Greekrebels.gr
Οι Drunkroll είναι μια μπάντα από τη Ρωσία που βρίσκεται μια δεκαετία περίπου στα μέταλ πράγματα και το “Boiling Point” είναι η τρίτη τους full-length κυκλοφορία. Ο ήχος τους παραπέμπει σε αντίστοιχα σουηδικά σχήματα όπως οι Children Of Bodom, οι In Flames και οι Soilwork χωρίς αυτό να σημαίνει ότι μπορούν να αγγίξουν τα παραπάνω σχήματα, τουλάχιστον καλλιτεχνικά. Η μουσική τους είναι αρκετά σκοτεινή και εσωστρεφής με μια πεσιμιστική διάθεση που πολλές φορές καταντάει αρκετά κουραστική. Η Ρώσικη αισθητική είναι διάχυτη σε όλη τη διάρκεια του δίσκου και το μόνο που μου βγάζει εμένα προσωπικά είναι μια παγερή και αδιάφορη ατμόσφαιρα χωρίς ίχνος αμεσότητας. Σε πολλά σημεία, ακούγοντας το δίσκο, ένιωσα ότι κάνουν κάτι περισσότερο σε αγγαρεία παρά κάτι που ευχαριστεί τους ίδιους κάτι που φαίνεται πολύ στη μουσική τους. Η αλήθεια είναι ότι έχουν κάποια ενδιαφέροντα riiffs και grooves αλλά δε καταφέρνουν να αναιρέσουν αυτή τη αδιάφορη ατμόσφαιρα. Αν έπρεπε να διαλέξω κάποιο κομμάτι που ξεχωρίζει θα ήταν το “My Star” κυρίως λόγω της πολύ καλής εισαγωγής του. Ας ελπίσουμε σε μια καλύτερη συνέχεια.
5/10
Στάθης Αυγέρης (greekrebels.gr)
http://www.greekrebels.gr/drunkroll-boiling-point-metal-scrap/
Aristocrazia
Quando leggo che una band è etichettata con il termine «modern metal» mi viene male: che cosa vuol dire metal moderno? Conoscevo già i russi Druknroll, avendo recensito “On The Knife Blade”, ma di certo non li avrei mai descritti come un connubio di Children Of Bodom, Soilwork, In Flames, Mercenary, Degradead, Dark Tranquillity e Svartstorm, dato che per ciò che ascoltai a quel tempo sembravano più una commistione di heavy e thrash sporcata da trovate orecchiabili spesso discutibili.
Tralasciando i preconcetti e i forti dubbi di partenza, il terzo lavoro della band intitolato “Boiling Point” è — com’era del resto presumibile — una combinazione heavy-thrash stavolta dai tratti prog che, di episodio in episodio, risulta essere in certi momenti prestante e solida (prendo in considerazione tracce come “Rage” e “Defence Of Sevastopol”), in altri frangenti venata da finiture horror (“White Death”), mentre in altri ancora concede spazio alla melodia e alla parte più melensa del suono (come nella forse fin troppo fruibile “My Star”).
Il primo grosso problema di “Boiling Point” è la sensazione che — come avvenuto nel precedente lavoro — sia troppo incentrato su uno schema compositivo monotono, un riciclo continuo di alternanze fra le fasi metalliche più dure e quelle più rilassate. All’interno di questo poco gradito modo di operare spiccano esclusivamente il lavoro svolto da Alex Knip, chitarrista solista e autore delle escursioni orchestrali ed elettroniche, e l’impostazione atmosferica per lo più scura nei toni.
Il secondo riguarda invece la prestazione del cantante Horror, eseguita in lingua madre a eccezione della sola “Saturation”: se da un lato adesso pare essere quasi convincente quando non forza, dall’altro non pare proprio si possa definire tale nei frangenti in cui spinge in growl. In più di una circostanza la sua prova perde aderenza sul pezzo e mi ha fatto storcere parecchio il naso in “Saturation”, mentre in “White Death” sarebbe stata francamente evitabile, oppure si appiattisce eccessivamente.
I Druknroll saranno anche tecnicamente preparati, avranno pure delle buone idee, ma devono svilupparle in maniera tale che non collassino su se stesse. Al momento questo “Boiling Point” rappresenta un’ulteriore riprova che il ruolo di compagnia estemporanea è quello a loro più adatto. Il lavoro sarà anche ascoltabile, tuttavia neanche lontanamente considerabile necessario, in pratica un acquisto del quale si potrà tranquillamente fare a meno.
Mourning (aristocraziawebzine.com)
http://www.aristocraziawebzine.com/recensioni/6457-drunkroll-boiling-point
Artistsandbands.org
Avevo già notato questa band nella compilation del ventennio della Metal Scrap ed ora sono più convinto che mai che questo progetto abbia tutte le carte in regola per andare avanti ritagliandosi uno spazio all’interno dell’underground europeo.
Non è da tutti dare vita ad un sound roccioso, dinamico e dilatato allo stesso tempo con vari riferimenti e aperture ad ampio respiro, direi quasi ‘panoramiche’. Caratteristica questa che regala al loro Boiling Point (terzo disco ufficiale per la cronaca) una serie di sfaccettature che rendono l’intera durata del cd piacevole e molto interessante con una dose di personale gusto, rocciosa esuberanza e ben delineata impronta sonora.Penso che questa band abbia qualcosa di speciale e che tutto sia basato sul contrasto delle idee, di coraggio ne hanno da vendere e gia dal nome ci si aspetterebbe una band diversa e meno sopraffina ed invece si rimane di stucco per la notevole perizia e grande capacità di far nascere e sviluppare song potenti ed esortative, merito questo dell’uso sapiente delle orchestrazioni, della cristallina sapienza nel dosare parti strumentali, riff e vari stili vocali ed ancor di più degli arrangiamenti strumentali di alto livello, ne sono l’esempio lampante le belle tracce come la prima ‘Rage” la successiva “My Star”(completamente diverse tra loro) e la conclusiva “Saturation” giusto per fare i nomi delle prime che mi vengono in mente.Ma il cd è un continuo contrasto tra eleganza, suoni moderni ed imponenti con il giusto tocco di schizofrenia e massicce dosi di decibel che colano a pioggia dalle più disparate posizioni, sopraffini momenti, a volte anche decadenti o sinistri, a seconda del mood e sempre in bilico tra progressive / psichedelia dal sapore rock e puro heavy mood, ma di quello per intenditori fatto con gusto ed in chiave moderna senza per questo snaturarsi e vendersi al business imperante.
