Metal Reviews

I don't endorse fanaticism, extremism, or the spreading of propoganda. I would hope that if the SOL album inspires someone to objectively read and investigate history and current events then it has done it's job. Whatever conclusions the listener/reader makes afterward of course depends greatly on their own intellect and willingness to have an open mind. And that's all I've got to say about that......

Bah, stop making excuses trapt and live by your principles. It's not as if those bands are producing some divine musical nectar of the gods to which there is no equal.

Drudkh certainly does

As my review of BIOW indicates I do like some of their stuff, but I do find myself managing perfectly well without them, somehow. Not getting any cravings or anything.

I know it Rio. Kinda like me and the band formerly known as 'Liar Liar, Cross on Fire'.

What, have you stopped listening to them because of their principles in a crazy mirror image of me and nsbm or something?

Not exactly...I like them a good bit. And I really appreciated you exposing them to me. Just don't have a burning desire to hear that ep over and over again. With a full-length my interest will be sparked again.

Plus I wanted to say their old name again, which makes me chuckle.

Fair enough, fair enough. Kinda weird band, appearing in every sense to be as far as possible from black metal (if you are facebook friends with them you get photos of them cavorting merrily by the seaside) but actually playing great black metal music.

that's what I'm thinking. To anyone, why is drudkh seen possibly negatively besides uber-nationalism?

Rio didn't like Anti-Urban/Estrangement, which I understand at least, but dlsliking Microcosmos I do not. Hopefully the new album will have created a consensus once more.

-Roman Saenko (also, obviously, of Drudkh)

Well, that's why I have objections on principle against Saenko-related projects and don't like listening to them any more.

But Emperor is also right that I've found their last couple of releases boring musically as well.

I'm subscribing to this mystification.

Edit: Reading that last sentence is an embrace of some Nietzschean values. Thinking about the politics of Drudkh is kinda making me not dig them as much. Cascadian bm is just kinda getting old for me.

I pretty much covered this in my review of Microcosmos. Support for a bunch of massacring fascists like the ukrainian insurgent army = not good.

There a bunch of right wing kooks :( Sadly, they make good music.

I think the term 'uber-nationalist' fits. And I thought Saenko was talking in the Nietzschean sense. Perhaps not though...
It is plausible that their outlook has changed since the Hate Forest days though, right?

I think geography has a huge impact in their political outlook. Anti-Semitism is notorious in the Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people have had their identity repressed for hundreds and hundreds of years. Polish and then Russian attempts to eradicate their nationality has no doubt bred a nationalism that is strong enough to advocate scapegoating and violence.

Does this remove culpability? No, but there is an environmental determinism thing going on here, I would say. If the guys from Drudkh were from Yorkshire, for example, wouldn't they just be garden variety conservatives?

All I am saying is Drudkh shouldn't be condemned as severely as if they were from North America or Western Europe.

There is plenty more Non-Cascadian BM I'd be happy to suggest to you which doesn't have any political baggage.

Sergei Prokofiev - Symphony #2

Just clicked with me big time. The last couple minutes with the fucking intense part followed by the fucking beautiful part are too good. Gonna be playing this daily for a bit.

imo caring very much about a bands politics is kind of silly when you can't even understand the lyrics. Even when you can understand the lyrics it's not that annoying.

I'm checking Om out tonight.

As for Drudkh, I think their situation lessens their culpability but as a Western listener I have a responsibility to not condone their views by indulging in their music. Then again it's not like i'm supporting them monetarily so who knows maybe I'll keep listening to them.

For me, the important thing is that people are aware of the controversy, aware of both the holodomor and the massacres that the ukrainians commited. Knowing of both gives the band's music even more historical resonance and emotion, not to mention understanding of the issues.

Hah, have I just ruined one of trapt's favourite bands for him??

Music should be about passion, and in order to REALLY appreciate music, you need to sort of empathise and get caught up in the passion the musician is conveying or trying to convey. I'm not saying I won't listen to bands I disagree with (this would limit my listening somewhat), just that in some extreme cases my ability to get caught up in or empathise with the passion behind the music is stunted abruptly. "This album is dedicated to racial purity and crushing the subhumans" is one of those extreme cases... Anyway, that's the best way I can think to summarise my thoughts on the subject.