Enki

It's been always my dream to find a good band that would mix extreme metal with Middle Eastern melodies as I always thought that it would be a perfect combination. Throughout many years I found only few examples when it worked well (in my opinion, of course, not everyone has to agree). I guess the first impressive example was Clawfinger with their "Two Sides" with guest vocals by Antoinette Saigh. I know it's not really a true metal band, but I cannot recall better mix of something close to the genre with Middle Eastern atmosphere around 1997. Next good attempt worth mentioning in my opinion is Cradle of Filth with their "Doberman Pharaoh", I still get goose bumps when listening to first sounds from it. And obviously Rotting Christ had a decent attempt in their "Enuma Elish".

But I was always waiting for some band which would focus on this magical mixture and release the whole album with that in mind and that's why I was following Melechesh for some time to hear their style develop and I have to say this band is getting better and better at it with every next album.

And I think that "Enki" is really close to that ideal Middle-Eastern-black-metal I'm craving for. It's their sixth album, so their technical level is now really impressive and it shows with more diversity in melody lines used. If you haven't heard the band before, I would compare it to Dimmu Borgir, but with the aforementioned Middle Eastern melody lines and I mean more harsh, old-school Dimmu, with less keyboards. Really impressive drumwork, with powerful blast-beats, especially the opening track "Tempest Temper Enlil Enraged", which reminds a lot of opening track from "Emissaries", "Rebirth of the Nemesis". The album has generally quite raw atmosphere, with tracks packed with many riffs, all kept in the same climate, much of the time filled with 3 or more guitar lines. It definitely is not an easy album to get used to, solid 3-4 listenings before you get the flow of the rhythms, passages and leading melody lines. What I really like is that the sound is not too polished, therefore it maintains dirty, chaotic style. The atmosphere is also enhanced by pitch effect used mostly on guitars playing leading melody lines.

Overall really well-done album with very good inclusion of Middle Eastern style in black metal. Very complex compositions, with a lot of experimentation with guitar effects, rhythms and constructions. Really good position on the shelf with black metal with monumental "Enki - Divine Nature Awoken" among my favourite tracks.

Originally posted on www.metalbite.com

Here we have Melechesh's album from 2015. I have read that the name of the band means "King of Fire", but I am sure this is a common misconception. There can be no doubt that Melechesh is the Hebrew word for "the most intense intensity". Whenever the dudes get wild, they celebrate a brilliant orgy of sharpness, relentlessness and, yes, musicality. Already the fierce opener will blow unsuspecting listeners away. The mix of the typical metal elements with the oriental ingredients still works in an exciting way, and the level of intensity, as indicated above, is mostly second to none. Nevertheless, we also know that the experienced musicians have more to offer than just sheer franticness.

For example, they master the creation of a dense, melodic yet extremely heavy number as well. "Multiple Truths", a stomping mid-tempo piece with the characteristic sharpness of the guitars, provides evidence. The vocals spread a bitter aroma and contribute an insane feeling, a solo guitar is responsible for a fine melody at the end - and everything works perfectly. The same conclusion applies for "The Pendulum Speaks" with its swirling riff, the demonic vocals and the fundamental aggression. Melechesh's art opens the gates to infernal, fiery regions. They pull the audience into their songs with great easiness, while the music itself does not even show the smallest sign of ingratiation. The band is able to design very eventful songs that are immune against symptoms of fatigue. So many things happen - without hurting the flow of the respective track - that everybody is well advised to focus closely on the listening experience.

Nuclear Blast productions are mostly blessed with an adequate budget. As a consequence, they sound either completely soulless or pretty perfect. Fortunately "Enki" falls under the second category. The cutting guitars deliver the main feature, but the entire album boasts with a very direct and expressive appearance. Furthermore, it has this dangerous charm that daunts non-metal fans. Although the admixture of the oriental harmonies indicates hot temperatures, the devilish vocals add a very cold touch. Finally, the rhythm section does not come off badly as well. Especially the machine gun called double bass increases the level of brutality successfully and accompanies the violent guitars very well. No doubt, there is nothing wrong with "Enki", neither in terms of musicianship nor in terms of the technical implementation.

