is a bit inconsistent, their high points easily cement them as one of Ukranian black metal's most important bands).

I recall when I first heard this album. I was in high school and was researching "best black metal albums" on the internet because I had just gotten into the genre and had absolutely fallen in love with it. Lately, I have really been getting back into black metal once again. I find that I go through "musical seasons" of sorts, when I'll be very into thrash metal at one time, folk metal another, death metal (including melodic death metal and deathcore) during another period, and then black metal. It's all random though, and I tend to enjoy listening to whatever I want anyway at any given time. But as of the last few weeks, "Forgotten Legends" by Drudkh has been playing heavily from my library of music. I'm not sure why, but I don't question it. Anyway, I apologize for the tangent. This was my first Drudkh album and, while "Autumn Aurora", "The Swan Road", and "Microcosmos" are very close in quality to this one, this is an absolute classic in my opinion, and will always remain so.

The music of this Ukrainian band here remains somewhat shrouded in mystery, with the album's lyrics (aside from "Eternal Turn of the Wheel" being unknown and hidden. Drudkh has always been a somewhat secret band with giving no interviews and withholding a great deal of their lyrics, as well as not playing live. Many black metal bands opt to not play live (Darkthrone, Burzum, Summoning, Xasthur, Leviathan, and up to a few years ago Graveland) so this really isn't a shocker but the band remains a general mystery, almost as if they're some sort of illusion. Either way, who knows if this type of sheer atmosphere would even be able to be replicated in a live setting? It would surely be very hard.

I spent too much time on an introduction. The music here is undeniably black metal in its atmospheric form. There are keyboards woven into the music here but they're not used as a prime instrument, rather a background one that really can't be heard all that much. Guitars are what drive the atmosphere here. And they're gorgeous. The tone is a bit muddy and thin but nothing like you'll hear on the early Darkthrone or Emperor releases. They're played in a similar style to the third and fourth Burzum albums in terms of melodies and repetitive, minimalist structures, but have their own identity when it comes to the actual riffing and tone. "Forgotten Legends" really is an album that stands beside itself in that regard. The minimalism here is extremely prevalent and droning. If you don't like repetitive music, you won't like this album. There is no noodling to be heard here. "False Dawn" remains my favorite song on the album and it is the very first one that opens the entire thing. It's a 16-minute monster that moves through subtle yet captivating changes and melodies. During the fast sections accompanied by blast beats, it's pure, hateful black metal. Yet during the slowed down, melancholic moments, it's majesty invoked in the most beautiful European sunset. The album cover speaks for itself.

"Forests in Fire and Gold", like "False Dawn", sound like the cover art looks like. Even the song's title, in this case, emulates that. What we see here is a forest during an autumnal sunset (or sunrise?) shrouded by blackened trees due to the sun's position in the sky, as darkness either falls or rises and a gorgeous reddish, orange-gold texture that surrounds everything. Every time I see this album art, it creates feelings inside of me that I really couldn't describe. It's truly a beautiful sight and the beautiful music that captures it works wonders with bringing it to life. While these songs do boast a tinge of melancholy and some sadness, "Eternal Turn of the Wheel" really shines in that category. It's not depressive as a lot of the DSBM bands go but it does manage to share a fair deal of sad emotions. This is the third and final song, followed by the closer "Smell of Rain", which is just an ambient white noise of a rainstorm. There are no instruments on this track but even so, it creates wonderful imagery. This whole album breathes nature and this track just serves as a bit of a reassurance in that.

When I first heard this back in 2011 or so I experienced feelings I've never felt before. Even to this day, 7 years later (which really isn't that long, I know) I still feel these emotions and thoughts seep their way back into my head during and following the album's exposure unto me. It's a feeling like no other. This is not my favorite black metal album of all time but it certainly is at least in my top 10.

Drudkh have achieved the ultimate feat of being distinctive in a landscape of soundalikes. I take no issue in saying they're infinitely better at conjuring a nature-based atmosphere than most of their contemporaries, but what really sells me on the band is the fact that they have a unique, independent voice in a genre that seldom encourages such things. Comparisons could be yielded - Burzum and Walknut come first to mind - but the fact remains that you can certainly tell whenever it's a Drudkh album you're listening to. All of this, despite the fact they've been bold enough to let their art evolve over the years.

While their true sound wouldn't fully emerge until Autumn Aurora the following year, Forgotten Legends still lends the impression that Drudkh came to their debut pre-equipped with a distinct character. The longwinded, minimalistic chord formations, the soft acoustic layers, even the mandatory forested cover; all of these are tamed aspects of atmospheric black metal since the peak era of Burzum, and still, Drudkh imprint their unique mark on the album's atmosphere.

All of that should lead to the natural assumption that Drudkh opened their career with a masterpiece. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I guess I might agree, but there's always been something about Forgotten Legends that made me feel like the overwhelming praise towards it was somehow overblown. Autumn Aurora is possibly the most enthralling purveyor of nature-bound atmosphere I've ever heard in black metal. The voice and talent for atmosphere are here, but the band's desire to stretch minimalism even past Burzum limits makes this album less captivating than it really should be.

