Autumn Aurora is the second album by Ukrainian black metal band Drudkh, released in 2004. This album marks a significant evolution in the band's sound, as it is the first Drudkh album to incorporate synthesizers, adding atmospheric depth to their already immersive black metal compositions. Like its predecessor, the album maintains the band's mysterious approach to their work, as its lyrics have never been released.
The album consists of six tracks that blend seamlessly into a cohesive atmospheric journey, with Ukrainian titles that translate to evocative nature-themed concepts like Fading, Summoning the Rain, Glare of Autumn, Sunwheel, Wind of the Night Forests, and The First Snow. Autumn Aurora was a strong critical success, and was chosen as the best album of the year by Chronicles of Chaos web-zine, cementing Drudkh's reputation as one of the most compelling atmospheric black metal bands. The album's success led to a reissue, with the album re-released on November 16, 2009, by Season of Mist, featuring a remastered sound and a new album artwork.
The recording features Roman Saenko on guitars and bass, Thurios on vocals and keyboards, Amorth on keyboards, and Yuriy Sinitsky on drums, creating a rich, layered soundscape that perfectly captures the melancholic beauty suggested by the album's autumnal title. With its total runtime of just over 40 minutes, Autumn Aurora represents a perfect balance of atmospheric black metal that has influenced countless bands in the genre.