Critics might say that the album is not innovative and the band forgot to take the next step. Frankly speaking, this kind of yammering is something I don't understand. As far as I can see, Melechesh have created their own niche of metal and thus, they have been more innovative than 99% of their metallic competitors. Furthermore, I am able to enjoy twenty old school thrash albums each year which have more or less the same musical approach. With that said, I have absolutely no problem to listen to a new Melechesh album that picks up the style of its precursor after a break of five years. I rather tend to criticize the tradition of their overlong folkloric numbers. "Doorways to Irkala" with its devoted percussion is acceptable, but not really necessary. Yet this type of songs must be understood as a part of the concept and at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. More than 50 minutes of great music remain. The only slightly questionable detail is that the single tracks need some time to develop their own individuality, but this also does not constitute a grave problem. Summing up, "Enki" prolongs the series of (very) good Melechesh albums, no more, no less.

In an odd sort of way, Melechesh are very much like the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations that dominate the lyrics and imagery of the band. Although many different tribes and kingdoms came to rule over Mesopotamia, from the Sumerians to the Assyrians, from the Akkadians to the Babylonians, each with their own unique cultural differences, they were all bound by a similar religious system, architectural style and (aside from the Sumerians) language. Over the two and a half thousand year period between the rise of Sumer and the fall of Babylon, the culture of Mesopotamia changed subtly enough that you would have to be a historian of the period to really spot the differences between these kingdoms. The same can be of Melechesh's now 22 year musical career. While they may have some variation here and there, going from being a straight forward black metal band to boasting a more blackened thrash sound on recent releases, the core elements of their sound, such as middle eastern melodies and rhythms, esotericism obsessed lyrics and Mesopotamian imagery, have more or less remained. "Enki", their latest album and their follow up to their opus "The Epigenesis", is no exception, though in this case Melechesh have opted for a comparatively more straightforward mid-eastern blackened thrash sound than their roller coaster like predecessor.

Leaving out the obligatory folk instrumental "Doorways to Irkala" (which really makes me want Melechesh frontman Ashmedi to form a Wardruna like project with a Mesopotamian aesthetic) the songs on "Enki" come in two varieties: damn fast and damn ponderous, with the latter tracks, being slower in tempo, boasting the most blatant middle eastern influence. Songs like "The Pendulum Speaks", "Multiple Truths", "Enki" and "The Palm the Eye and Lapis Lazuli" (the final of which gets my vote for the best song on the album, due to an irresistibly catchy riff and a shredding lead solo) make no secret about middle eastern influence on the songs. The faster tracks, which include "Tempest Temper Enlil Enraged", "Lost Tribes" (featuring a vocal performance by Max Cavalera-yes, Max fucking Cavalera-who adds some aggressive contrast to Ashmedi's more goblin-like vocal approach) and "Metatron and Man", are no less influenced by the middle eastern roots of the band members, but the middle eastern melodies are incorporated in a somewhat more subtle manner, not unlike the earlier, purer black metal approach by Melechesh in their first few albums. Indeed, the opening track "Tempest Temper Enlil Enraged" practically blindsides you with how fast of a track it is, and feels like a sandstorm in the midst of a desert. By contrast, "Enki-Divine Nature Awoken" and "The Outsiders" are the longer, slower tracks that feel like a royal procession through the city of Babylon, and "Enki-Divine Nature Awoken" builds up in such a deliberate way that it evokes images of ancient Mesopotamian temple rituals (the deep chanting in the background, also utilized in "Metatron and Man" and "The Outsiders" helps create this ritualistic atmosphere).

