Drowned in a SwampHeart of Evrope

I'm sure that Kruk (which means 'raven' in several Euro-Asian languages) would've preferred a score of 88 points...else why would they have released a "limited edition" of 88 copies? That certainly qualifies as cryptic! As you probably know, this cd is a compilation of their 2 demos, the first half being of higher quality than the second, though both are quite listenable. There is a rather amusing statement inside from the mastermind of the band, also a brief explanation for many songs; credit must be given them, showing consideration for their non-Belarussian listeners! There is a super-amusing claim in the notes that tracks 11-18 have no "vocal sounds made by humans", or something along those lines...though these songs DO have vocals!

The music is suitably grim black metal; keyboards are present, but not to a prominent extent. They ARE more prominent on the second half of the album, however. Most of these songs are rather primitive with only a few guitar riffs each, and not much tempo variety. Several of the songs have interesting bridges and breaks. The first half of the album is pretty thick and crunchy; the second half is more watered-down sounding. The vocals on the second half don't display much variety; along the lines of perhaps ancient Immortal. The first half's vocals are a bit more interesting, but not much. Drums are, well, pretty low on this band's list of priorites, it seems.

So, it sounds like a pretty paint-by-numbers black metal album, doesn't it? Actually, there is a personality herein, and upon approximately 3 listens it appears. It accomplishes a mood of bleak savagery; it is not as "cold" as many black metal albums, but is certainly not a pleasant sounding set of songs. After hearing this, I will now be interested to check out their follow-up full length.

One quick note about the packaging: it is quite nice and very professional-looking. To sum up "Drowned in a Swampheart of Europe", it is worth investigating if you don't demand too much innovation or variety in your black metal. If you are looking for technical prowess or something novel, look elsewhere!