Ci sono un sacco di cose realmente interessanti che ‘prendono’ senza lasciare la sensazione di già ascoltato o di soporifero, l’effetto è sempre lo stesso per tutta la durata del disco non ci sono cali di tensione, come sorprendente è la reazione ad una song massiccia come “White Death” che nonostante sia interamente cantata in lingua madre rende assai l’idea di come questa band sia quadrata e capace; si passa dalle orchestrazioni sulla falsa riga dei Dimmu Borgir più orchestrali e teatrali, al metal estremo, al modern rock progressive semi industrial senza il benché minimo scompiglio.A questo punto vi starete chiedendo, ma che genere suonano? Io direi Modern Heavy Metal anche se il termine gli sta un pò stretto, e se la band Russa ci mette dentro una grande quantità di pesantezza che per me resta pur sempre ancorata a retaggi estremi, diciamo che è un dilatato connubio tra Progressive e Modern Metal in cui questi 4 musicisti di Saratov infondono una granitica impronta ESTREMA dove troverete anche tracce di heavy death e tech/ind metal. Sono stato chiaro? Forse no, ma ciò che importa è il risultato finale e il cd in questione ottiene una valutazione altissima.
Tutti i fan della buona musica sapranno certamente impressionarsi poiché i Druknroll mettono tutto in questo loro terzo disco ufficiale con una praticità ed immediatezza che solo i musicisti esperti ed acuti possiedono.I Druknroll con Boiling Point picchiano forte pur restando sopraffini ed in questo riescono anche nell’arduo compito di risultare innovativi ed in parte originali, cosa che non capita spesso ascoltando un disco metal, e sono dannatamente ostili a ‘schiavizzarsi’ riducendosi ad un sound ortodosso, ma si impongono al contrario di ideare delle strutture compositive sempre diverse e ramificate che spaziano oltre ogni limite imposto.C’è una continua sfida all’interno delle song dei Druknroll sia nelle strutture, poco consuete e di apparente difficile interpretazione senza paura di spingersi oltre i confini musicali… Io non dico che ci troviamo di fronte a dei mostri sacri, tuttavia qui poco ci manca per quelli che sono gli standard dai connazionali; tecnicamente parlando la loro musica è si complessa ma anche di grande impatto, nel tentativo (centrato) di creare un alto profilo progressive metal senza annoiare troppo ed essere troppo ‘ultraterreni’, ed è proprio questo l’aspetto che mi piace della band.Disco assolutamente da avere se avete ampie vedute ed un background estremo, interessante e stimolante come non mi capitava da tempo in questo frangente musicale, Boiling Point non dovrebbe lasciare nessuno indifferente ed una già citata song come “White Death” è uno dei veri punti salienti dell’intero album che di certo avrà bisogno di ripetuti ascolti per rapirvi definitivamente e diventare un caposaldo della vostra collezione di dischi made in Russia.
95/100
HektoplasmaToxin (artistsandbands.org)
http://www.artistsandbands.org/ver2/recensioni/recensioni-album/6845-druknroll-boiling-point
Atmospheric.pl
„Точка кипения” (po angielsku: „Boiling Point”) to już trzeci album rosyjskiego zespołu DRUKNROLL, a drugi, z jakim się spotykam. Poprzednią płytę „На лезвии ножа” pamiętam jak przez mgłę. Najbardziej zapadła mi w pamięć okładka z postacią kobiety jak z filmu „Kill Bill”. Muzyka musiała więc być mało charakterystyczna, albo – prędzej – nie trafiła w mój gust. Najnowszy krążek rosyjskiej kapeli przyozdobiony jest zdjęciem faceta w garniturze, który wrzeszczy, zamyka uszy i aż głowa mu dymi na czerwono. Co to ma oznaczać, nie mam pojęcia. Nie znam rosyjskiego, a tytuł krążka i wszystkie teksty są właśnie w tym języku. W każdym razie, album „Точка кипения” krąży mi między uszami i mam nie lada zgryz. Owszem, muszę przyznać, że cały materiał wypełniający tę płytę to wprawnie skomponowana muzyka, której wszystkie elementy zostały starannie dobrane, połączone i umiejętnie zaaranżowane, ale cały ten proces musiał się odbywać totalnie na wariackich papierach. Chodzi tu o konwencję. Bowiem trudno DRUKNROLL jednoznacznie zakwalifikować nie tylko do konkretnego gatunku metalu. Twórczość Rosjan zdaje się skupiać w sobie wpływy zarówno z heavy i thrash metalu, jak i hard rocka, zwykłego rocka oraz muzyki popularnej. Konglomerat dźwięków, jaki z tego wyszedł, na pewno charakteryzuje się dużą melodyką i tak naprawdę brakiem ciężkości czy brutalności. Wszystko brzmi dość lajtowo. Właściwie najostrzejszym elementem na „Точка кипения” są lekko thrashowe riffy w dwóch czy trzech utworach i szczątkowy growling. Wokalem dominującym jest czysty śpiew, niekiedy poddawany jakimś efektom i czasem łączony w partiach. Te różne wokale są dobrze zestawione. A bardzo ładny śpiew Drunknrolla (taką ksywkę nosi lider zespołu) jest atutem albumu. Drugim mocnym punktem jest klimat niektórych kompozycji (zwłaszcza balladowych), rzekłabym, że melancholijny. Zresztą ogólnie spokojniejsze, bardziej atmosferyczne fragmenty tej płyty są niezłe i… niejednokrotnie zaskakujące. Czasami muzyka DRUKNROLL potrafi być tak łagodna i melodyjna, że aż staje się bliska muzyce rozrywkowej tzw. „środka” z lat 80-tych ubiegłego wielu! Niektóre fragmenty bardziej wpadają w ucho, chociażby dzięki refrenom. Uwydatnione klawisze są wykorzystywane ze smakiem, w dużym stopniu, ale bez przesady i uczucia przesytu. Poza tym czasem „wioślarz” kapeli potrafi zagrać błyskotliwe solówki gitarowe (szkoda, że na ogół krótkie), sięga też po gitarę klastyczną. Tylko czy to wystarcza w konwencji metalu? Na pewno nie. Dlatego „Точка кипения” to album, po który mogą sięgnąć sympatycy „pół-metalu”, modern metalu, muzyki eklektycznej, zahaczającej o „letki” heavy/thrash metal. Choć pewnie ten krąg słuchaczy i tak nie będzie duży, bo zespół, który śpiewa w swoim ojczystym, rosyjskim języku, na pewno nie aspiruje do międzynarodowej kariery.
