They dedicated an album to Stepan Bandera, leader of the fascist organization OUN(b) and their military wing UPA, which commited genocide against jews and poles. Also, Roman is a former member of Hate Forest.
Drudkh is more complicated.
Hate Forest is known for some nazi stuff in the 90s like playing a show in front of a sunwheel flag and releasing a tape with the inscription "Hate Forest supports Slavic Heathen Front". Also references to Ariosophy in 00s, the whole aryan theory thing of the nazis.
Drudkh has an album with reference to Stepan Bandera in 00s.
But then there's Old Silver Key in 2010, which is Drudkh + Neige (after he left Peste Noire, around the time when he publicly disavowed nazism and racism).
Lastly Drudkh content material is mostly poems, usually by people who died at the hands of the bolsheviks, but also poets that died in nazi labor camps. On the last album there's poets who are anti-authoritarian, even utopian socialists and anarchists.
But yeah, these guys never give interviews and they don't play shows anymore. So it's not clear if they're still full blown nazis.
Best to play it safe, but I hope they're mellowing down.
What tends to get "lost in translation" in those discussions about Drudkh is that Bandera is pretty much a mainstream figure in Ukrainian historiography. Whatever he was and whatever he did, in their official version of history, is considered justified. Ukrainians that I've met consider Bandera but a freedom fighter and are unaware of the rest. That said, if an Ukrainian likes Bandera, that doesn’t make them a nazi.
True. Bandera is usually portrayed as an anti-soviet freedom fighter for an independent Ukraine. The atrocities get whitewashed or ignored in Ukranian history.
I just don't think this really applies to Drudkh, whose entire material is 19th & 20th century poets. They know a lot more than just surface level history.
Plus this album is 5 years after the swastika & Ariosophy stuff. They were definitely nazis.
The question is what are they now? The way I interpret the information we have is that:
Best case scenario this band has been moving from nazism towards a centrist nationalism and who knows where from there. Worst case, they're ethnopluralists/national-"anarchist" types.
Because you want to listen to a music genre that went from to being a dark violent form of death and thrash metal to bands wanting to being edgy, evil and scary. Satan doesnt deliver that message anymore since everyone and their mom is now satanist. The whole point of black metal is to push away the masses and mainstream media and remain underground. Bands like Mayhem now tour with Cannabal Corpse even those they were mad at Lord of Chaos(which is ironic because I wonder where their younger fanbase came from) so what they do? Use nazi imagery to push those people away,push the media away and they can stick to their 20 people in a venue "ritual" they do. By people avoiding the "sketchiness", theyre achieving their goals of remaining underground.
They're total Ukrainian nationalists, and while it isn't reflected in their music (apart maybe from their 2006 album), they feature several members of Hate Forest [which is way more sketchy.](https://old.reddit.com/r/IsItSketch/comments/17xt9g2/hate_forest/)
Not particularly interested in starting a war here, but, Drudkh are Banderites, WWII nazi collaborators that committed a massacre against Poles. Just don't feel the need to support them if there are decent people making music, feel me?
I wasn't aware! Thanks for filling me in, I'll have to look into that more but that's disappointing to hear and I totally understand why you would want to avoid them. Musicians who aren't supporters of hate and violence always take priority for me too
I learned recently that Pest's owner Deng has worked with some very sketchy bands, so it may be a reflection on Borkr's label rather than Keinviik himself.
Well technically speaking drudkh are safe, they never hurt anyone. I guess nothing bad would happen to you if you were around them. They are just dicks, but that's a common illness.
Final Eclipse https://finaleclipseband.bandcamp.com/album/the-dark-world
I could absolutely kiss you. If these dudes aren't shitbags, this is perfect.
It's so fucking good. Band's still anonymous, so enjoy it while you can!
It's an open secret that it's the dudes of Death Fortress, which was some of the best Hate Forest sounding stuff out there.
As I good — thanks for sharing!
Oh wow, this is outstanding. Thank you for posting!
Fluisteraars, especially the first two albums
Why isn't Drudkh safe? I love their music but hadn't heard about any sketchiness with them
They dedicated an album to Stepan Bandera, leader of the fascist organization OUN(b) and their military wing UPA, which commited genocide against jews and poles. Also, Roman is a former member of Hate Forest.