Taking a look at the tracklisting alone should give a vague indicator as to the album's experience. Three long slabs of atmospheric black metal, with an ambient denouement to cap it off. Already, Drudkh are brandishing the obvious influence Burzum has had on their art. While I couldn't understand why that comparison was so often made when I first heard this album years ago, it's an effective way of tying the band in with the legacy that preceded them. The long, soaring riffs on Forgotten Legends are long, simple, and endlessly repeated. They carve sad melodies from the harmonies in their chord patterns. Hvis lyset tar oss was forged on a very similar structural basis, but Drudkh have a much cleaner, warmer tone to the guitar. The best way I could describe the difference is to imagine the difference between Forgotten Legends cover, and a similar version that was purely black and white, as per black metal custom. To me, Forgotten Legends is an Autumn alternative to the usual frostbitten atmosphere in black metal; there is decay and coldness, sure, but still enough warmth to remind you that the coldest days are still ahead.

The riffs, plain as they are, are effective at conjuring a hypnotic feel. Especially when they're paired with mild acoustic picking hidden behind the distorted fuzz, Forgotten Legends really sounds like something that was created far removed from the doldrums of urban life. "False Dawn" has a few immortal riffs, each of them stretching over several minutes. My big issue with the album aren't the parts themselves, but how long they're used. Of course, atmospheric black metal encourages this kind of minimalism; repetition is the technique you use when you're trying to lull a listener into a specific trance-mood. Forgotten Legends builds itself around that hypnosis, and it's why I can see so many people claiming it to be one of the best of its kind.

For me, it's not even so much that Drudkh are deadset on playing each drawn-out chord progression ten times beyond its expected shelf life. The bigger issue is that there's very little continual activity once a riff has changed. On my favourite atmospheric albums, the riffs themselves may remain static, but the undercurrents are always in flux. It could be a shift in harmony, a changing drum tempo, anything to keep the sound fresh. One of the best examples I can think of is actually Drudkh's own "When the Flame Turns to Ashes" from Blood in Our Wells. The changing drum patterns in the song's second half made a single riff feel more intense and powerful as long as it went on. There's very little of that motion on Forgotten Legends, and a lot of the riffs feel less entreating by the time they're finally switched out for something new. By the end, the warmth of the tone seems a lot less bright, even monotonous. I love Forgotten Legends' atmosphere in theory, but while I'm actually listening to it, I have tendency to feel bored. This has been my experience virtually every time I've heard it. When I was first getting into Drudkh five or so years ago, it was enough to have me dismiss the album in spite of enjoying its aesthetic. Now, I'm probably warmer towards the idea of droning minimalism, but I've no doubt I vastly prefer hearing Drudkh when they're consistently letting their compositions breathe and grow.

Forgotten Legends is good, but I think Drudkh have subsequently outdone themselves many times over. As an album clearly born in the image of Burzum however, I've got to say how impressed I am that the band were able to find a unique voice in such an overdone template. The droning repetition makes its parts less interesting than it should be, but Forgotten Legends was nonetheless a promising introduction for a band that would soon become one of the very best at what they do.

Good music should take the listener somewhere, in my opinion. It would seem, from the cover of Forgotten Legends, that Drudkh intends to take you to a glistening lake overlooked by trees and the sun. Surprisingly, I am not taken to such a scene when I listen to Drudkh's first (and best) album. Rather, I feel like I'm on top of a mountain, or wandering through a mist-shrouded forest, or stalking across the plains of an ancient valley all by myself.

The feeling of this album is neither dark nor depressive, which is surprising for black metal. But I would be hesitant to consider Forgotten Legends a black metal album in the traditional sense of the term. There's tremolo picking for sure, rapidfire drum work, and harsh vocals, but is that really what black metal is? It's hard to say. Regardless, if Forgotten Legends is a black metal album, it's of a different sort than Pentagram, or A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors, or United Aryan Evil, or pretty much anything else.

What we have here is something that creates a sense of nature around the listener. The experience itself is highly personal, I have discovered this much when discussing this album with my friends. Some of them are transported to the scene painted on the album cover. Others are taken to snow-covered tundras, and one, memorably, was taken right back to his first scuba diving trip. It might seem silly to posit so much power on one music album, but this is the power of Forgotten Legends. It's a remarkably personal mirror, more than anything else, and I have found that it's a great listening accompaniment for when you're experiencing one of life's peaks. Even when you just wish to remember your most glorious moments, when you feel like you can fly, you simply need to listen to this album to give yourself wings.

I cannot say for sure what gives Forgotten Legends this power. It probably has a lot to do with the repeated guitar patterns. The chord progressions are predictable and distorted enough to provide plenty of the delicious noise that extreme metal is associated with. The tremolo picking makes each note cling and clash with the next, and the bassline offers a powerful accompaniment for the distorted guitar work. The percussion is a perfect compliment to the other instruments: it's fast, powerful, clean, and alive. Perhaps that's what makes Forgotten Legends so great: it's a metaphor for life. Sometimes it's sad, sometimes it's exploratory, sometimes it simply takes a breath and leans back to watch the rain, but generally, it marvels at the fact that it exists.