4/6
Kasia (atmospheric.pl)
Femforgacs.hu
A Druknroll (jó hülye név!) egy orosz banda, a Точка кипения, azaz Boiling Point pedig a 3. nagylemezük. Megkímélek mindenkit a cirill betűktől, úgyhogy a dalok angol címeit fogom papírra vetni. Igen, ebből az következik, hogy anyanyelvükön nyomulnak a srácok. A 10 nótás, 50 perces album 90%-a szólal meg ruszkiul, a záró szerzemény viszont ánglius. Először úgy gondoltam, hogy hátrányként fogom megélni a megszokottól eltérő nyelven elővezetett dalolászást, de szerencsére nem így lett. Sőt, kifejezetten tetszik az orosz nyelv ebben a zenei közegben, ráadásul némi unikális ízt is kölcsönöz a produkciónak.
Milyen ez a zenei közeg?
A Metal Archives melodikus heavy metal/hard rock skatulyába helyezi őket, ami nem feltétlenül fedi a valóságot. Azért részigazságot tartalmaz.
Mert valóban nagyon fontos szerep jut a dallamoknak, de ének szempontjából, a domináns extrém (vagy pontosabban agresszív) vokál miatt a MDM is megemlíthető. A muzsika kapcsán nekem olyan zenekarok ugranak be, mint Soilwork, Scar Symmetry. Tehát egy lendületes, leginkább modern metalnak titulálható hibridet játszik a Druknroll. Kimondottan ügyesen!
A Rage szimfonikus introval nyit, aztán egy tempós metal dallá fejlődik. Amiben, a fogós énekdallamoknak, refrénnek köszönhetően benne van a slágerpotenciál. A zenészek már itt bizonyítják, hogy tehetségesek. Amit a lírai, végére bekeményedő My Star, David Gilmourt idéző gitárszólója csak megerősít. A Samurai cím pedig szinte visszautal az előző lemezük borítójára, amin egy titokzatos leányzó kardoskodik. Ebben a tételben az eddigiekhez képest nagyobb szerepet kap az elektronika, de megnyugtatásként mondom: nem megy át Szomorú Szamurájba! 😀
Az In the Power of Depth is első hallás után rögzülő refrénnel van felvértezve, de a leállós középrész sem kutya!
A Szevasztopol ostromáról való megemlékezés is maradandóra sikerült, és talán nem lövök nagyon mellé, ha azt mondom, hogy bizonyos szempontból aktuálpolitikai töltése is lehet…
A White Death-ben szintén izgalmas dolgokat hallhatunk, a szóló és a basszuskiállás is profi. Hál istennek jól kivehető a bőgő, és az Andrey nevű kezelője sem ma kezdte a szakmát. Ha úgy tartja kedve rápakol egy kis effektet, torzítót az alapjáraton is testesen megszólaló négyhúrosra. A kimagasló dalszerzői vénát még nem érzem a Druknroll tagjaiban, de kétségtelenül jó, amit művelnek. A záró, angol nyelvű Saturation pedig kíváncsivá tett az iránt, hogy mi lenne, ha átállnának a ruszki srácok a rock/metal zene anyanyelvére. Mert bár valóban könnyen fogyaszthatóak ezek a dalok oroszul is, a Saturation ének szempontjából mindent visz! És hangulatában is roppant erős!
A szimfós zárás meg keretbe foglalja a Forráspontot.
Aki szereti a modern hangvételű metalkodást, az a Boiling Pont hallatán tutira nem úgy fog reagálni, mint a borítón látható krapek!
