Azketem - Azketem (Cassette)

Devotees of black metal with a penchant for etherial, melancholic atmospheres, take heed. Hailing from Germany and founded by the band's sole member Azken in 2018 this self-titled second full-length of AZKETEM showcases 8 remarkably well-written songs drenched in bittersweet bleakness. A display of sheer talent, the soothingly introspective and enchantingly otherworldly predominantly mid-paced tracks take the attentive listener places. The bigger part of the album's tracks isn't shorter than 7 minutes allowing the compositions to fully unfold their meditative trance. The whole album is deeply imbued with a sense of escapist yearning not least because of Azken's extraordinary mostly clean vocals. This, coupled with addictive, repetitive riffs, great bass-lines and the occasional use of keyboards to amplify the overall atmosphere, make for an outstanding album not to be missed by anyone into ingeniously crafted melancholic metal.