The most powerful song in this album is Eternal Turn of the Wheel, which I cannot easily describe. The other tracks are masterpieces in themselves, including the outro, which ties the rest of the album together and lets the listener recover from the aw created by this amazing work. Forgotten Legends is my favorite extreme metal album by far, and I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in ambient or atmospheric music, or extreme metal.

Doing my usual on YouTube, searching songs that I like and looking to the side bar for unfamiliar (to me) artists and cool album covers, I came across Drudkh’s “False Dawn” ( I can’t remember what I was listening to at the time, probably Bathory or Borknagar) – a click that I will never forget nor regret, as they are now one of my favorite black metal bands. Attracted by a unique, wordless cover and a vintage Slavic (I learned from the MA later that it came from Sanskrit) name, I listened eagerly and after hearing Thurios’s powerful vocals and that deep, pummeling guitar sound, I was hooked.

Drudkh have prospered off numerous studio albums (Blood In Our Wells and Autumn Aurora to name a few) up to now, but their debut Forgotten Legends still resembles a rare, genuine black metal sound coveted by aspiring artists and fans alike. A deep brownish-red on the album cover immediately illustrates a landscape of a wet fall season, with towering trees reflecting in the river in front of them. Enter Drudkh’s debut. Brace for impact.

Forgotten Legends begins with a few whistling sounds, then a thunderous guitar entrance, leading into a repetitive, yet powerful sound, a trait noticeable throughout the album. The latter half of the aforementioned “False Dawn” consists of the same few riffs looped together, creating an atmospheric and soporific aura, one of Drudkh’s many fortes. Yet the first half of the song takes shape as a ferocious beast, accredited to Thurios’s rage-filled vocals. The final track (excluding the outro) “Eturnal Turn of the Wheel” (not to be confused with their 2012 album of the same name) paints the picture of its title—the music continues throughout the second half of the song with a rhythmic section, repeating itself three or four times until the song (unfortunately) ends. Having been the only song off Forgotten Legends with deciphered vocals (Drudkh do not supply lyrics for this or Autumn Aurora), “Eturnal Turn of the Wheel” speaks of the seasons, and the flow of the world.

“Every spring there's a different sky, every sunrise feels so right
Every tree that falls in hate, every stream that swallows the day
Every year that flows cyclelessly, every day flows so better”

Thurios puts all he has into these words for the beginning half, while once again the second half finishes as a cycling but riveting movement of guitar and drum sound that will keep your head nodding until the finish. All three songs of Forgotten Legends take this format—strong riffs and powerful vocals for the first half, while droning, repetitive melodies take control and carry out the rest of the track. While it may be repetitive, it still makes for well-structured and flowing songs.

Monotonous drum pounding combined with melodious guitar riffs throughout Forgotten Legends create what would become Drudkh’s trademark sound, providing music to put many (like me) in trance-like states, causing listeners to just focus on the music, and block all surrounding distractions. Good production combined with a unique black metal sound allows Forgotten Legends to stay in the listener’s mind long after a first listen, causing the listener to yearn for more (and thankfully for me, I had 8 more albums I could listen to). Ukraine’s Drudkh would continue this trend in their sophomore effort, Autumn Aurora, yet would slightly deviate it from it in their later albums. Forgotten Legends still remains one of my favorite black metal debuts, along with Bathory, Burzum, Ultima Thulée, and Dark Endless, and represents a step in the right direction for the then-rookies Drudkh

Drudkh started their journey with the excellent debut album named "Forgotten Legends". It still plays a great role in the development of a unique black metal subgenre invented by Drudkh themselves in the beginning of 00's. "Forgotten Legends" shows the great potential and capabilities of the band, despite of sounding rather raw and immature.

Although Drudkh is black metal, they are not metal at all. METAL is associated by many people with hooking drive, heavy riffs and the appearance in due order. Drudkh doesn't fit any of the stated parameters. Throughout the whole career they didn't use any of the stuff mentioned above. And such things happen frequently in black metal nowadays. My conclusion is that black metal cannot be considered as metal in the most of the cases (however, black metal is very "brutal" style saturated with hatred, malice and misanthropy).

Instead of metal features, Drudkh play some kind of monotonous (especially on the first one, "Forgotten Legends") but very atmospheric, beautiful music, which truly grips at the heart. Also we hear a lot of folksy, slavonic tunes (they call their own style ukrainian folk BM not for nothing) and some ambient tunes during the tracks.

Drudkh compose their music openheartedly, they try to bring us what they feel themselves. They really put their hearts and souls into the works they write. Musicians apply their efforts to do the music we like and enjoy. And I see that and I enjoy.

I always was (and I am) the big fan of quiet, atmospheric black metal with interesting melodies and natural drums. No blastbeats, no hackneyed creaking BM tunes. Just pure atmosphere of depression and melancholy. I really have a great distaste for such soulless kind of music, where prevails only pure hatred and wicked.

But, honestly, in the beginning I had some sceptic attitude and for those ukrainians. In actual fact, I have this attitude towards all of the bands from Eastern Europe. Probably, because the multitude of them are closely related to national socialism and other radical political forms. There's just a short number of east-european bands I listen to. And Drudkh is in that list.

