A lonely man walking through a misty forest, desolated by the lost of his entire family, walking away from the burning village that saw him grow, all is lost and there is anger and impotence in his heart… It may sound a bit dramatic but that is the sort of feeling “Drudkh” can provoke.

Never heard this band before “Blood in Our Wells”, actually is until recent times that I’m getting in touch with that marvelous Black metal underground scene some of my friends talk about, and if this band is one of their best representatives, then I’ve been missing a lot.

These Ukrainians play a sort of emotional and atmospheric black metal that blends perfectly with a very intense folk influence, the vocals are desperate screams that shatter your soul and the melodies are mind-blowing. Drudkh creates melody lines that transport you into a realm of beauty, depression and anger, the guitars are amazing carriers of some of the most melodic riffs in black metal, sometimes even storming into a hard rock sound thanks to all the complicated solos. The drums are a basic escort, no fast blast beats or repetitive pounds, just simple tone helpers done with precision and elegance.

A song like “Solitude” can induce as much beauty as pain and aggression, the rhythms change as the song progresses from a catchy riff into an obscure scenery, where the vocals are so desperate that you can almost feel their fury; this is a 12 minute track but believe me you are not going to feel them at all, since this and all the rest of the songs have such a marvelous structure that allows the pieces to take life and tell a story without repeating themselves.

“Eternity” is probably the catchiest song on the record, with a fast first segment that builds up a tempo change slowing down the initial pace and increasing the heaviness of the song.

Perhaps the “less strong” song would be the last one, and I have to say less strong because is not as shocking and beautiful as all the previous tracks but it does contain that special feeling and flow that Drudkh has created for us since the beginning of this outstanding record.

You better find a way to get your copy of “Blood in Our Wells “because this is definitely one of the best records of 2006.