Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells

Let me start off by saying that Drudkh is an NSBM band; therefore boycotters of such music need to read no further. I do not, in any shape or form, support such ideology, but I do believe that good music should at least be recognized. So... here we are.

Blood In Our Wells is the Ukrainian band's fourth album, and I can easily say it's my second favorite release behind Autumn Aurora. The first thing that came to mind when I heard it was its similarity to the first album Forgotten Legends and the latest one. However, unlike The Swan Road, the production here is clear enough for everything to be heard, but still retains the usual Burzum-esque black metal feel.

The songs are long and catchy, with a folky-pagan element to them. But do not think this is another "folk metal" band like Storm, or Otyg. Drudkh is still very much heavy metal influenced. We hear emotional guitar riffs that carry the epic feeling of paganism and nature. There are some excellent guitar solos scattered across the disk, and my favorite one falls about 40 seconds into the song "When The Flame Turns To Ashes". I don't think I've ever heard such a wankery solo from another black metal band!

I'll go out on a limb here and say that the moments of total-rock-out-metal, intertwined with calm, mellow acoustic parts are reminiscent of bands such as Opeth. The only difference here is that Drudkh's vocals are 100% deep harsh rasps. Despite having tracks of 10 minutes in length or more, "Blood in Our Wells" never gets boring. In fact, it whets my appetite for more Drudkh. I've been playing this album since it was released two weeks ago, and haven't gotten tired of it yet. This is black metal you can headbang to!