Drudkh (meaning "wood" in Sanskrit) is an atmospheric black metal band from… Read Full Bio ↴Drudkh (meaning "wood" in Sanskrit) is an atmospheric black metal band from Kharkiv, Ukraine formed in 2002.

Drudkh was founded by Roman Saenko, the leading member of Hate Forest; Thurios, the leading member of Astrofaes; and Yuriy Sinitsky, of Lucifugum and Definition Sane. Their strongly folk-influenced music focuses on a dense atmosphere with a lot of feeling, and the lyrical contents embrace Slavic mythology, seasons and poetry. Many of the band's lyrics are derived from the works of nineteenth and twentieth century Ukrainian poets, especially Taras Shevchenko.

"During all its history, the band followed a 'no photos, no interviews, no website, no gigs' policy, which was nobly accepted by Drudkh's new label Season of Mist. The absence of any comments or information from Drudkh's side gave an opening to a few ignorant internet warrior-fans to spread rumors, that the band embraces extreme political views. This is absolutely misleading and a total profanation, since there is nothing in Drudkh's music or lyrics that would suggest any political outlook. Drudkh praise individualism, self-improvement and estrangement from modern values." Roman Saenko (2008)

Discography:
2003 – Forgotten Legends
2004 – Autumn Aurora
2005 – Лебединий шлях (The Swan Road)
2006 – Кров у наших криницях (Blood in Our Wells)
2006 – Пісні скорботи і самітності (Songs of Grief and Solitude)
2007 – Anti-Urban (EP)
2007 – Відчуженість (Estrangement)
2009 – Microcosmos
2010 – Пригорща зірок (Handful of Stars)
2010 – Slavonic Chronicles (EP)
2012 – Вічний оберт колеса (Eternal Turn of the Wheel)
2014 – Thousands of Moons Ago / The Gates (split with Winterfylleth)
2014 – Eastern Frontier in Flames (Compilation)
2015 – Борозна обірвалася (A Furrow Cut Short)
2016 – Той, хто говорить з імлою / Pyre Era, Black! (One Who Talks with the Fog / Pyre Era, Black!) (split with Hades Almighty)
2016 – Зраджені сонцем / Hägringar (Betrayed by the Sun / Hägringar) (split with Grift)
2017 - Десь блукає журба / Schnee (IV) (Somewhere Sadness Wanders / Schnee (IV)) (split with Paysage d'Hiver)
2018 - Їм часто сниться капіж (They Often See Dreams About the Spring)

Далекий крик журавлів
Drudkh Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Понад степи і поле, гори й доли,
Понад діброви, зжовклим листом вкриті,
Понад стернища, зимним вихром биті,
З плачем сумним, мов плач по кращій долі,

Понад селища бідні, непошиті
Хатки, обдерті і пусті стодоли,
Понад люд темний, сумовитий, голий,

Ви пливете по млистому блакиті.

Куди? Куди? Чи в кращий край зелений,
Залитий світлом, зіллям умаєний,
На нитку мов нанизані, мчите ви?

О, ждіть! Ось в млистій і вогкій ярузі

З крилом підтятим брат ваш сохне в тузі!
Візьміть мене в путь, браття! Де ви? Де ви...?

Overall Meaning

The song "Далекий крик журавлів" by Drudkh is a wistful ballad that reflects upon the journey of a flock of cranes as they soar over mountains, fields, forests, and villages. The first stanza describes the different terrains that the birds traverse, from the steppes and valleys to the yellowed groves and snowy wastelands. The imagery captures the changing seasons and the desolate beauty of the landscapes.

The second stanza shifts the focus to the human settlements that are passed over by the cranes. The huts are described as poor and shabby, and the people are portrayed as dark and mournful. The cranes are portrayed as ethereal creatures that sail over their heads, seemingly on their way to a better place. The refrain of the stanza, "Куди? Куди?" ("Where to? Where to?"), expresses the longing for a destination beyond the horizon, a place that might offer a brighter future.

The final lines of the song introduce the singer's plea to join the cranes on their journey. The image of a brother crane "drying his wings" in the "damp ravine" suggests that the journey is not without hardship, and the singer acknowledges the risk of taking flight. Nonetheless, the closing line of the song expresses the singer's eagerness to join the flock: "Take me with you, brothers! Where are you? Where are you...?"

Line by Line Meaning

Понад степи і поле, гори й доли,
Above the plains and fields, mountains and valleys,

Понад діброви, зжовклим листом вкриті,
Above the groves, covered with yellowed leaves,

Понад стернища, зимним вихром биті,
Above the stubble fields, beaten by the winter winds,

З плачем сумним, мов плач по кращій долі,
With a sad lament, as if mourning for a better fate,

Понад селища бідні, непошиті
Above the poor, unsewn settlements

Хатки, обдерті і пусті стодоли,
Huts, worn-out and empty barns,

Понад люд темний, сумовитий, голий,
Above the dark, gloomy, naked people,

Ви пливете по млистому блакиті.
You float on the muddy blue.

Куди? Куди? Чи в кращий край зелений,
Where to? Where to? To a better green land,

Залитий світлом, зіллям умаєний,
Flooded with light, covered with herbs,

На нитку мов нанизані, мчите ви?
Stringed like beads, do you rush?