8/10
oldboy (femforgacs.hu)
http://www.femforgacs.hu/kritika/3020/Druknroll_Boiling_Point_2014
Allaroundmetal
A distanza di poco meno di due anni, tornano i russi Drunkroll con il loro terzo album, intitolato “Boiling point”; li avevamo già incontrati verso fine 2012, con il loro precedente lavoro “On the knife blade” che aveva messo in mostra una band con prospettive molto interessanti e soprattutto con un sound originale, anche se non facilmente assimilabile. Con questo nuovo album, i Drunkroll continuano sulla scia del precedente lavoro, indurendo anche leggermente il proprio sound, sterzandolo sempre più verso lidi thrash che puramente heavy metal. Le similitudini con i mitici Mekong Delta, quindi, continuano ad essere presenti, anche se i Drunkroll non hanno molto accentuato quel tipo di sound così alienante, tipico della band tedesca. Purtroppo ho cercato di documentarmi ulteriormente sulla band ucraina, ma ho trovato ancora il sito in cirillico che non permette di comprendere a chi non conosce quei caratteri ulteriori notizie sul conto del gruppo; fortunatamente la label ha inoltrato tali informazioni anche in inglese ed ho potuto appurare che accanto al leader e fondatore Drunkroll ad occuparsi delle parti di chitarra, basso e synth, con il fido Horror a cantare, sia in pulito che in growling, la formazione è rimasta invariata con il batterista Jester e Knip a cui sono affidate le parti soliste di chitarra e gli effetti. Il cantato, da quello che mi sembra di capire, è in russo ed i titoli delle canzoni sono semplicemente stati copiati dai files che mi sono stati trasmessi e forse anche tradotti male dalla label (“Tenth Ninght” credo sia un errore e che il titolo corretto sia “Tenth Night”, ma l’ho lasciato volutamente così per dovere di cronaca). Ma torniamo alla musica. “Boiling point” è composto da 10 brani il cui ascolto non è così semplice, dato che il sound della band è molto complesso; su una base prettamente heavy/thrash, ci sono parecchi innesti di synth e parti elettroniche, atmosfere horror, ma anche diversi momenti prog-oriented. Una musica quindi indubbiamente originale (obiettivamente sono pochissime le bands che suonano a questa maniera), per la cui realizzazione è richiesta una tecnica notevole, ma che alla resa finale non è per niente semplice da assimilare ed apprezzare. Aggiungo che, per i miei gusti, le frequenti parti in growling non fanno altro che peggiorare le cose, dato che incattiviscono in maniera esagerata la musica; faccio un esempio per spiegarmi meglio: “White Death” ha un incedere estremamente “orrorifico” e ci starebbe alla grande uno screaming isterico, ma il growling brutale che viene utilizzato ci sta decisamente come un cavolo a merenda. Per carità, essendo nel campo dei gusti personali, molto probabilmente ci sarà chi giudicherà diversamente ed apprezzerà lo stile del vocalist dei Drunkroll, ma al sottoscritto non è per nulla piaciuto. Tirando le somme, rispetto al precedente lavoro, mi aspettavo una crescita di questi ucraini e soprattutto un’apertura verso la scena internazionale (come pensate che qualcuno possa interessarsi a voi con un sito in cirillico??), ma questo “Boiling point” sembra solo una mera continuazione di “On the knife blade”, con tutti i suoi pregi ed i suoi difetti. Il talento non manca ai Drunkroll ed è evidente, spero possano metterlo all’opera molto meglio in futuro, evitando quelle ingenuità che inficiano il risultato finale.
3/5
Ninni Cangiano (allaroundmetal.com)
Noizzwebzine
El sello ucraniano Metal Scrap Records nos presenta un interesante lanzamiento de una sus bandas, concretamente de un grupo proveniente de Rusia que se hace llamar DRUKNROLL y que pone en la calle lo que ya es su tercer larga duración. Diez temas de un Metal abierto a diferentes sonidos entre los que podremos encontrar cosas cercanas al Symphonic Metal, Melodeath, Modern Thrash Metal, Progressive, Alternative Metal… una amplia amalgama musical que estos rusos consiguen combinar con extraordinario talento para ofrecer un estilo bastante interesante y personal, a pesar de tener ciertas influencias de bandas bien conicidas. El título original de este trabajo es “Точка Кипения”, aunque como el idioma ruso no nos es muy familiar lo traduciremos al inglés que sería “Boiling Point”.
Para quienes no conozcan a este grupo haré un breve recorrido por su trayectoria, la cual empezó en el año 2006 como proyecto de un solo miembro bajo el nombre de DRUKNROLL, al que posteriormente se le unirían varios miembros. En 2007 salió su primer single “Metal Night” autoproducido, seguido en 2010 su primer álbum “Brownian Motion” (ambos títulos en su traducción al inglés). Ya en 2012 ficharon por el sello Metal Scrap Records y publicaron un segundo disco titulado “On The Knife Edge” que precede al nuevo “Boiling Point” que aquí nos ocupa. Una fructífera carrera que nos deja con una banda experimentada y con las ideas muy claras, a pesar de los gustos dispares que reflejan sus composiciones.
DRUKNROLL saben unir como nadie la contundencia del Metal, de una base muy sólida y moderna, con las melodías y las atmósferas de aires nórdicos que tanta profundidad le dan a las composiciones. Tienen también un aire oscuro que rebosa misterio en su sonido, así como una agresividad que les lleva a voces guturales, en claro contraste con las voces melódicas más limpias. Pueden recordarte a varios grupos cuando los escuchas, pero a ninguno en concreto ya que como decía antes tienen una personalidad marcada. Imagínate a unos AMORPHIS, CHILDREN OF BODOM, FINNTROLL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, IN FLAMES, SOILWORK…
8,5/10
NOIZZ (noizzwebzine.blogspot.com.es)
https://noizzwebzine.blogspot.com.es/2014/05/druknroll-boiling-point.html
The True Bringer Of Death Zine
Druk’n’roll are a band from Ukraine that has been featured before in this zine that plays a very symphonic form of metal with traces of thrash and death metal and this is a review of their 2014 album “Boiling Point” which was released by Metal Scrap Records.
The album starts out with clean guitars and symphonic sounds before going into a heavier direction along with some blast beats and then thrash style vocals and back ups start to kick in along with some melodic singing and riffing and after awhile hard rock style solos become a part of the recording.
On the following track acoustic guitars are brought in to create a power ballad along with some psychedelic sounds as well as the bass guitars adding in more power and as the album moves on there is a brief use of Japanese folk instruments before going into a more heavy and modern thrash direction along with some death metal growls and the band still keep the melodic vocals and symphonic parts.
As the album progresses the music starts going for more of a symphonic hard rock/metal sound along with the heaviness of thrash and death metal as well as bringing a modern style to all of the genres they combine and the acoustic guitars and psychedelic sounds also make their return in certain sections of the recording and towards the end the death metal elements start to get even more heavier while the music keeps its hard and melodic sound along with some traces of alternative rock in the softer parts.
