MICROCOSMOS

Drudkh, have released a new album almost every year since their debut. The studioless year 2008 made many fans wait to the edge of their seats for "Microcosmos", which was put out the following year, with high expectations. But, as far as I'm concerned, the album did not give me the same feeling as all the previous ones gave me. In fact, I'm a little down in the mouth by saying that this is my least favorite Drudkh album.

"Microcosmos", is the one of the most progressive and ambitious albums of the band so far, paradoxically for somebody like me who particularly enjoys progressive music. No worries for Drudkh fans, the typical cold and bleak atmospheres are always present, and dominate the whole 41 minutes. What is new, and it is definitely something a fan would notice, is that many parts sound a lot more claustrophobic, nocturnal, and tense; I'm talking about the calmer parts, embraced inside almost all the tracks. These placid moments have been for a while part of Drudkh's characteristics, but never they have been dressed with such tension and enigmatic stillness. This, of course, is the thing I really like about the album.

There is nothing wrong in particular with this album; I just wasn't fond of most of the songs, finding them a little dull or just not worthy of ones attention. One of those album where you don't hate, or love, but it's destined to be forgotten in your collection, whether you like it or not.

Let me say though something about the songs I liked; I found the structure of the album very interesting, with an intro and outro that are about one minute long each, and four long songs that are the nucleus of the album. The second track, "Distant Cries Of Cranes" is definitely my favorite, despite it isn't usually the song people choose as the best of the album. But those atmospheres are so haunting and chilling, it's a near perfect song, thanks also to the brilliant middle part and the strong ending. Honestly I think the rest of the songs pale to the Distant Cries Of Cranes", even though some good parts are present in "Ars Poetica" or in "Decadence". Overall, "Everything Unsaid Before" didn't leave me anything to think of, no particular melody or such.

A mediocre album, I have to say, at times enjoyable but other times it feels a little heartless, despite Atmospheric Black Metal is one of those genres where this adjective is absolutely forbidden.