ALBUM REVIEW: Akhlys – House Of The Black Geminus

Nightmarish Black Metallers AKHLYS return with their fourth album of abyssal soundscapes. Set for release via Debemur Morti Productions on July 5th.

Dark ambience begins by setting a sense of dread, a feeling the band are extremely familiar with. Massive walls of riffing and percussion hit like a tidal wave of dense smog, filling the air with a potent sense of oppression. The intricate drumming and coarse guitars have a formidable power with those flares of dissonance that add to the unhinged, disquieting feeling that Akhlys have always portrayed. Convulsing with darkness as we await whatever spectral apparition they conjure, there is so much tension on the opening minutes of this album that pick up exactly where the wonderful “Melinoë” left us. Combining cascades of ethereal eeriness and bludgeoning force, there is such a vibrant impact to this record. Sometimes a doomy element allows room for breathing so that when blasting chaos ensues; it feels all the more extreme. The untamed instruments are met by equally vicious, snarling vocals as a demonic concoction comes together between all of the uncomfortable sounds. The utterly wild performance and crushing production feels like the band have forged on with total confidence from their previous works toward a goal they well understand. I am truly gripped.

Taking one of their most recognisable elements, those pulsating rhythms that have a hypnotic sway to them combined with frenzied dissonance, it feels like Akhlys have truly found their signature sound while never rested on their laurels. The feverish atmosphere and propelling forth of abyssal monstrosities is continually impressive and bewitching while there is not a moment you can feel relaxed. The tapestries of depraved terror which are woven will imprint upon the mind, never to be forgotten as it is such a clear and vivid horror which we witness here. Sometimes subtlety is key, but Akhlys take a much more forceful approach in delivering their chaotic and restless Black Metal savagery. Cutting every sense of calm like a rusted saw with some of the most inhuman sounds you could imagine, this is true power being harnessed with every malicious fibre screaming to inflict itself upon you. Every sanguineous moment is filled with a hunger, or thirst, for destruction. Each labyrinthine song, an opus of anxiety and trepidation, yet holding so much excitement to pull you further into the abyss. Howling from another world, I think most will find this an uneasy listen and yet you won’t be able to turn around or back away once you begin…

This is an undeniably punishing listen, but one with so much depth and intrigue that even the least dynamic moments feel complex and multi-faceted. It is human nature to be drawn to that we distrust or at least misunderstand, this feels like a perfect example of a danger that people shall flock to from curiosity and realise they are self-flagellating with sonic scythes that will scar them for life. When something so pugnacious can be so enchanting and evoke feelings of panic and ecstasy in equal measure it is certainly a special work of art. Akhlys walk the lines of hideous deformity and stunning beauty in a manner quite unlike anything else. Their malignant meditations inspire awe and will leave you aghast, shaken and salivating for more. Such is the masochistic nature of the extreme music lover. Up until its climax, this remains a chilling, warped, complex and terrifying listen that will simply throw you asunder or grip onto every fibre of your consciousness. Such a cathartic ritual provided by the band is clearly for a chosen elite, rather than a mass-market and that is the way Black Metal should remain for all time.

More frightful Black Metal magnificence from the lucid panic attack that is Akhlys. Their ghoulish soundscapes fit for the most dark corners of the mind being summoned to the foreground. If you revel in dissonance, extremity and bombardments of true evil; then this record is definitely for you. While it is definitely a modern take on Black Metal, it is a fantastic one that does not bastardise the genres spirit, rather takes it to new heights worth exploring. “House Of The Black Geminus” was a pleasure to witness.