Melechesh - Enki review
| Band: | Melechesh |
| Album: | Enki |
| Style: | Melodic black metal, Oriental folk metal |
| Release date: | February 27, 2015 |
| A review by: | Auntie Sahar |
01. Tempest Temper Enlil Enraged
02. The Pendulum Speaks
03. Lost Tribes [feat. Max Cavalera]
04. Multiple Truths
05. Enki - Divine Nature Awoken [feat. Sakis Tolis]
06. Metatron And Man
07. The Palm The Eye And Lapis Lazuli [feat. Rob Caggiano]
08. Doorways To Irkala
09. The Outsiders
Hails unto Enki, he whose home is water. Patron of Eridu, creator and mischief-maker. Blesser of the holy Melechesh.
So yeah, Enki. The sixth full length from these Israeli black metallers sees them continuing on the path of mostly everything that has worked so well for them over their past, say, three albums. It's really not too much of a stretch to call the music here "groove black metal" or something of the like, because this album is really just bouncy as all hell, perhaps even more so than its predecessor. A mid paced and upbeat tempo dominates, and tracks like "Multiple Truths" and "The Palm The Eye And Lapis Lazuli" are totally jump-inducing (really, how much black metal can you say that for?). For those who perhaps don't find black metal to really be their cup of tea, this somewhat atypical style of Melechesh in relation to the rest of their genre may serve as a potential attraction, and the strong catchiness and memorability of the riffs on this album is something I could honestly see a lot of stoner and sludge fans enjoying.
The production on Enki is likewise pretty spot on, and the return of Lord Curse to the drum throne is definitely something that draws attention, as his work on this album is precise, interesting, and delightfully audible without overpowering any of the other instruments. The only real complaint I could find with Enki is that at times it feel as though there isn't enough variety as there could have been amongst its tracks. Thankfully, because of the band's unique approach, they are all still very enjoyable, I mean this is far from a Burzum clone cranking out ten tracks that all sound the same, but I nonetheless think the album could have done a lot better with a greater prevalence of clean vocals, as on "Enki Divine Nature Awoken," and with weaving the folk instrumentation on "Doorways To Irkala" into some of the heavier tracks.
With Enki, we may be tempted to complain about a lack of originality, as Melechesh aren't really doing anything here that they haven't before. But it is nonetheless very distinct for black metal as a whole, and honestly, when the band already have an established sound that's been working incredibly well for them, why change things up too much? This album may leave a few tiny things to be desired, but on the whole it's highly memorable and enjoyable, and yet another worthy addition to the Melechesh discography.
And they just started streaming the full album for you guys the very day I finished this review. Yay for convenient coincidences!
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by Auntie Sahar | 20.02.2015
Comments
Comments: 19
Visited by: 338 users
| angel. Evil Butterfly Posts: 2419  |
Che, with all respect to you and our friendship, dude, I think you missed lots of points about the album, and you give a sort of vague idea about Enki. I mean with reading your review I have no idea what to expect of the album, and now that I'm listening to the album... hmm I see that you could add some more points.  Just saying my honest opinion.
---- The Fangirl.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989  |
Written by angel. on 20.02.2015 at 18:54 Uhhh, how so? I think I analyzed this album pretty much in the same way I always review. I'm not about to go step by step into every detail of it, that's for the listener to discover. Just offer a brief synopsis.
---- 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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| Zap Posts: 3591  |
Yeah, I think you did a fine job. I'm about 1/3 through the album and so far the review seems to be really accurate.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Zap on 20.02.2015 at 19:03 Cool man, lemme know if "The Outsiders" meets your desires for another "Epigenesis" 
---- 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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| Zap Posts: 3591 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 20.02.2015 at 19:06 Hehe, I will. It has a similar length so I'm crossing my fingers. EDIT: Well, the song definitely scratched that itch, but "The Epigenesis" is just slightly better. I prefer the new album as a whole though.
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099  |
Sounds like my cup of tea as far as Melechesh's black metal is concerned. Seems like there's plenty of interesting music coming out in the genre recently, and based on your words I've no doubt that this will be included.
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| flightoficarus Stamp Tramp Posts: 1118  |
Got this one up fast. I respect that. Been spinning this one today and checking out what I have been missing for some time. Great stuff. As a new listener, I really dig it and your review covers the main point. This will likely be one of my buys this year if more spins keep the enjoyment rolling. Found this to be way more fun than the new Ensiferum, which may not seem like high praise, but if they are known for one thing it's fun. I love the end of this album, which is good because I was a bit concerned about its length. Very strong close with nice progression and implementation of the other instruments. It's only like $9 on import cds right now. A steal if you ask me.
---- Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches. Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by R'Vannith on 21.02.2015 at 05:16 I'm sure this is a debatable point, but I personally find black metal to be the most stylistically diverse metal subgenre right now, and Melechesh are a great example of why that is.
---- 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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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 21.02.2015 at 07:16 It's quite diverse, of that there's no debating I think, hence I refer to it as a genre in its own right, as its diversity entails sub-genres of its own.
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| Netzach Planewalker Posts: 1761  |
Not as varied as The Epigenesis, been listening for a couple days and some songs just do not stand out at all. The ones that do, however, are great, and the first blasts of the first song always put a (dumb-ass) smile on my face. Could be I need to give it a few more tries but as of now it sadly does not reach the standards they set with Emissaries and Epigenesis.
---- My "blackened synth metal" solo project: maladomini.bandcamp.com. Whenever I write something funny, weird, or pretentious... I learned English by playing Baldur's Gate, okay?
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Netzach on 22.02.2015 at 16:25 I most likely agree with you, however for me it's a lot more catchy and memorable in the riffs than The Epigenesis (and maybe Emissaries as well, haven't spun that one in a while) was, so that's kinda making up for the slight lack of variation among the tracks.
---- 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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| PocketMetal Posts: 750 |
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| sbgmetal Posts: 875  |
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| hellbent Posts: 14  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 20.02.2015 at 19:00 the review is fine..i think its a valid point that listeners should discover somethings by themselves....
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| Netzach Planewalker Posts: 1761 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 22.02.2015 at 16:41 Some of the songs are now stuck on me, first track and Lost Tribes, among others, are awesome. Still don't care much for the drawn-out proggy mess of a title track, though. I keep coming back to it mostly for the exceptional drumming!
---- My "blackened synth metal" solo project: maladomini.bandcamp.com. Whenever I write something funny, weird, or pretentious... I learned English by playing Baldur's Gate, okay?
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| kalmah999 Account deleted |
kalmah999
Account deleted
Good review and great album! I found it more enjoyable that The Epigenesis (and I like that album a lot)  Emissaries is still their best work in my opinion but this album will probably share second place with Sphynx
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6120  |
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| Ag Fox Angel No More Elite Posts: 4774  |
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6120 |
Written by Daniell on 02.03.2015 at 00:09 After several listens I'm obliged to say that my initial impression was wrong. The Epigenesis is a better album. Still, Enki is a top 10 of the year contender in my opinion.
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