As with all Melechesh albums, the greatest strength is that they are almost incapable of writing a bad riff, and indeed, one song on this album can contain at least 5 awesome, Arabic sounding riffs. The drums are as primal and thunderous as ever, and the clean production that Melechesh has been utilizing for this and their previous album helps compliment the music, since you have a better sense of how great the band is at actually composing riffs. If I have any complaints about this album, I only have two, and they are thankfully minor. First, that some songs on this album, like "Metatron and Man" and "Lost Tribes" go on much longer than fast, thrashy tracks ought to. Even if your song has awesome riffs, too much of a good thing can become a bore after a while, and since this is Melechesh, we know that with few exceptions, every riff they throw out will be based around the same few Arabic scales. Secondly, and far more minor, is that this album lacks the roller coaster like sweep of "The Epigenesis", where the you felt yourself surprised by whatever the band threw at you musically. Then again, Melechesh didn't go into the studio to make an "Epigenesis: Mark II". "Enki", though based around the same musical and lyrical ideas that have driven Melechesh's career, is a different album that largely stands well on it's own. Considering that Melechesh's previous album was already the type of masterpiece that a band could release and never need to record another album again out of personal satisfaction, it's not only ok that "Enki" isn't quite at the same level, it's admirable that the band tried to make a different album. After all, the Babylonian empire may not have covered all of the territory of the preceding neo-Assyrian empire, but covering 3/4ths the territory would be enough for anyone.

I think we all are familiar with this story. A band that managed to consistently release material of a high level finally stumbles. They have been active for a long period and seemingly couldn't release albums without new twists, turns and plain quality. However then they come to us with an album on which they stumble, falter or whatever other term you please. The material just does not stack up with the rest of the discography. Sometimes bands get stuck in this rut and increasingly turn for the worse, sometimes it's just a hiccup and they get back to business with subsequent releases.

I bring this up for a simple reason. This is the weakest album Melechesh have released since the debut at the very least. I am not quite sure regarding this because my opinion of the debut despite numerous spins has not quite solidified yet.

While I did quite quickly reach the conclusion that this is not their magnum opus, I did have to listen to this album a couple times to properly digest it and put it in the right context. Context in this case meaning: how it stacks up to their previous work and their evolution so far. Is this just a disappointment because of the strength of the older material or is it just a different sounding album that does not quite hit the mark?

This is important in this specific case because to me Melechesh falls in between being a band that has to be innovative every album and being a band that can repeatedly release quite similar stuff without the material starting to become lacklustre. Now you have to get me right, I am definitely not an apostle of The Church of Innovation. Dismember made awesome albums after Hate Campaign because they just nailed the formula several times. Some bands however need to change every album to keep on producing inspired sounding work. While Melechesh does not completely fall into the latter category, they have always changed and until now always have released inspired sounding material. The quality of this album suggests that for Ashmedi personally seemingly inspiration equals change.

This album is mostly a retread of Emissaries and to a lesser extend Sphynx and The Epigenesis. The thing here however is that this album is just does not stack up with those albums. This album basically is another fairly fast paced album. It is maybe a tad slower and more groovy than Emissaries but the differences are small. Compared to Sphynx and The Epigenesis, its a bit less atmospheric. It retains from the latter the mature incorporation of the folk elements and such but they are somewhat less prominent.

This album does showcase the maturity of Ashmedi as songwriter. This is a very competently written album that has all the neat little details, subtleties and breaks placed very well. Sadly these parts just are not quite as good as on the older material. And with that I think that is what sums up this album it is simply “not quite as good.” I think it is also telling that this is the first Melechesh album of which I think it could use some cutting because some of the songs just run in with each other or just feel like rehash of what was done on the past. Metatron And Man for example is pretty much a rewrite of Grand Gathas of Baal Sin but with every element just not being quite on the level of that older song. For the rest it is still a good typical Melechesh album, the really cool moments are still there just not as much. The only other thing I can really say is that the production is a bit loud for my taste but that is it.

In short this album is not an unworthy addition to the Melechesh discography but if I told someone which album I could do without I would pick this one. I will likely still play this album on occasion to stir it up a little, but I just won't do that frequently.

Melechesh really is one of the best extreme metal bands around today, and it's all down to the guitars. These guys know how to wing out killer riffs, and moreso, they understand hooks and groove and all the things the fundamental classics of the genre had in spades - many other bands could learn from these guys' command of the great Metal Riff. Melechesh's metal vocabulary listens like a litany of the best the genre has – classically-inspired riffing from Priest, Maiden, Slayer, Death and the likes, as well as heavy, rhythmic blasting like something out of second-wave black metal like old Mayhem. It's all there, and done up with a clear, sharp production, some venomous black metal shrieking and Egyptian ambiance and atmosphere to die for. Enki took a long time in the band's bubbling arcane Egyptian cauldron of influences, but it's worth the wait.

