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Arkheth - 12 Winter Moons Comes The Witches Brew review




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Reviewer:
9.0

33 users:
7.85
Band: Arkheth
Album: 12 Winter Moons Comes The Witches Brew
Release date: February 2018


01. Trismegistus
02. Dark Energy Equilibrium
03. Where Nameless Ghouls Weep
04. The Fool Who Persists In His Folly
05. A Place Under The Sun

As a guy who enjoys both peyote-soaked hippie music as well as the sonorous howls of the Blashyrkh kingdom, I've been absolutely delighted by the slow but steady rise of psychedelic black metal this current decade. The label sounds almost fundamentally silly and nonsensical, but as multiple bands have been showing us lately, the shared tendency black metal and psychedelic jamz have for minimalism and ritualistic auras makes them quite an ideal fit for each other. For 2018, color Arkheth as one more band ready to demonstrate how well this fusion can actually work.

For the Australian one manner that is Arkheth, 12 Winter Moons Comes The Witches Brew is a bit of a stylistic curveball, diverging considerably from the more orthodox-sounding symphonic black metal employed earlier into far more unconventional territory. Arkheth mastermind Tyraenos seems to have brought the Cheshire Cat and Mock Turtle along for the journey, as this new approach sees the project going in a much more dreamlike, all around trippier direction than before. The black metal at work here now sits in more of a midtempo range, focusing especially on groove and bounce as a means of imparting memorability. The psilocybin vibe is further enhanced by cleaner, more melodic guitar interludes, bizarre background effects, and the occasional use of chant-like clean vocals on the part of Tyraenos.

The major selling point of 12 Winters, however, has to be its sheer level of sonic diversity, as there is quite a lot going on songwriting wise both within and between the five tracks that compose the album. While mostly sitting in a moderate area for tempo, the music occasionally does pick up pace into more aggressive bursts of energy, as on "Trismegistus" or "Dark Energy Equilibrium," helping to keep the black metal/psychedelia fusion tight and the mood variating. This contrasts with a track like "Where Nameless Ghouls Weep," probably the most catchy and rock-oriented track on the album. And, of course, there's also the addition of saxophone here and there, a risky gamble that's almost always a hit or miss technique for black metal. Thankfully for Arkheth it's a definite hit, as the sax seems to only creep up exactly when it needs to, playing smooth, extended notes that help to accent the rhythms of the rest of the music without all out overpowering them.

With 12 Winters, some similarities can most definitely be drawn to other bands that have flirted with fusing black metal with psychedelia, particularly Oranssi Pazuzu, Transcending Bizarre?, and Virus. But the beauty of Arkheth's music here is that it clearly alludes to some such bands without outright copying them. Effectively hypnotizing, pleasantly diverse in its technique, and just all around fun, 12 Winters demonstrates a take on psychedelic black metal that is entirely its own, and raises hopes high for great things to come from Arkheth in the future.

I think the witches are brewing ayahuasca in that cauldron. Will ye join?.





Written on 15.03.2018 by Metal Storm’s own Babalao. Comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable since 2013.


Comments

Comments: 9   Visited by: 212 users
15.03.2018 - 16:09
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
That cover art really catches your eye, but there's something really weirdly off about it

Also saxophone in metal is instant boner
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Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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15.03.2018 - 16:21
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by RaduP on 15.03.2018 at 16:09

Saxophone in metal is instant boner

Yeah I think this would appeal to sax BM fans who like stuff like what Ihsahn or blackjazz Shining have done. But it somehow feels better applied here than either of those examples, I'm kinda of the opinion that if you're going to use horns in metal they should be used sparingly for emphasis as opposed to excessive soloing and stuff like that. Seems to be the idea at work here.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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17.03.2018 - 06:38
Rating: 9
Lord Slothrop

This album continues to grow on me the more I play it. I'm a sucker for music that's weirdly eclectic and this fits the bill beautifully. Easily in my top ten of the year so far. Maybe top 5. And speaking of sax... did you enjoy White Ward's 'Futility Report'? I'm a big fan.
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17.03.2018 - 14:18
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Lord Slothrop on 17.03.2018 at 06:38

Speaking of sax... did you enjoy White Ward's 'Futility Report'? I'm a big fan.

Yes indeed, not my favorite black metal album from last year period, but definitely one of them. That's another very strong example of how to blend sax with black metal. Like I kinda implied above, I think when most people think "saxophone and black metal," they either think Ihsahn or Shining, but this Arkheth album and the White Ward one are much better examples of how to channel it into the BM sound if you ask me.

There's also this as well, though I'm not sure if I'd call this track in particular "black metal".... much more of a weird, extreme take on psych rock.
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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17.03.2018 - 17:53
Fellow Duh Say

Ex-Eye is another good black metal band featuring sax as the primary instrument. Colin Stetson on sax.
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17.03.2018 - 21:22
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Fellow Duh Say on 17.03.2018 at 17:53

Ex-Eye is another good black metal band featuring sax as the primary instrument. Colin Stetson on sax.

Yeah the homie Radu reviewed their debut a little while ago, pretty great stuff indeed. They're going to be at Roadburn, may or may not have the opportunity to see them... I'd like to, but their set will partly clash with Converge doing The Dusk In Us, which I really want to watch in full
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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17.03.2018 - 23:53
nikarg

Nice one dude. More and more black metal bands use the sax, but like you said it doesn't always work. In this album it is a very nice addition to the overall quirkiness.
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18.03.2018 - 06:31
Rating: 9
Lord Slothrop

Written by Auntie Sahar on 17.03.2018 at 14:18

Written by Lord Slothrop on 17.03.2018 at 06:38

Speaking of sax... did you enjoy White Ward's 'Futility Report'? I'm a big fan.

Yes indeed, not my favorite black metal album from last year period, but definitely one of them. That's another very strong example of how to blend sax with black metal. Like I kinda implied above, I think when most people think "saxophone and black metal," they either think Ihsahn or Shining, but this Arkheth album and the White Ward one are much better examples of how to channel it into the BM sound if you ask me.

There's also this as well, though I'm not sure if I'd call this track in particular "black metal".... much more of a weird, extreme take on psych rock.


Nachtmystium is a band I've wanted to explore, just haven't yet. I really liked that track though.

I'm also loving the new Rivers of Nihil album. The sax on Terrestria III (the sixth track) is both sultry and sexy. Maybe even a bit saucy. Yes, indeed.
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18.03.2018 - 14:24
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Lord Slothrop on 18.03.2018 at 06:31

Nachtmystium is a band I've wanted to explore, just haven't yet. I really liked that track though.

I'm also loving the new Rivers of Nihil album. The sax on Terrestria III (the sixth track) is both sultry and sexy. Maybe even a bit saucy. Yes, indeed.

Well that Nachtmystium track I shared is really the only one that's like that, with the more psychedelic rock approach and the sax. Still a pretty wacky band for BM though, everything from like Instinct: Decay on is really groovy, psychedelic, has some post punk and techno influence, and other weird stuff. Good band to get into.

I've heard of Rivers of Nihil but have never listened. I should probably change that then
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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