Druk’n’roll remain true to their symphonic and melodic sound with this recording while also keeping the death, groove and thrash metal element s of their previous release as well as bringing in small amounts of psychedelic and alternative rock which sounds great with a professional sounding production and lyrics that cover everyday themes.
In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Druk’n’roll and if you are a fan of symphonic and melodic metal mixed in with thrash and death metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE “Rage” “In the Power Of Depth” “Tenth Night” and “Saturation”.
8 out of 10.
OccultBlackMetal (The True Bringer Of Death Zine)
http://extrememetalzine.blogspot.com/2014/03/druknrollon-knife-blademetal-scrap.html
Hard Rock Info.com
Not bad for a modern metal band from Russia. I really like track 2 and 3 (which I heard on a compilation before). But if all songs was in English (some of them are, some are in Russian), they would be ready to compete with the big boys, because this is really professional done and no cheap shit. They should be really famous in their home country, otherwise something is really wrong.
This is their third album, which they’ve been working on for the last 2 years. They formed in 2006 and released their debut album in 2010.
Jimmy Blom (Hard Rock Info.com)
http://hardrockinfo.com/reviews/showreviews.asp?id=2463
Metal Crypt
I think it always makes things a bit more interesting and special when a band uses their native language when performing on a record.
Progressive and modern Metal is offered by this 4-piece act from Saratov, Russia, with lyrics completely in Russian. For the fans of progressive and modern Metal, Druknroll have put together an impressive record. One can hear many hours practice in this Russian act’s playing to say nothing of their skills as musicians.
Druknroll kick ass on all levels; they are innovative and original, challenge themselves with unorthodox and tricky song structures and are not afraid of pushing musical boundaries. I would not go as far as claiming Druknroll is the Russian answer to Dream Theater, as they obviously aren’t, even if, technically speaking their stuff is at least as complex and hard-hitting as their American counterparts. But their attempts to create high-profile progressive Metal have turned out to be successful. There are a number of interesting and thought-provoking things going on on the band’s third album Boiling Point, which should not leave anyone cold. A song like “White Death” is one of the true highlights off this album, being very atmospheric, downright heavy and ominous as hell.
Boiling Point takes a few listens before opening up to the listener, but it’s worth it.
4/5
Luxi Lahtinen (Metal Crypt)
http://www.metalcrypt.com/pages/review.php?revid=8583
Lords Of Metal
I think it always makes things a bit more interesting and special when a band uses their native language when performing on a record. Progressive and modern metal is offered by this four-piece act from Ukraine with lyrics completely in Russian. For the fans of progressive and modern metal Druknroll have put together an impressive record. One can hear many hours practice in this Russian act’s playing to say nothing of their skills as musicians. Druknroll kick ass on many levels; they are innovative and original, challenge themselves with unorthodox and tricky song structures and are not afraid of pushing musical boundaries. Technically speaking their stuff is at least as complex and hard-hitting as many of their American counterparts. But their attempts to create high-profile progressive metal have turned out to be successful. There are a number of interesting and thought-provoking things on the band’s third album ‘Boiling Point’, which should not leave anyone cold. A song like ‘White Death’ is one of the true highlights on this album, being very atmospheric, downright heavy and ominous as hell. The main issue on their previous album ‘On The Knife Blade’ were the vocals which were dreadfull, but on ‘Boiling Point’ the vocals are far better. This album may take a few listens before opening up to the listener, but it’s worth it.
85/100
Berto (Lords Of Metal)
http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/en/reviews/view/id/27416
Masha Tchi
Взяв за хорошую традицию не менять лейбл для издания своих работ, саратовцы DRUKNROLL выпустили очередной альбом именуемый “Точка кипения” на Metal Scrap Records. Релиз вышел довольно серьезным. Многие темы и аспекты, представленные в текстовой составляющей, для большинства близки. В некотором плане, песни даже тяжелы, так как смысл и посыл их велик (“Оборона Севастополя”, “Десятая ночь”). Видимо, для музыкантов данная работа является неким рубежом. “Точка кипения” – отображение того, что беспокоит, как граничная часть баланса и дисбаланса. Раскаленная и излитая субстанция энергии чувств, что обрела жизнь на CD-носителе. Здесь каждый найдет свое, от “злобы” до “насыщения”.
7/10
Masha Tchi
Metalizer #24
This is exactly the case when it is impossible to put any label on the band’s music, because on the third album “Boiling Point” we were promised a theater. And what is the result? The atmosphere of the theater overwhelms you from the first sounds of the disc, and the task is set, first of all, so that you become the center of the events, moving forward not as a bystander, but with the aim of an active position. Killer riffing, jaw-dropping drum parts, fat bass, symphonic choral orchestrations with vocals ranging from clean to growling – this is what this release is full of. Here you will find a confusing eclecticism, consisting of pieces of traditional thrash, symphonic heavy, in which there is a lot of modernism with progressive inclusions and alternative elements, but the musicians do not disdain ballads with acoustic inserts. Largely due to the constant use of sampling, there is a doubling, if not tripling, of the sound volume. It is practically immense. Each time you listen to the disc, you discover something unknown and previously unnoticeable. This is the most real theater of military operations. The lyrics are divided into various themes, ranging from social to military battles, including
even a Japanese samurai, for whom, by the way, a video sequence was filmed.
The downside of the album was the pure voice, it lacks expressiveness and emotional coloring, but the growl fits in better than anyone! True, the band went out on the cover – this is, of course, not a masterpiece of fine art, but the essence and meaning of the release conveys perfectly. Plus, the selection of songs, despite their diversity, gave a good impetus to combining with each other, they lie within the common semantic core, without flying out of the technical side, or from the psychological. The only thing that upsets is the lack of a full-fledged booklet.