I decided to start listening to them with the debut. It will be outrageous lie, if I say that one set me indifferent. I was more than amazed while listening to "Forgotten Legends". Unfortunately, I felt like that only after the time. Maybe, because the following releases captured me even more than this one. But the fact remains - this album is one the determinative ones in post-black. So, we must esteem it at least for the certain reason.

The album consists of four songs and every song has its own idea and purpose. There are epic "False Dawn", depressive "Forests in Fire and Gold" and cold "Eternal Turn Of The Wheel". Every of them contain sharp vocals, monotonous but not less beautiful and melodic tunes and clear drums without blastbeats.

As a conclusion it is better to say that "Forgotten Legends" is the great album with catchy melodies, but also with some general mistakes and flaws. Of course, it is excusable as it was the debut. So, the final result is 87. Neither more nor less.

To highlight: the first one from here - "False Dawn".

These Ukrainian heathens of transcendental creative symbolism create atmospheric folk-style melodic black metal sourced within noble, reverently melancholic inspirations of the spirit, expressively realized through wretched barbaric screams raging against motivations of deception in epic songs of expansive conceptions and flowing resolutions of conflict. Vast, captivating compositions ride streaming tones of atmospheric melody in extended repetitive phrases like a reinforcement of anguished conditions, as rhythm measures a variety of emotional positions and subtle modulations in riff patterns initiate breaks and appropriate culminations.

Drudkh employs a Burzum-style interval classification through dissonant guitar melodies shaping patterns of ambient obscurity, and a minimalist rhythmic construction that doesn’t as much support as harmonizes with other elements in a unity of sculpted sound that is the character of expression, resulting in songs formed of expanded melodic ideas in the sorrowful awareness of reflective identification of resolution, with contrasting layers of tonal quality and delayed revelations of balance and unity in shoegaze-style ambiguity of ethereal guitar noise, while a suppressed urge towards dynamic interludes represents the struggle through despondency towards meaning and purpose, the thematic fundament that motivates the simplicity of conceptual development, which allows the creation of harmonic space reflecting methods of distressed pattern definition and an absolute melodic characterization of motion; musical sound given identity through illustrations of tonal distance and communicative expansion. Steady, uneventful drumming moves these lengthy drifting journeys, continuous in the reflective pattern of streaming rhythmic motion, aided superbly by fluid and melodically complimenting bass guitar, forming a rhythmic definition similar to Graveland’s underlying deterministic current of hostility.

A single concept defines a song, created from fundamental artistic perceptions mirrored in song structure, realized in the identity of conceptual extensions formed by riff patterns, and involvements of shifts in those patterns. These long songs with repetitive instrumental passages are based on a few ideas, without dynamic variations but with gradual evolvements of theme in a grand scope of extension toward conclusion, expressively initiated by emotionally charged revitalizations and an outflow of energy directed towards natural progressions suggestive of infinite possibility in the face of death. A wonderfully earthy and instrumentally comprehensive production blesses this inventive combination of established ideas, which generates a musical contrast between folk-style coherent expressive directness and isolated misty distance, resolved through the structural context of awareness and experience, and the band’s clear comprehension of expressive power and subtlety that is revealed beneath the aesthetic surface, within the spiritual and existential conflicts of the ancient-hearted confronted with a soulless modern world.

The whistle marks the break of dawn – a landmark in time’s ever-continuing progression forward. Drudkh begin their journey as a mere tadpole at this stage, but their potential dwarfs their physical state. Forgotten Legends is but a debut, but its (mid-era) Burzum-tinged impressionism - not to be mistaken for Burzum worship – drifts and adapts as life intends. The hindrance of only four tracks means nothing, for the context of the content champions the goal. For listeners that expecting a black metal blitz, then go back into the woods, since this isn’t the bog for that kind of thinking. These long tracks are meant as investments, even to a lifestyle if one is willing to go that far, although that’s taking the message the wrong way.

Drudkh consume nature and restate it in an engrossing, developmental birth of audaciousness (this would be mastered on their next album). In Drudkh’s current condition, this creates a groggy, muddy tone with hope coated in sludge and decadence. The production limits itself heavily to the guitars, which in turn play very straightforward, repetitive riffs with little extravagance except their own tuneful sorrow. These riffs display their own emotion, but always retain a buzzy, low-end sound behind the melodic forefront. Tempos never go blazingly fast or lose their foothold, showing how easy craftsmanship helps the cause no matter how undemanding it may sound. The guitars go through this raw process of a distortion – which is always heard behind the frontal guitar like some shredded vortex – enveloping the riffs in a warm, fat tone without losing its edge. Bass markups aren’t hugely prevalent on their own terms, but with the music at hand it would be logical to keep it backing the rhythm. The bass accompanies the minimal, gentle temperament of the whole guitar sound to further reinforce the bleary, weighted tone, and that’s as far as it will go in this bog of a setting.

The two other pieces to this jigsaw – the drums and vocals – both serve as backing roles to the bass, guitar, and overall tone. The drum mix isn’t above the other instruments, but it’s noticeably clear (clingy cymbals, quiet-but-juicy drum bass, bouncy snares, etc.); the playing itself is consistent, steady, Burzum-ish in some sense, and strictly rhythmic. It keeps the listener on key when changes in riffs aren’t enough to value, and some of these drum patterns go from timers to very catchy beats which add another element to the fuzzy fog of guitars and bass. The vocals aren’t very common, but are there to retain the dismal solitude of the situation; screams are the style, although the mix puts them under the guitars but widens them to where the charred, coarse screams fit with the emitted warmth.

