ARKAEON
ARKÆON “Parasit”
By Dr. Abner Mality
If there’s a musical incarnation of having your body infested with bloodsucking worms, this might be it. ARKÆON is the usual shadowy bunch of black metallers involved in a multitude of hard to pronounce BM projects, this time emanating out of Denmark. Their sound is harsh, unsettling and full of dissonance so they’re not a breezy good time listen. But once you make your way through the murk and turmoil of “Parasit”, you will find they have points of interest, like many bands on the I, Voidhanger label.
Admittedly, it’s tough making it through the opening moments of “Skagerrak”, where the noise is harsh and impenetrable. Eventually the song makes its way to a coherent structure and we can see the band has a lot in common with MAYHEM, DEATHSPELL OMEGA and other bands that make ugliness an integral part of their sound. “Smertens Vilje” is darker yet, if you can imagine it, with some doomy chords that really lodge in your brain. The title track is fast and quintessentially “Norse” BM, but there’s something out of joint about the riffs, tapping into the same queasiness that DEATHSPELL OMEGA was known for.
Strange bestial noises pepper “Forbraende”, which continues the off-kilter sound and brings the dissonance to a level that’s sometimes hard to take. “Evig Trods” ends the album with a 10 minute plus epic that brings piece of all the former songs together and tosses a lengthy interlude where piano and creepy ambience make their mark. Something about this song really gives the atmosphere of your own mind and body being under attack by parasitic organisms. A super dark and ugly song defining the ARKÆON sound. This is black metal for those who really like it black, so be warned.