A definite hit is the composition “Saturation”, but not because it is the only English-language one, but simply because it sincerely grabs the soul and promotes a joint experience of internal conflicts. And it is performed almost entirely in a progressive key. A good album from a domestic producer. The release is provided by Metal Scrap Records.
4/5
Valentina PANTERA Katysheva (Metalizer #24)
Pest Webzine/Slowly We Roth Magazine
Not sure how much success this band could have outside Russian speaking territories, but I’m sure in their lands they have a pretty important chance of hitting high levels of the Metal scene with their Russian lyrics, catchy choirs, intricate but at the same time easy to digest compositions, melodic touches and hooks all over. This third album from Russian Druknroll is way better than the previous effort, the band is mature and now able to create memorable tunes for their fans. A mixture of Heavy Thrash with Hard’n’Heavy with a powerful melodic edge, quite a lot of grooves, excellent guitar work, good vocal part, and complex rhythm section, what else to say, I’m impressed by how much I liked this new release from Druknroll.
9/10
Adrian (Pest Webzine/Slowly We Roth Magazine)
http://pestwebzine.com/index/august_2014/0-910
Alias
I must admit, this is a very unconventional work, confusing literally from the first seconds of sound. The pompous symphonic introduction is misleading, setting you up for a sublime “neoclassical” mood. But very soon the speakers are hit by a crushing… something that sounds like a mix of thrash, heavy and alternative with elements of symphonic metal, sounding more like a parody of this genre. At least, there is a noticeable share of irony. In general, the entire album consists of a mix of the listed elements, which, despite all the eclecticism, are damn well adjusted to each other. Here and there, semi-acoustic ballad motifs periodically emerge to break into a whirlpool of swinging riffs, over which, sometimes like predatory destroyers, and sometimes like shaky outlines of sails, cool guitar solos float. Wow, huh? Often unpredictable material and non-standard arrangements coupled with really interesting compositional solutions are able to hold the listener’s attention from the beginning to the very end of the album. There is really something to listen to here. You will find memorable motives, and good, “adult” melody, and conscious, realistic lyrics. The musicians have both a fairly high technique of playing instruments and non-trivial musical thinking. The quality of the recording also deserves all kinds of praise – the group achieved a completely clear, but at the same time natural and voluminous sound. As for the atmosphere of the album, it is quite dramatic in terms of emotionality and diversity. In general, a worthy work, intended for a fairly wide audience.
8/10
Alias
ЦИТАДЕЛЬ
This story began in the distant 2006. When a musician named Druknroll decided to record his material, and it was from these first steps that his journey in the world of the alternative scene began. As a result, this journey led the Saratov collective Druknroll to the Ukrainian studio Metal Scrap Records, where the last two albums were released under the name “On the Blade of a Knife” and “Boiling Point”.
The solemn introduction with which the collective greets us in the title song “Zloba” on their latest album “Boiling Point” initially suggests that the listener has found himself either in a theater or at a symphonic concert. But this feeling will disappear very quickly, and the listener will be met by a thrash hurricane in the spirit of the old school, which will be diluted with a good chorus in the heavy metal style. But, as it turned out, it was not worth drawing conclusions about the style, only by the first song. And only after getting acquainted with the whole album, we will be able to define the style, perhaps, as modern metal. But, even in this case, this is only a general definition. Since, in the band’s music, the listener will find elements of heavy and thrash metal, alternative and doom metal, sympho and power metal. And, as a result, the band has created a rather interesting cocktail. Running a little ahead, I would like to say that the band also conducts the listener, as majestically as it began in its last composition called “Saturation”. The lyrics on this album are written in Russian, the only exception is the last composition of the album called “Saturation”. The subject matter of the lyrics is very diverse from the heroism of the defenders of the homeland (Defense of Sevastopol), to drug addiction (White Death), and the feat of a fireman who saved a child at the cost of his life (Playing with Fire). The vocal parts on this album vary from clean vocals to growling. The libretto, unfortunately, will disappoint the listener, it consists of only four pages. As for the musicians’ mastery of their instruments, it would be wrong not to note that the band has a high level of skill.
Well, perhaps it’s time to sum up the results of a brief review of this work. The band tried to show maximum effort when recording this album so that its listener would be satisfied and not disappointed. Here the listener will receive not only a sea of drive, but also a delicious musical cocktail that the band offers him. This, perhaps, can be attributed to the pluses. The minuses include the modest libretto on this album. And, also, the clean vocals, it, perhaps, lacks some emotionality. But, despite all the pros and cons, it is worth noting that the album turned out to be interesting anyway.
Verdict: The album is recommended for listening.
Rating: 9/10
Ivan Ratskevich (CITADEL)
http://metalrecords.do.am/load/druknroll_tochka_kipenija/1-1-0-58
Zombie Ritual Fanzine
This is the third full length album of the band and I’m still very dubitative because of the eclectic sound and twisted compositions. Coming from Saratov, Russia, these guys landed in metal world in 2006. Of course they didn’t need to promote an official demo in underground scene, since they had tons of musical resources for a great heavy metal/modern metal band.
But, after three albums I really can’t get into the music in spite of its complex, melodic and well structured. On this album all tracks are very well produced, with many modern elements, melodic lines and a furious combination of heavy/hard rock vocals and guttural vocals. No doubt all musicians have high skills, especially drummer Petr “Jester” Fateev, who inserts many small details, with class and progressive metal roots. Actually, everything is tied by high influences of progressive metal, and that’s the point where I can’t catch it. Music has excellent moments, even good hooks in melodic chorus, but sometimes everything sounds very intricate, with many different sections, stop-and-go parts, and easily you can get lost. Maybe I should listen more to this “modern metal” just to catch it easily. The band is not bad at all and I must say that all tracks contain strong doses of metallic spirit. That’s something I really like from any band. For more info, visit the label’s webpage, as definitely these guys don’t care about promotion in English language and all info in booklet and in web pages is on native tongue. (Even the title of the album)
Victor Varas (Zombie Ritual Fanzine)
https://zombieritualzine.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/druknroll-boiling-point-review/
MASTERSLAND.COM
… and then apply current. Throughout the entire circuit. At full blast. This is necessary to reveal the essence of human nature…
Stephen King, “Necessary Things”.