Forgotten Legends kicks ass subtly; some may get their ass kicked by the first riff of “False Dawn,” while others may not get the boot until much later. “Smell Of Rain” won’t likely do anything since that’s just a rainstorm (literally), but the other three do their part in creating a whirlpool of restrained, gravitational riff-ambiance that’s worth your time. Check this out if you dig this sort of music and I can assure you that this is a keeper.

Every once in a while, in between countless mediocre releases, comes an album from a band that knows exactly what they’re doing and with clear direction and understanding. Forgotten Legends happens to be one of these albums. Understandably there has, and always will be, plenty of hype and discussion about Drudkh and this can lead to some extreme polarisations of opinion and also, as a whole, a misconception of the music that is at hand. The meaning of Drudkh’s sound gets lost within torrents of debate and discussion and people don’t let the music do the talking or suffer from a pre-established standpoint and thus their listening experience is tarnished by opinions pushed forward by others. I was fortunate to come across Drudkh solely by myself and thus, to me, this album will always be one of the best ever written within this specific style of black metal, or arguably even the whole genre if looking at black metal as a single entity.

Forgotten Legends itself has been tagged as heavy Burzum worship by a lot of critics and, to an extent, this comparison is true, though to suggest that the Burzum sound is very present within Drudkh’s sound is misconstrued and comes about simply because when someone suggests atmospheric black metal people think Burzum. There is a lot of atmosphere within this album and of a very transcendental nature, which is also present within some of Burzum’s work though Drudkh goes far and beyond that of anything Filosofem or Hvis Lyset Tar Oss could ever offer. What Forgotten Legends manages to achieve is of such a standard that it’s questionable as to how a human could ever compose or even begin to concoct such brilliance.

The music itself actually has quite a harsh edge though is still in itself very soft and flowing, which is visible most notably in Eternal Turn Of The Wheel. There is a very potent and, perhaps in a manner of speaking, brutal characteristic to this track though it still manages to dance gracefully and majestically throughout. A very illogical and maybe even impossible set of traits for music to have as in essence these two should cancel one another out, though Drudkh have managed to find a sound that enables the two to coexist in harmony.

What Drudkh also manage to do is create a sound that is rooted in borderline minimalism yet is still able to maintain such an enthralling sound that could match and even top anything remotely technical. Drudkh are able to understand that brilliance doesn’t always come hand in hand with technicality and complexity but instead can come in many shapes and forms, and their endeavour to prove so is spot-on. Drudkh have no need to even consider looking to move into something more complex with this album because they let the simplistic sound do all the talking, creating a platform upon which the listener can build and establish themselves within the music and breathe it as if it were air.

Forgotten Legends prides itself not only on simplicity but also on repetition, which allows for a steady transition throughout the album. Perhaps coincidentally the repetition is a reminder of the cyclical progression through the seasons and weather cycles. Nature itself is in a state of eternal progression though still relies on the basic transition through the four seasons. Ironically Drudkh understand this even themselves in Eternal Turn Of The Wheel, a track based on the flow between seasons year after year and century after century. There is after all no escaping our external environment and humans are in a constant state of submission to it. It drives our habits and customs and, despite how much we might wish to escape the clutches of the natural world and create synthetic ecosystems and habitats, we are still inhabiting a planet driven by the single force that there ever was and ever will be, and that is nature. This only constant within the world is captured perfectly within Drudkh’s music.

This album is nothing but an ode to what we are commanded by and is executed superbly. There is nothing cliché about Forgotten Legends and nor is there anything superficial. Perhaps this is why the album is such a success, because Drudkh understand what music is about and how to go about playing it.

Forgotten Legends is something Drudkh will never become. Long after Drudkh come to an end, people will still know the name and there will be a widespread impression that black metal is synonymous with Drudkh. With the reputation they have nowadays, you cannot help but come across this band if you're new to the genre of black metal. Everyone and anyone talks about Drudkh, depicting the band as some sort of deity. Which to an extent, isn't far from the truth.


Drudkh are masterful at what they do. Divine is a word which isn't too strong to be considered ridiculous or overly hyped. Perhaps the sheer reputation alone will determine what your opinion will be of this band. There are those who give in to public perception and are consumed by the idea that something is good, but on the other hand there are those who neglect the idea of public perception. Rebelling against what is apparently known by the masses. Drudkh are a band that fall into the category of 'love or hate'. Their style pertains to that category simply because of the high esteem they're held in by many millions of people.


The biggest downfall is the hype, of course. When something is built up so much, you tend to find yourself being rather disappointed at the outcome. Hype is something any talented band cannot escape. It is up to you, as the listener to decide for yourself whether the hype is justified or not. No amount of listing the pro's or con's will suffice, unfortunately. As an avid fan of Drudkh, one would hope for a positive outcome, but life doesn't always work like that.


