Review by Anna on September 18, 2010.

The aesthetics of Haiduk and "their" first album "Plagueswept" led me to believe I was in for some crummy Black Metal, and for a while I thought that’s what I was listening to. Though soon enough the musical structure and vocals proved otherwise.

Haiduk is an interesting hybrid that parades around as Black Metal with its typical speed-picked riffs and coldness, yet the core of the music would best be classified as a simplified, mid-paced Death Metal. The thrashy death vocals paired with such coldness is unexpected and works surprisingly well.

Haiduk’s formula is rather guitar-oriented as he churns out many a decent riff, though the subject seems to be so into what he’s doing sometimes that he doesn’t realize some of the songs start to be a little too packed for their own good. The elegance of synthetic strings at times lend their beauty against a backdrop of raw, crude guitars and production. There is a ton of interesting yet tasteful variation on the drums which I especially commend, even if they are programmed or electronic.

The intro of track seven is strangely, indistinguishable from classic Oi!, which is an example of Haiduk’s energy and underlying air of, near-“positivity,” that’s somehow still shrouded in a bone-chilling mist. In Haiduk’s own words, “the songs lure the listener towards themes of primeval nature, solitude, folklore and myth.”

Aside from what can be improved, there is a lot of power and energy in this music that, for the most part, avoids boredom. I would recommend this to people who enjoy crude Black Metal, but are bored to death by what is being produced today.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.7
Atmosphere: 7.1
Production: 5.5
Originality: 7.8
Overall: 7.9

Rating: 7.2 out of 10