Saratov metalheads DRUKNROLL have loaded their third disc. (Anyone who can read has already guessed that DRUKNROLL is a solo project of musician Drunknroll, who has been playing guitar, bass, and actively uses a black and white deck since childhood). The other two were pressed in even 10th and 12th years to the delight and frenzy of the specialized public.
There is something to be happy about, I realized after I took the disc out of the postal package and immediately turned it on. By the way, I will note that there is always a moment of true music lover’s jitters – what did the mail bring today? What’s inside the package? What booklet? What impression does it make? And when you place the disc inside the receiving device, and the speakers begin to spew out heavy music!!!
DRUKNROLL play heavy metal, as it is philosophically stated in the archives, and in a large number of sources about the band on the Internet. This, by the way, is done correctly, because it is the simplest – and more economical, in terms of letters, because stylistically the album is a nuclear (or nuclear, as you prefer) mix of the most diverse influences – such as was formed in the creator’s head. And that this is a very non-trivial conglomerate, the easiest way to verify is to turn on the real DRUKNROLL disc.
Power-speed-proggy metal, which stretches and sometimes reaches trash. This is what DRUKNROLL is at first. With an aggressive guitar delivery and a powerfully written rhythm section. And with atmospheric inserts that deliberately contrast and emphasize the main crap idea.
When the author tries himself in lyrical composition, then here too he follows the main slogan: mix, and then let god sort’em out. And therefore the musical form with a seemingly simple melodic line after some time mutates into an almost prog construction.
Power metal is drawn to melodic death, and clean vocals are supported by growling and harsh. And all this with love for details and carefully recorded sound.
Composer DRUKNROLL does not shy away from pomposity and healthy optimism when necessary. Because it is supported by a solid musical base, each time energetically as strong as it is necessary according to the meaning of the track. By the way, the lyrics are printed in the insert, I am saying this because the listener will be curious to refer to them more than once.
Often, the musical idea of DRUKNROLL swirls and soars so much that it literally picks up the listener and drags him to unknown heights. And this speaks of the powerful message carved into the tracks of the disc.
In general, the guitar is imperative on this disc, it carves its own line, and you often notice that this line is deliberately rounded faster than the listener would like. And that is why the rhythm section is important here, which is simply hellish in places, but in general it builds a reinforced concrete takeoff field for the guitar to soar.
As strange as it may be for a metal work, choral inserts are used on this DRUKNROLL disc – quite successfully and promisingly. Which once again emphasizes the progressiveness of the sound.
Looking back at what I have already written, I want to note that the so-called “simple metalhead” may think that DRUKNROLL is too complex or pretentious beyond its rank. Absolutely not. The structure of DRUKNROLL is such that if you need drive – here you have drive and shock, if you need masterful delivery – here you have virtuosity of instrumental mastery and your own musical philosophy.
In this metal world, everyone will find their own. And this is also a reason to order a DRUKNROLL disc. Really impressive work.
9/10
resurgam (MASTERSLAND.COM)
http://www.mastersland.com/index.php?release=10444
Headbanger.ru
The second album of this Saratov project “On the Blade of a Knife” (2012) at the time became a very pleasant surprise for me. The project, little known outside of its city, suddenly recorded a very strong work, in which it collected from many well-known styles (thrash metal, modern metal, classic heavy, a little bit of progressive and alternative) a rather unique sound picture. Therefore, I was waiting for the third album of Druknroll with great impatience, which was facilitated by the tracks “My Star” and “Samurai”, published at the beginning of this year on the anniversary collection of the Metal Scrap label. But “Boiling Point” itself, frankly speaking, left me with mixed feelings. Let’s try to figure out why.
At first glance, everything in Druknroll’s music remained in its place. The style (or rather, the stylistic cocktail) of the project has not changed, all the participants are there, including the drummer Jester and the vocalist Uzhas (you may also know them from another Saratov band – Svartstorm), who largely determine the sound of the project. A number of small features that make the project recognizable have also been preserved – for example, the Japanese theme, which was expressed in the design on the previous disc, and on the current one was embodied in the song “Samurai”. But one of the main factors of the success of “On the Blade of a Knife” has disappeared somewhere – irony. Actually, Druknroll never played cheerful music, their work has always had enough serious, sometimes even tragic songs (such as “Tucheyu Kruzhilo”, which ends the previous disc). But earlier this “gloom” was very skillfully balanced, for example, by bravura keyboards, which sometimes duplicated the most brutal guitar riffs, or frankly mocking lyrics (who will forget the dashing phrases like “I’m leaving for a comatose” from the super-action movie “Adrenaline”). On the new album, nothing of the sort is observed: the role of keyboards has almost everywhere been reduced to accompaniment, and the themes of the songs are almost hopelessly dark – drug addiction (“White Death”), the greatness and ruthlessness of the sea elements (“God of the Seas”), the heroism of the defenders of the homeland (“Defense of Sevastopol”) and even the feat of a fireman who saved a child at the cost of his life (“Playing with Fire”). Perhaps because of this, or perhaps because of the greater emphasis on mid-tempo compositions, “Boiling Point” seems to be a significantly less hit work. Of course, there are some bright action movies here (Zloba, Samurai, God of the Seas), and there are songs that are memorable for their unconventionality (the almost purely balladic My Star and the almost purely alternative Saturation, in which solo guitarist and sound engineer Alex Knip suddenly started singing). But there is nothing that would stand in the same row with the stunning hits from the previous disc, such as Face to Face or the already mentioned Adrenaline. I can’t say that something critical happened to the band – Druknroll’s sound has retained enough originality, and in terms of pressure and technicality, the new album is not inferior to the previous one. I am sure that everyone who put On the Blade of a Knife on their shelf will find a place for Boiling Point. Perhaps it will appeal to an even wider circle of listeners – first of all to those who previously thought Druknroll were “too wrong” or “not serious enough”. Another question is that personally, what appealed to me about Druknroll was precisely that very wrongness, without which it became somewhat more difficult to perceive their music. And without it, there is a certain excess of heroic tragedy…