Something Drudkh are exceptionally good at is hitting home their message. What is great about Drudkh, other than that, is the fact that they have the ability to appeal to a wide audience. This is a noteworthy point if you're looking at just getting in to the band. Their essence and all that they are will consume you and force you to take the journey they have predestined for you. Drudkh's mystical approach to black metal is enjoyable to say the least. The intertwining instruments that play off one another with ease, the powerful voice behind the machine and the sheer stunning nature of the atmosphere at the heart of Drudkh is incredible.


A mixture between Burzum and Nokturnal Mortum is what I hear. Drudkh have an almost folkish feel to them. The use of acoustics and electric guitars make the listener sample the aesthetically pleasing atmospheric undertow coursing through the veins of Drudkh. Their blood is runs as a river of electric shock waves through the listener's ears, to the very core of their heart. Drudkh's most pleasing element is by far the stunning soundscapes.


These are created by effective guitars, harmonious acoustics and unrelenting drums. The vocals are put to good use as well. They portray a somewhat desolate image of what I assume the lyrics are about. The theme of nature is certainly something I hear and see when Drudkh hits my ears. Although I do not know what the lyrics are, the fact that Drudkh have an undeniable ability to be able to convey lyrical themes through their music is perhaps more powerful than reading any lyrics if they were available. The ever present atmosphere is the backbone to the entire album. These themes of nature are portrayed exquisitely. The beauty of the atmosphere is extremely charming.


Undoubtedly, the so called Burzum worship tag is enough to put a lot of potential listeners off. I would suggest you don't let it ruin the experience.

I fail to see what is so cool about this album, nor this band. For an atmospheric album this pretty much fails, for a blackened drone album this album fails, for a normal black metal album this is too bland. I don’t know maybe I’m just not seeing the inner beauty of it. What I did see in this album is a band coming into things with an attempt to be different, but in general they have no clue what there trying to do with there music so we get this confused mess.

If they attempted to make an atmospheric album they fucked up big time. The only track on here that is atmospheric is the ending instrumental which is just a sample of some waves in an ocean or something. The cover artwork I think was a hint to what mood they were trying to create, however if they wanted to create a nature themed album they should have added a couple more samples or something.
For a black drone metal album this is simply just light and too plain. This album is very bass oriented, which is a start but there is no heavy crush to the bass lines, there somber. If they were going for a Xasthur or Leviathan feel this album is not nearly depressing enough. The vocals aren’t really that tortured either, in fact they aren’t even memorable.

In terms of a normal black metal album it is absolutely nothing. Every single track is missing something, there is just simply no evil, which sounds silly I know, but there is no anger, no rage, no anything. I have herd of people calling this band a Burzum worship band but I don’t feel that term is fitting, because Vargs albums at least had a substance to them that made them unique, this does not.

Seeing as this album doesn’t fit the criteria for the three obvious choices above, what is it? Well the cover art paints a pretty good picture, it’s simply something sitting there doing nothing, if you were on a road trip and your drove past the spot where the photo was taken at, you would see it then forget it and go on. The vocals and drums are nothing to memorable; sometimes I wonder if there were any vocals actually, seeing as no one is credited for anything and nothing memorable happens, same happens with the drumming. The guitar work is bland, very bass centered but as I said earlier none of it is nearly heavy enough. The sound quality is good enough, least they didn’t try to mask anything, you can get a good picture of what’s happening, and the picture is an empty canvas.

No matter what type of feel they were going for, this album is simply just too short. It’s the length of your standard death metal album, most good black metal albums are at least 5 minutes longer and any atmospheric album should be about an hour, this thing doesn’t go past forty minutes. Usually repetitive albums don’t bother me, but as I have implied through out this review, nothing at all happens. You get three tracks of the same empty flat uneventful black metal and then one instrumental sample track.

This album reminds me of a guy I know, he is always trying to be deep and meaningful, however he sounds like a fish out of water. There booklet contains no useful information about the band besides a logo and track listing, and of course the probably mandatory information about there label, instead we get a bunch of charcoal smudge painting that I guess are designed to represent one’s feelings which is simply too feminine for me, if I gave a shit about my inner feelings I’d see a shrink and get my depression looked at. I’m sorry to the fans of this album but this seems too much like an act for me to believe.

There is simply nothing important contained on this disc. I’ve herd many descriptions for this none of which fit, this isn’t trance inducing or hypnotic. The cover artwork paints a very nice perspective here, a random splice of black metal that is simply a failed attempt to stand out and be anything special. If you are thinking of getting this, do yourself a favor and pick up something else instead.

From the eerie, echoing whistles that open the album to the ominous thunder that closes it, ‘Forgotten Legends’ represents a masterpiece of atmosphere, achieved without a keyboard in sight. Rather, assured changes of pace and lingering fade-outs, despite already mighty track lengths, contribute to a sense of the epic, of a band creating its own legend that will not be forgotten.

‘False Dawn’ is still probably the greatest track Drudkh have created. It starts abruptly and at speed, bursting from the speakers like a wolf from the undergrowth, before gradually slowing throughout its 15-minute duration, achieved by slight yet crucial alterations to the main riff. Key to the distinctive tone of the track, and indeed of the album as a whole, is the amount of distortion produced by the guitars and bass. This constant, rumbling distortion really acts as a whole extra instrument, encircling the listener throughout the album like wind blowing through treetops.

