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Somehow, Këkht Aräkh is one of the most popular black metal artists in the game right now. Since the release of sophomore album Pale Swordsman in 2021, the solo project of one Crying Orc (Dimitry Marchenko) has garnered serious momentum outside of the typical metal fandom with its melody-forward, “romantic” black metal sound. That record showcased a solid and surprisingly listenable, DSBM-informed, almost folksy take on classic ’90s blackened tropes, but more importantly, it felt emotionally honest without being cheesy. With album art like that, heartfelt, sadboy lyrics about love and isolation, and a raw, tape-inspired sonic landscape, it was an impressive achievement that the earnest pathos of Pale Swordsman managed to eclipse the potential corpse-paint cringe. Five years later, with a memetic cover referencing an infamous, dorky Varg photo and a string of singles that seem equally indebted to modern cloud rap and black metal, one can’t help but wonder whether Morning Star has tipped the delicate balance between sincerity and self-parody. As a cloud rap enjoyer and black metal nerd, I might be the only staff member not to laugh this latest Këkht Aräkh out of the schoolyard. Is this long-anticipated follow-up actually worth the wait?

On Morning Star, Crying Orc hasn’t lost his ear for blackened melody that made earlier Këkht Aräkh material engaging; he’s just found new ways to package it. Tracks like opener “Wänderer” take the familiar black metal elements, but re-purpose them to mimic the patterns of hazy SoundCloud beats. The central bedroom guitar motif operates on a two-bar loop, with layers of distorted tremolos added and stripped back across verses and hooks like a hip-hop producer might use synths. A warm, syncopated bass supplies rhythmic variation as the drums blastbeat away. Crying Orc shifts between shrieks and whispers, both delivered in a clipped, almost percussive flow, peppered with ad-libs. This formula is surprisingly effective and allows the layers of haunting melodies to shine alongside more straightforward 2nd-wave riffing (“Castle,” “Land av evig natt II”) or with a greater emphasis on sung vocal lines (“Mörker över mörker,” “Gates”). Bladee himself even appears on “Eternal Martyr” to lend his signature autotuned anti-charisma to an earworm hook, resulting in a genuine blackened banger. The cloud rap influence pans out better than I could’ve expected and leads to several highlights across the tracklist.

Of course, this is only one side of the Këkht Aräkh coin, as many of the songs on Morning Star forgo black metal altogether in favor of indie-tinged folk ballads. “Genom sorgen,” “Drömsång” and “Trollsång” are composed of minimalistic clean guitars, subtle synth layers, and softly sung vocals. These tracks are serviceable and understandable in the context of a longer album, but they lack the sense of progression and movement that makes the black metal material enjoyable. Crying Orc’s singing has an amateur charm that conveys a sorrowful gravitas when deployed, and it’s often pleasant in short bursts, but many of the softer moments fail to capitalize on it for maximum effect—and they make up a significant portion of the album. Even outside of the dedicated slower tracks, songs like “Lament,” “Raven King” and “Vigil” bookend their runtimes with extended minimalism that does little to further the greater piece. The title track “Morning Star” is an exception to this rule: led by a mournful string melody, it expands and contrasts brilliantly, whereas the others remain static.

One area where Këkht Aräkh should have diverged from his rap peers is in Morning Star’s bloated tracklist of 17 songs. With each track firmly in the 2-3 minute range, many feel like half-finished ideas that end abruptly before anything interesting happens. As a result, the more engaging black metal tracks lose some of their power when they’re buried next to underwhelming ballads. This ends up emphasizing an ephemeral “vibe” as the record’s strongest trait rather than any individual track. A combination of the lo-fi, tape-inspired soundscape and the persistent melancholic melodies makes Morning Star a very easy album to throw on and just bathe in its atmosphere. The whole thing exudes a pervasive sense of emotional honesty that’s enticing. It’s a record that sounds amazing on a car ride or in the background, when conjuring a certain mood, but falls a bit short upon closer inspection.

Morning Star is a difficult record to evaluate. There’s a lot here to like, from the shockingly adept integration of cloud rap elements to the enticing layered melodies and lo-fi production, but these strengths are ultimately undercut by an overstuffed tracklist and songs that fail to develop. In a certain light, this could be a strength for listeners who prioritize musical “vibes” over substance, but to this metalhead, it comes across as underbaked.

