Drudkh – Shadow Play

As conflict continues to tear apart their homeland, Roman Saenko and companions relentlessly persist to bring a homage to the landscapes of Ukraine and its history. And thus, the rather steady pace of releasing Drudkh albums is seemingly uninterrupted, as the band follows up 2022’s ‘All Belong to the Night’ with the most recent output, the newest full-length bearing the title ‘Shadow Play’.

When traveling back in the discography of Drudkh, as one tends to do for these reviews, one conclusion that could be made is that the preceding ‘All Belong to the Night’ was a solid record, but one that couldn’t retain my attention over time. In that regard, ‘They Often See Dreams about the Spring’ from 2018 was a more convincing record, one that didn’t try to stay too close to the early classic records but firmly held its own as the product of years of development of the band. For ‘Shadow Play’ however, it feels more like a journey into the past.

While recording information is undisclosed, one can only assume that, given the production time of albums, the recording of the album transpired before the untimely passing of former member Amorth in late October 2024. A victim of the ensuing conflict, Amorth in the past contributed to the drum and keyboard work on the classic albums ‘Autumn Aurora’, ‘The Swan Road’ and ‘Blood in Our Wells’. Rather strikingly, the new album does feel more like a throwback to those early days of the band, blending some of the thrusting pace of ‘Forgotten Legends’ with mostly the more soothing midtempo style of ‘Autumn Aurora’. Infusing the experience over the past years into the final product, ‘Shadow Play’ allows for more frivolous play in particular when it comes to the drums. Furthermore, the latest album has a different atmospheric facet to the music. The harshness of the earliest albums is replaced by a warmer tone while still retaining the typical yearning aura that the band has made their own. To me personally, the atmosphere and relentless straightforward approach of the early albums is unparalelled, and thus one conclusion of sort is that ‘Shadow Play’ cannot match those classic recordings. But needless to say, it makes it an album that is without a shadow of a doubt an album worth of the Drudkh name.

Some of the highlights of the record include the beautiful and warm atmosphere of ‘April’, something that could sound like an ode to the increasing temperature of the sun as winter turns into spring. Or the pulsating riffs and soothing keyboard accents of ‘The Eve’ that accompany the midtempo riffs in the vein of ‘Autumn Aurora’ and ‘Blood in Our Wells’. Furthermore, the menacing start of closing track ‘The Thirst’ that transcends into a dreamy, hypnotizing end rounds off the album in and enveloping and enchanting fashion. This album, like nearly any that has come before, oozes the Drudkh trademark sound from every pore, and that is obviously mostly brought forth by the captivating riffs and atmosphere. What holds this particular album back is mostly repetition, an element that has been an integral part of the band sound, but just feels a little bit more restricting on ‘Shadow Play’. I can endlessly listen to the opening track of ‘Forgotten Legends’ and be unbothered by its repetition, but on the latest album, the riffs don’t quite hold that same power. Something the 7 minutes of calm instrumental music of the opener ‘Scattering the Ashes’ perhaps is the prime example of: the ideas are great, but it’s all just a little bit too drawn out.

At the end of the day, this is beyond doubt an album that has a firm place in the Drudkh discography. And although the style calls for it, perhaps any comparison to ‘Forgotten Legends’ and ‘Autumn Aurora’ is unjust especially in terms of quality, and therefore in my opinion ‘Shadow Play’ in every way should rather be placed on the level of ‘All Belong to the Night’ and ‘They Often See Dreams about the Spring’. Instantly recognizable, pulsating with beautiful riffs and a warm atmosphere, it once again solidifies the unmatched sound and status of the band.