The perpetual, low distortion complements the throaty, deep vocals, with most of the words being lingered over. There are no screams or shrieks here to add unnecessary melodrama, rather just a sense of urgency and purpose.
‘False Dawn’ also makes very effective use of an isolated guitar passage, where the drums and vocals stop completely, placing all the emphasis on the track’s core riff - a technique repeated in ‘Forests in Fire and Gold’, thereby creating a stylistic unity in the album’s approach.

The title ‘Forests in Fire and Gold’ acts as a link to the cover art of the CD release, which features a sepia-bathed forest, silhouetted against the sky. The track itself contains probably the best drumming of the album, pummelling but crisp and clear, driving the track forward relentlessly. Its centrepiece is a wonderful minimalist solo comprising a handful of repeated, mournful notes which echo the whistles that started the record. This sense of cohesion and self-reference, within both the music and the artistic presentation, help to give ‘Forgotten Legends’ its strong identity.

The brilliant control of pace that Drudkh have is again displayed in ‘Eternal Turn of the Wheel’, which reverses ‘False Dawn’ by starting slowly, with a guitar-only opening and tense riffing, before speeding up as it approaches the fade-out. The track is largely instrumental, with vocals just featuring at the very beginning for a couple of verses. Its fading notes merge straight into ‘Smell of Rain’, which, obviously, is actually the sound of rain but this juxtaposition only serves to clarify Drudkh’s purpose with this album - to evoke the majesty of nature in the listener.

‘Forgotten Legends’ will perhaps inevitably be forever compared to ‘Filosofem’-era Burzum, with its emphasis on nature as a theme, and the simplicity and repetition of its musical content. However, as with Burzum before, this simplicity is deceptive; what Drudkh actually showcase on this album is focus. That ‘Forgotten Legends’ so effectively and completely imbues a feeling of melancholy and longing for the past in the listener is a testament to what can be achieved in atmospheric black metal without resorting to keyboards. Drudkh know that what they want to achieve is a sense of nature and the epic, and every track has that as its sole aim. In the right hands, guitar, bass, drums and distortion can be as mournful as any synthesiser.

The fade-outs used throughout point to track three and the notion of the eternal that the record has at its heart. Long or not, the listener feels as if each track is probably still going on somewhere, like legends of old.

DRUDKH - FORGOTTEN LEGENDS, 2002

Since the beginnings, Black Metal has been haunted by two ghosts: epicness and sadness. Curiously, it wasn't until relatively recent times that both consumated their marriage in a devastating union. The potential of a melancholy melody exploited throughout a lenghty structure is the angular stone in this project, formed by the Hate Forest member Roman Saenko, who had already started to experiment with nostalgy and lenght on Hate Forest's "Purity". We can't expect Mayhem's brutality and shortness. The listener must have his head clear and a good pair of earphones. The music consists in guitar, drum, bass and raw, piercing vocals. Don't expect solos, overwhelming musicianship or, for that matter, an exceedingly clean production.

The great thing about intelligent albums like this (or for that matter, about any great album, but surprisingly enough I've seen this occur more often in Black Metal or in any of its branches than in, say, Death Metal) is that this CD is not only an auditive experience, but also a visual one, a kind of attachment to what's included in the package. If we leaf through the booklet, we will find some drawings, each one of them with a distinctive inscription. The drawings are black & white. One can see in them windy, snowy landscapes. The inscriptions read as follow: "Pain", Betrayal", "Loss", "Agony", "Despair", among others. Do you get the idea? It happens the same thing with the music. The landscape is depicted slowly in great strokes, mainly by very few riffs and some heart-wrenching bass-lines. By the time we have heard the whole thing through, we have already received a lot of stimulae of different order and they all point to one thing: a lyrical pondering of nature. Sadly, the only thing missing was the words for the songs, since they are not included in the booklet. Now, the trick is that these guys were very selective with those riffs I was refering to. Even though the first song, "False Dawn", clocks in at 15 and the rest are not far behind, you will not be bored by the minimalistic sounds or by the atmospheric production, which is a little bit nebulous without diminishing the quality of the instruments, because the overall effect is quite surprising. There are a few melodic parts that suddenly surface and vanish as easily as they appear. They are not repeated. In each song there is also a juxtaposition of the few riffs and rhythms; they intertwine after being performed individually. They make it sound fluent, yet the complexity of the result leaves me without a satisfying explanation as to how they invoke so many meanings in such a simple manner. I think projects like this are closer to poetry than any other kind of metal. Just consider the titles, they are more clever than one would initially think.

The song structure is rather simple, but there are two types of song. The first two ones relate to depressive metal instead of going immediatly into the Black Metal zone. The riffs are straightforwardly sad. They permit you to actually envision the whole rainy autumn landscape. The third one goes back to a more primitive kind of metal that is definitely closer to BM, even with a hint of pagan rhythms. But don't be fooled: this album is more related to a incorporeal journey than to a furious BM pounding. Some other reviewer complained about the "undeveloped" character of the structures, but that's pretty irrelevant, considering the atmospheric globalness of this album.

