Поезд Родина, which seems to stand for 'Train Homeland' is a Russian-Ukranian funeral doom metal band, consisting of two members. According to their facebook profile, they use a balalaika but that too is quite inaudible. However, what is audible is a set of excellent incantations, quite similar to bands like Until Death Overtakes Me, Esoteric or Shape Of Despair. However, this duo seems to take the whole even a bit further by incorporating elements from depressive black metal, post-rock and harsh ambient.
This gives Поезд Родина an extra sense of bleakness, seemingly enhanced by some cold, mystifying electronics. The crushing distortion of the guitars and the diseased vocals remain present throughout the main part of this album. The guitars often drown in atmospheric soundscapes and noise, giving the whole an emotion of decay and solitude. Even in the quiet passages there is this eerie sentiment, something scary, impending even. This, of course, make this album a pretty hard pill to swallow if you're not used to this kind of music.
Obviously, no funeral doom album is radio-friendly. The sheer length of the songs would easily fill a show but very few people would be willing to listen. But I don't think that would be a problem for this duo. All they want to do is create unique music with a haunting sound and a suffocating ethos. Believe me, they surely succeeded in that. Funeral doom fans can't go wrong with this piece of music, that's for sure.
Serge