DRUDKH
HANDFUL OF STARS

Expectations are soaring as Pagan Black Metal legend DRUDKH unleash “Handful of Stars”. Their eighth album once again lives up to the Ukrainians’ expressed values of individualism and self-improvement. Although the band preserve their unique sound, they move into a more atmospheric and progressive direction. This ties in well with the meandering paths DRUDKH took on each new release. Their debut “Forgotten Legends” (2003) was inspired by Nordic Black Metal with a deep melancholy permeating the heart and soul of their music, which came to be termed Slavonic Heathen Metal. Their second album “Autumn Aurora” (2004) added cinematic soundscapes, while “The Swan Road” (2005) referred to traditional Ukrainian music. “Blood in our Wells” (2006) witnessed an increase of progressive elements. DRUDKH surprised their dedicated following with the instrumental and partly acoustic “Songs of Grief and Solitude” (2006), before they returned to a basic Black Metal expression with “Estrangement” (2007). As on their latest release “Microcosmos” (2009) and previous albums, DRUDKH delve into nature mysticism, legend and history – this time mainly inspired by the Ukrainian poets Oleksa Stefanovych and Svyatoslav Gordynskyj.