Curiously enough, and even though I consider the new Drudkh albums as masterpieces too, I still listen to "Forgotten Legends" with a sense of personal attachment. Even if this is their most primitive attempt, it is still my personal favourite (although "Blood in our Wells" [2006] is not so far behind)

I don't recommend this one to the impatient metalhead waiting to hear something nasty. Neither do I recommend it to those who believe BM means Dimmu Borgir. There are no fucking orchestras in this album, OK? (and to include an orchestra doesn't necessarily produce a good album, does it?) If you own and enjoy Burzum's "Hviss Lyset Tar Oss" or "Filosofem" (not that they are directly related) you probably will like this trip to the heart of the woods. You'll only need your CD player and a raincoat.

Despite all the albums to follow, I still consider Forgotten Legends their absolute best. It also contains probably their best song they've made yet (and one of the best in black metal), False Dawn. Since this was the first song I heard by them, it was also the first impression I got from the band. I got into Drudkh right before AA came out. So this may also be why i consider this the best.

As I mentioned before, False Dawn is my favorite track here. This is as epic as you get. The tone in the guitars, partly due to this being recorded on analog equipment, is so eerie. This adds to the atmosphere. There is repetition, but I knew this before I heard any songs. I wasnt expecting to hear flashes of lightning speed solos or amazing technical work. Musicianship. Atmosphere. Thats the name of the game. It sucks the listener in and doesnt let them out until it's over. This is the case for every track except the last, which is just the sound of rain falling. Even that track is interesting, just for the ambience.

Forests in Fire and Cold is probably the most depressing song. Somewhere in the middle of the track, the bass comes in really high up with the other instruments. This is a most magnificent part. It isnt done for the listener to notice. It is merely to accentuate the piece. It does a terrific job of that.

Eternal Turn of the Wheel is the saddest song. It's beauty just leaves me speechless. Although it's the least best song, it still delivers the goods. It closes the album to The Smell of Rain, which as i said before, is just rain falling.

Great album. What I like most about this band is it's not hard to find any of their albums. This is a must have for any BM fan or metal fan in general, as long as you dont mind BM-type screams.

I once picked up this obscure little Ukrainian band because it was apparently like Hate Forest, only with more of a later Burzum sound to it. Expecting something decent like Hate Forest but nothing mindblowing, I popped it into the stereo and pressed start.

And for the next forty minutes I was in black metal Valhalla.

This album is quite simply mindblowing. While basically the comparison of Hate Forest’s ‘Purity’ album + Burzum’s ‘Filosofem’ with a dash of folk-music would technically be correct, it doesn’t begin to really describe this album nor do it justice. It has that unrelenting forward momentum of Hate Forest while being more mid-paced and contemplative. Both the riffs as well as the thick layering remind of later Burzum and some parts immediately call to mind Abyssic Hate’s ‘Suicidal Emotions’ even. Still, somehow, even though individual parts can be traced to earlier albums, the overall execution and atmosphere is vastly different from the aformentioned albums and in most ways superior.

The music itself consists of robust lead-guitars playing epic riffs over a thick backbone of very heavy droning bass and rythmguitar soundscapes. From time to time higher sounding lead-parts or accoustics give added texture or a slight twist to the prevailing atmosphere. Drumming has a background role, nothing flashy to distract from the guitar playing, though it thankfully isn’t monotonous as variation is present, just understated. The vocals are a very harsh screamed rasp, that remains somewhere between the back- and foreground layers of music. The Hate Forest influence causes the otherwise folk-tinged riffs to have a certain inhuman quality to them, bringing to mind the vast forces of nature untamed by man, with the deep layering further adding to the sense of mystery and unseen horror that lies hidden in the world’s ancient forests. Due to the heavy bassy background and the folk-like quality of the riffing, the overall texture and feel of the music is warmer than most bm-albums, bringing autumn to mind rather than winter. The Burzum influence gives these riffs at times a very melancholy overtone, but the warm sound mitigates this somewhat, turning it into something that’s more nostalgic than depressive and gives a certain hope for the future.

Structurally this album unfolds like a dream or vision, it has a certain progression of events, but lots of repetition with subtle variations and additions give this a timeless quality and the layering and pacing draws in the mind on a journey through an inner natural world. While this is trance-inducing it certainly isn’t pacifying. The sense of wonder and mystery invoked by discovering all the hidden intricacies of the music activates the imagination like nothing else and the unrelenting pace (that’s present even when there are no drums to be heard) activates the body as well. It’s impossible to stand still while listening to this. Even when you lay down and meditatively experience this remarkable album, the impression is still of continuous movement, as if the astral body is on a flight through deep unspoiled woods.

Truly, you don’t need to be under influence to go on a mind-trip while listening to this masterpiece of an album. Everything about this album works on multiple levels. It is clear that the intended effect of this album is acchieved perfectly, giving vivid impressions of untouched nature during autumn without anything human near with all the attendant danger and wonder. This is probably the best black metal album of 2002 and anyone who has an appreciation for the trance-inducing style of later Burzum would miss out on something fantastic were they not to pick up this piece of art.

Recommended most highly.