Band:	Drudkh
Album:	Лебединий Шлях (The Swan Road)
Style:	Atmospheric black metal, Pagan black metal
Release date:	March 2005

01. 1648
02. Вічне Сонце (Eternal Sun)
03. Кров (Blood)
04. Заграва 1768-го (Glare Of 1768)
05. Ціна Волі (The Price Of Freedom)
06. Доля (Fate)
07. Дума Про Руйнування Січі (Song Of Sich Destruction)

Having already released two fabulous albums, "Autumn Aurora" and "Forgotten Legends", that were moving in black metal soundscapes, flirting with an imposing at some times, nostalgic/melancholic at others, epic feeling, Ukraine's Drudkh returned during 2005 with their brand new full-length release, "The Swan Road".

Third official release for Drudkh and they keep on composing monumental songs, unleashing their inspiration in 7 compositions that won't sadden for sure the fans of the band.

The sound of the guitars is sharp and the riffing is inspired, evoking the ideal epic feeling in the air. What is easily noticeable and worth of the listener's attention is the fact that the guitar riffing, many times, ends in quite technical and beautiful-sounding solos, pacing with the composition the moment they enter, letting it flow in the most appropriate way. Also, the acoustic passages are utterly inspired and they paint the soundscape with lyrical and grey/melancholic sound colors, adding to the songs a fragile aesthetic. Needless to say, the overall atmosphere of "The Swan Road" is being evoked only by the guitars, something very important, showing the genius mind of the band concerning the composing factor in terms of atmosphere and folk references which are being interpreted in the most appropriate way.

What is easily noticeable is the fact that the folk passages become more and more vivid in the sound of Drudkh with every album they release, with "The Swan Road" being their most folk-oriented album. The drumming adds an imposing tone to the album, as much as it has to, while the bass lines could have been a bit more in the foreground since they are being buried a bit in the production enough times, but since Drudkh is an underground black metal band and the fans of underground black metal are used in not hearing the bass guitar due to the production factor this isn't a problem, in my humble opinion.

The vocals sound a bit different this time, more raw if i may say, but great still, harmonizing wonderfully with the music of Drudkh that show us a more dynamic face in "The Swan Road", without losing though in epic feeling. What is really remarkable is the fact that the last song of the album, "Song Of Sich destruction", is a pure folk composition, with the lyrics having been written in Ukrainian and the vocals being clear and interpret in a nostalgic, melancholic, traditional manner. The only problem with it is that it seems to be out of the overall touch of the album in a way, in terms of sound, but this is only my opinion.

"The Swan Road" is a great album that balances between dynamic and folk/epic elements, offering us 7 compositions of exceptionally played, let's say, Slavonic black metal, with songs like "Blood", "Glare Of 1768" and "The Price Of Freedom" (a real hymn!) being just perfect!