Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Drudkh - Microcosmos (2009)

Slavonic Heathen Metal is how one write-up of Drudkh's seventh studio outing describes this highly atmospheric yet densely sad sound that permeates these six tracks.  It is probably safe to say that none of the regulars on this site have (knowingly) heard any Slavonic Heathen Metal before slapping on this absolute triumph of a record, however, on personal level, if this is what this made-up sub-genre of metal sounds like then I am more than happy to listen to more of this.  Microcosmos is my favourite Drudkh record and one that sits on my vinyl shelves across the room from where I sit to write these musings.  I have heard almost everything by the band since I first clapped my ears on Autumn Aurora many years ago and I went on a dotted journey of discovery flitting across their releases in no particular order following my discovery of their sophomore as my gateway release into the band.

By the time Drudkh had gotten around to 2009 they had arguably dropped a lot of their bm roots and then rediscovered them on 2007's Estrangement.  The harsh blast beats of that record once again cemented their repute as one of bm's finest if not more experimental artists and it came as no surprise to hear them add a different and more atmospheric direction to their follow-up album.  Microcosmos is an intensely rich and rewarding experience that embraces the familiar folk elements of their sound and drives the emotion of their themes with the trademark black metal harshness that we had all come to expect from Drudkh at this point.  However, we now got an aggressively expansive album with a lavish menu of emotionally-charged atmospherics to develop these themes.  The bass on most tracks here is so audible and is placed front and centre to give it real prominence in proceedings.  Whether it is within the slower sections to help with build or in the more intensely paced sections to underpin the guitars and percussion with a solid foundation, the strings of Krechet are a joy to behold.

Melodic without lacking power and aggressive without ever sounding one-dimensional, Microcosmos plays as virtually an instrumental album for large sections of its runtime.  Unafraid to let the instruments take the floor and lead, Drudkh are confident enough in their own ability to let soaring leads and solid percussion sections do the talking and build their tracks.  Memorable without trying to be catchy or hooky, this is an album that manages to really get under my skin as a listener and sticks with me for hours/days afterwards.  One of the few records that I still can consistently hold at full-marks year after year.