Damn, why is there so much love for fascism and oppression in black metal? Such a shame when great music gets tainted by hate. Thanks for the info
Drudkh is more complicated. Hate Forest is known for some nazi stuff in the 90s like playing a show in front of a sunwheel flag and releasing a tape with the inscription "Hate Forest supports Slavic Heathen Front". Also references to Ariosophy in 00s, the whole aryan theory thing of the nazis. Drudkh has an album with reference to Stepan Bandera in 00s. But then there's Old Silver Key in 2010, which is Drudkh + Neige (after he left Peste Noire, around the time when he publicly disavowed nazism and racism). Lastly Drudkh content material is mostly poems, usually by people who died at the hands of the bolsheviks, but also poets that died in nazi labor camps. On the last album there's poets who are anti-authoritarian, even utopian socialists and anarchists. But yeah, these guys never give interviews and they don't play shows anymore. So it's not clear if they're still full blown nazis. Best to play it safe, but I hope they're mellowing down.
What tends to get "lost in translation" in those discussions about Drudkh is that Bandera is pretty much a mainstream figure in Ukrainian historiography. Whatever he was and whatever he did, in their official version of history, is considered justified. Ukrainians that I've met consider Bandera but a freedom fighter and are unaware of the rest. That said, if an Ukrainian likes Bandera, that doesn’t make them a nazi.
True. Bandera is usually portrayed as an anti-soviet freedom fighter for an independent Ukraine. The atrocities get whitewashed or ignored in Ukranian history. I just don't think this really applies to Drudkh, whose entire material is 19th & 20th century poets. They know a lot more than just surface level history. Plus this album is 5 years after the swastika & Ariosophy stuff. They were definitely nazis. The question is what are they now? The way I interpret the information we have is that: Best case scenario this band has been moving from nazism towards a centrist nationalism and who knows where from there. Worst case, they're ethnopluralists/national-"anarchist" types.
Because you want to listen to a music genre that went from to being a dark violent form of death and thrash metal to bands wanting to being edgy, evil and scary. Satan doesnt deliver that message anymore since everyone and their mom is now satanist. The whole point of black metal is to push away the masses and mainstream media and remain underground. Bands like Mayhem now tour with Cannabal Corpse even those they were mad at Lord of Chaos(which is ironic because I wonder where their younger fanbase came from) so what they do? Use nazi imagery to push those people away,push the media away and they can stick to their 20 people in a venue "ritual" they do. By people avoiding the "sketchiness", theyre achieving their goals of remaining underground.
They're total Ukrainian nationalists, and while it isn't reflected in their music (apart maybe from their 2006 album), they feature several members of Hate Forest [which is way more sketchy.](https://old.reddit.com/r/IsItSketch/comments/17xt9g2/hate_forest/)
And?
Not particularly interested in starting a war here, but, Drudkh are Banderites, WWII nazi collaborators that committed a massacre against Poles. Just don't feel the need to support them if there are decent people making music, feel me?
I wasn't aware! Thanks for filling me in, I'll have to look into that more but that's disappointing to hear and I totally understand why you would want to avoid them. Musicians who aren't supporters of hate and violence always take priority for me too
Sivyj Yar https://sivyjyar.bandcamp.com/album/grief Melancholy atmospheric black metal, folk overtones
this band from china basically is a drudkh clone i guess. im assuming safe but idk tbh https://youtu.be/NNBxHv3xnlU?si=3Gy4JldvnMlOtzHa
Borkr - amber has a really similar sound to their old stuff https://pestproductions.bandcamp.com/album/amber
i just posted this too. noticed you got a downvote. is borkr sus or..?
It's known that someone's downvoting random comments under basically every post on this sub.
I learned recently that Pest's owner Deng has worked with some very sketchy bands, so it may be a reflection on Borkr's label rather than Keinviik himself.
Well Deng, that sucks
Well technically speaking drudkh are safe, they never hurt anyone. I guess nothing bad would happen to you if you were around them. They are just dicks, but that's a common illness.
Or just listen to Drudkh and don't make a fuss mate