EP Review: Drude – Drude (Self-Released)

Drude consists of Jordan Smith (guitar), Corey Clark (bass) and Dyllen Nance (drums) & have been a staple of the Indy metal for the better part of a decade. Drude, is their self-titled debut release & is out now.

This band know how to create haunting music that sticks with you long after its final notes have played out. The opening track, Drude, will almost instantly open up the emotional floodgates. Soft melody played along with subtle but effective drum beats, it’s beauty shines almost immediately. Then it turns it up a notch…

Holy hell, this is an absolute rager of a song. It switches between beautiful melody & slamming sludge metal with ease. It’s almost infuriating just how easy Drude make it seem. The covered in gold riffs, the roaring vocals…it’s 9 minutes of pure quality.

After that breathless start it’s up to Barbelo to keep things chugging along nicely. Not only does it manage it but it showcases something different too. A 10 minute epic that doesn’t drop in vocals until the final 3 minutes. It’s got foot-tapping, head-banging rhythm with enough ‘lose your shit’ moments to keep the heavy fans happy too.

The realisation begins to sink in that this EP is a journey, one that will leave you mentally exhausted but happier then a pair of Hobbits having disposed of the one ring.

Oasu is another fantastic song that ups the heavy stakes serving up a hell of a lot more brutality. Yet considering its all out assault it still excites with its use of melody, it’s just not as prevalent here as elsewhere.

The penultimate track, Demure. is surprising in that it’s only 4 minutes long. Playing off a catchy beat with the whispered sounds of someone talking (bit difficult to make out) it suddenly erupts into one of the best riffs of the EP. It’s the perfect accompaniment to Eidolon, a song dripping with atmosphere. It’s stunning heaviness that finishes off a fantastic EP in style.

An early & real contender for the top 10 EPs of the year, it’s simply stunning stuff.

Drude Full Track Listing:

1. Drude
2. Barbelo
3. Oasu
4. Demure
5. Eidolon

You can pick up Drude’s self-titled EP now over on Bandcamp. You can check the band out over on Facebook.