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AZKETEM “Azketem”
AZKETEM “Azketem”
By Dr. Abner Mality
It’s a good thing when you get surprised by a new band. When I saw that AZKETEM was a one-man band specializing in melancholy black metal, I braced myself for the worst, as some of these depressive one man BM projects are virtually unlistenable. Instead I got one of the most soothing and haunting records I’ve experienced in a while.
Somehow, Azken, the sole member of AZKETEM (why he doesn’t just call the project AZKEN in a mystery) has discovered a knack for making metal that is somber, melodic and almost dream-like. It definitely isn’t “bedroom” black metal, as it sounds like an actual band playing. After a genuinely sad and melodic intro, “Schwarze Schwane” rolls in with a foggy, dense guitar sound that reminds me of the depths of Germany’s Black Forest. You can almost feel moisture dripping from the slowly droning riffs. Clean baritone vocals chant mournfully in German with a touch of troll-like rasping around the edges. This track is truly dream-like and enchanting.
One good thing about AZKETEM is that the tracks do not drone on and on. They are moderately lengthy but not excessive. They don’t reach a point where you “tune out”. The songs are also different in composition. “Nordtor” has more of a buzzing feel and adds haunting, somber synth tones to the fray. Vocals also subtly shift and change over the course of the album...never loud or overly abrasive, but with different timbre and melody. “Azelik”, for example, has more of a majestic, imperial tone to its slow unfolding. Only last track “Fallen Crescent” is totally acoustic and is so quiet it’s almost sleep inducing.
This is certainly not aggressive or ripping black metal, but neither is it poppy ALCEST type stuff. Some would call this “blackgaze”. I prefer to call it “mist metal”. Whatever you call it, it’s a quality release.
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