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Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Sacred Bones
Websites: kekhtarakh.bandcamp.com | Instagram.com/kekht_arakh
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

The post Këkht Aräkh – Morning Star Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

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Leeds-based noise-rock titans The Shits have officially unleashed their latest long-player, Diet of Worms, via Rocket Recordings. Arriving today, 3rd April 2026, the record follows their previous Rocket release You’re a Mess with an even more single-minded and remorseless approach to the genre. The album is a primal feast of noise-rock and hardcore, boiled down … Continue reading Leeds noise-rockers The Shits drop new album ‘Diet of Worms’

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UK-based slamming brutal death metal band Visions Of Disfigurement have released a new single, titled “Godskin Abomination”. The track was mixed and mastered by Ritual Studios and includes a guest appearance from Daryl Boyce, known for his work with Party Cannon and Scordatura. Check out the music video below.
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For almost three decades, SUNN O))) have consistently left listeners struggling to describe the ineffable sounds that Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson create. Genre-wise, most reach for terms like “doom” or “drone” metal, but those are insufficient descriptors. It’s like saying that Dick Van Dyke has a Cockney accent in Mary Poppins – it is technically correct, but the whole truth is far more complex. SUNN O))) aren’t necessarily genre-less, but they have transcended genre enough to be both influenced by jazz legend Alice Coltrane, and an influence on dub legend Kevin Martin (aka The Bug). SUNN O)))’s scope is nothing but far-reaching.

The one word, however, that is consistently used to describe SUNN O))) is “heavy.” Writing in the Guardian in 2019, John Doran even went so far as to call SUNN O))) “the heaviest band this century has seen so far.” It’s a moot declaration, but a compelling one nonetheless. When the agonised squeals of suffering guitars make way for the first echoic drones that feature on SUNN O)))’s new self-titled album, few listeners would debate that Doran may have a point. On that note, ‘XXANN’ is a devastating opening statement. Howling frequencies span cavernous lows and shrieking highs that are both equally ominous. It’s consistently spacious too, with O’Malley and Anderson sounding miles apart yet simultaneously telepathically connected.

This sonic openness may be a consequence of their chosen recording environment. SUNN O)))’s tenth album – their Sub Pop debut – was conceived at Bear Creek Studios in Washington, affording the pair ample hiking opportunities, among other benefits. With “no stress” and “no worry about the timeline,” according to Anderson, and surrounded by endless scenery, SUNN O))) appear to have crafted what may be their most quintessential album to date. Self-titled, therefore, with good reason, these six compositions total to an almost 80-minute onslaught of elongated compositions that morph into miniature time-warps. What results is an experience so disorienting, even the soberest of bystanders will be convinced that time is no longer linear, and that these are not drones but in fact quantum tunnels.

This will be of little surprise to longtime fans, who will be accustomed to the band’s mind-altering live performances. Usually, the duo remain cloaked during these, swamped by smoke machines and backed a Stonehenge of amplifiers. For music that features only small variations across long stretches of time, it’s an impressive presentation.

It makes sense, then, that SUNN O))) are shrewd enough to remain musically protean on record. Inflated runtimes and amorphous structures offer challenges, but they also afford SUNN O))) creative opportunities. ‘Butch’s Guns’ is interrupted with multiple false starts, akin to the sudden pauses of a faulty record player. The eventual resolution is soothing, much like the bass slides that tumble towards the concluding moments of ‘Does Anyone Hear Like Venom’. Meanwhile, ‘Mindrolling’ leans more melodically, with some semblance of a central riff creating dissonant portents throughout its 18-minute runtime. It’s also one of two compositions here to feature field recordings, alongside the sombre ‘Glory Black’ – the latter’s well-integrated piano passage offering a pleasing variation to the hour-plus entanglement of sounds that precede it.

The album’s cover art features paintings by Mark Rothko; his abstract minimalism an uncanny accompaniment to the music’s glacial pacing. The strange patternicity of Rothko’s art is present throughout ‘SUNN O)))’, as the duo transform dense meanderings into musical developments. The influence of their surroundings is notable too; the hum of SUNN O)))’s rumblings would be at peace within the depths of the woodland.

Most impressive of all, however, is SUNN O)))’s ability to create a lot from a little. O’Malley and Anderson handle all instrumentation themselves, something that they’ve never done previously. It a no doubt a consequence of their confidence, but also of their musicality, that they can achieve so much as a duo.

That all said, there’s no denying that ‘SUNN O)))’ is a taxing listen. It demands attention and patience with soundscapes that are often purposefully draining, both physically and emotionally. Across six songs, SUNN O))) have crafted some of their most sensorily dizzying music to date. But these gradually mutating drones are as glorious as they are overpowering. They may even be the heaviest there’s ever been.

BEN WILLIAMS