7/10
Roman Patrashov (Headbanger.ru)
http://headbanger.ru/reviews/album-2961
LEGACY #91
Der Typ auf dem Cover schreit. Schmerzverzerrtes Gesicht, geschlossene Augen, und die Ohren hält er sich auch noch zu. Der Opener ,Rage‘ scheint das zu bestätigen. Ein schräges Durcheinander metallischer Klänge von Melodic Death Metal über modernes Zeug bis hin flottem Angethrashe. Dazu ein ganz kauziger Chorus mit Ohrwurmpotenzial, aber irgendwie reichlich schrägem Gesang – da ist der Hörer nicht unfroh, wenn die gut fünf Minuten um sind. Na ja, den Russen (die sich selbst wohl als Modern Metal-Band sehen) wollen wir ja eine Chance geben, aber der zweite Song ,My Star‘ ist eine verkommene Ballade mit Akustikgitarren-Begleitung und nasalem Frohgesang – inklusive weltverträumtmelancholischer Grundstimmung und progressivem Mittelteil. Klingt komisch, ist es auch. Und als der ,Samurai‘ dann japanisch inspiriert klingt, als mache John Wayne jetzt Musik im Weltraum, da ist auch die positivste Ausgangssituation vorbei. Die Russen haben zu viel Druks gerollt. Und dann kommt dabei eben Metal Crap heraus. Schade drum, denn das Trüffelschwein hätte gern mal wieder was Duftes aus dem großen Land im Osten gehört, zumal das Zeug mit den russischen Texten eigentlich echt cool klingen könnte. Hat aber nicht geklappt, mal gucken, wann die Scheiße auf diesem „Boiling Point“ überkocht.
4 Punkte
Bruno Kaiser (LEGACY #91)
Metal Revolution
I’ve always been a fan of bands performing in their native language on the record. So is the case with this four-piece act from Ukraine, as all the lyrics are delivered in their native Russian/Ukrainian language. The band was formed in 2006 and released their debut in 2010.
Druknroll is the moniker of this quartet and they present themselves with a 10-tracker third full-length album Boiling Point. Actually the album was released app. Two years ago, but it is just recently that I discovered it and listened to it for a couple of times.
First thing I noticed is the high level of musicianship, one can almost hear that hours and hours of practice came prior to the release of this record. The band is playing what one can describe as a modern and progressive metal with innovative and original ideas and tricky song-structures. It is actually very challenging to listen to this opus, as it is very complex and with each new spin reveling something new and interesting. The sound is good and the whole production of this album took me by surprise. It contains this certain atmosphere, like coming from deepest hell.
Apart from the above-mentioned Russian lyrics, one can also hear some catchy choirs, intricate compositions, many melodic and symphonic touches, lots of groove, complex rhythm section, good vocal parts and amazing hooks all over the album.
Boiling Point is definitely not an album for everyone, but fans of the genre and those with open mind might find it interesting and worth listening to. Recommended tracks “In the Power of Depth” and the closing track of the album “Saturation”.
Bato (Metal Revolution)
http://www.metal-revolution.com/reviews/druknroll-boiling-point
Heavy Metal Time Machine
“Точка Кипения” is the official title of this Russian act’s latest (their third overall full-length output since forming in 2006) with the translation being “Boiling Point”. Between that piece of information and the fact that this is all in Russian then you should have a general idea about what this four-piece is offering (at least lyric-wise). It also serves as a bit of a head’s up/warning that if you can’t get past the language barrier that some releases come packed with then you should turn back now. For everyone else who has stuck around then let me just say that with this one (due for release here in the states in July from the looks of it) you get pretty much everything on the menu ad then some! And that’s just in the first five tracks mind you! We start off with something akin to modern metal on “Злоба” (“Rage”) before our attention is quickly turned towards the melodic rock/hard rock of “Моя звезда”(“My Star”). That in and of itself was odd (especially as that second track there features acoustic passages and all!), but then track three cuts in and it’s heavy rock/thrash n’ roll meets death metal with more then a few quirky time-changes to make you question just what the hell is going on with this bunch! Keep in mind the fact that you’re but a third of the way through “Точка Кипения” (“Boiling Point”) and there are still seven tracks to go! And pretty much that’s how it goes with this one. In-between this odd mash-up of progressive power metal and heavy thrash, with vocalist Alexandr “Horror” (Svartstorm, ex-Князь Тьмы) splitting his time between a hard rock style of delivery and a death metal growl(!), “Во власти глубины” (“In the Power of Depth”) throws weird sound effects at you (apparently from the hands of lead guitarist Alexey “Alex Knip” Khuzhaev) while challenging your ideas of what can and does pass for “modern metal” here in 2014! All of which brings up a good point about DRUKNROLL’s latest. Is it by definition “modern metal”? Or is this band just extremely experimental in it’s approach to music? Would you label this one adventurous or write it off as being far too schizophrenic for it’s own good? The truth is I don’t quite know. Some of ideas here are clearly clever and the combination of heavy metal/thrash metal and keyboards & sound-effects actually works. But there are other times when it’s all a system overload and it’s almost as if the band had one too many wild ideas for just one simple song and would have been better suited flushing these ideas out over several songs. If I was to grade it we’d be looking at a B- or maybe even a B. That’s clearly not enough to recommend “Точка Кипения” (“Boiling Point”) to everyone so this one would be better saved for those who are looking for something different and off the grid.
POSTED BY ANDY
https://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=druknroll