I have to say this isn't as good as The Epigenesis, but what really is? On that album, the band expanded their horizons and made something unique and progressive. This one is really just more of their trademarked bludgeoning, blasting chaos, but refined to near perfection. This album sees the band amping up their showmanship and compact songwriting skills. Rather than pushing the limits of what their sound can be, Enki is all about polishing up their performances – every musician on here plays to 110% power, with garroting guitar riffs, searing leads, drumming that powers out with serious style and the best performances of Ashmedi's career from a vocal standpoint – his vitriolic rasp has frankly never sounded more better. The use of sound effects and clean chanting vocals is also expertly done and sounds better than it has in the past – these songs are masterfully entertaining and suck you into the atmosphere the band was going for.

This album is over an hour long, but the songs all go down like cold glasses of beer after a hot day's work. I really like the shorter tunes on here, which is something the band hasn't experimented with so much – on “The Pendulum Speaks” and “The Palm, the Eye and Lapus Lazuli” they cram in every bit of their epic guitar wizardry and blackened sandblasted chaos into four-minute digestible templates – like bite-sized candy bars. Other tracks like raging, tempestuous opener “Tempest Temper Enlil Enraged” and the heavy as fuck “Lost Tribes” are rather conservative for the band, but they're too enjoyable to turn down. The title track is one of the best songs they've ever done, too – grooving rhythms, colossal riffs like pyramid blocks and a monstrous, horrific chanting section at the end - “EEEEENNNNNNNKKKKKKIIIIIIIII....” Fuck yeah. The instrumental “Doorways to Irkala” might drag a bit at eight minutes, but it's probably the best of these new-agey Egyptian soundtrack songs that they've done, with a captivating main melody.

If the songs sound like they're treading familiar territory for the band, they definitely are; you're right about that – but it's more an album about perfecting the sonic style and presentation, rather than innovating like the last album. Enki isn't a world-class album, but it's a perfectly good one, and so entertaining it's impossible to really find too much fault with it. The band has done better albums, for sure, and too many more albums this familiar in style may eventually cripple the band. But for now, this is a very entertaining, masterfully done work from a band in their prime. Go buy it immediately!

I've been following Melechesh and its unique brand of Mesopotamian metal for some time now. The band has never been the most prolific group with decent gaps between each album, but each release has been worth the wait. After an extra-long five year absence, Melechesh has summoned a new dose of metallic blackness entitled Enki.

So does Enki satisfy after this extended wait? Unfortunately, the answer is "yes and no." The album gets off to a weak start with the first three songs. These tracks are decent enough with energy to spare and a few catchy grooves, but they aren't particularly gripping as a whole. These songs are a little too similar and average to cause much excitement. However, just when you're beginning to lose hope, tracks four and five kick things up a notch. "Multiple Truths" is mostly repetitive, but its snaky groove has a propulsive energy that feels extra strong compared to the album's opening songs. The next track, "Enki - Divine Nature Awoken," elevates things to another level with more variety and stunning drumming. Luckily, from here the album becomes much better with more diversity and complexity to the songs and their arrangements. The Melechesh we know and love begins to shine through more fully. "Metatron and Man" and "The Palm, the Eye, and Lapis Lazuli" continue this stronger trajectory with infectious riffing and massive drum rhythms. This all leads to the epic thirteen minute closer, "The Outsiders," which manages to remain catchy despite its trance-inducing nature. Usually, if a band has an off-balance album, it seems the members tend to front-load it with their best songs in order to make a good initial impression. Oddly, to these ears, Enki feels like the opposite. Also, as long as I've been listening to Melechesh, my one beef has been that the albums tend to be a little too long. Enki definitely suffers from a lack of self-editing. It's hard to make it through the hour-long playing time without the songs starting to blend together. Sadly, if Melechesh had cut about twenty minutes from this album it would have been significantly stronger.

One of the main positive attributes of Enki is its overall sound. The album is sonically exceptional, even if the songs aren't always especially strong. Generally, the instruments are dry, upfront, and in your face. This helps convey a sense of immediacy and intense energy. At its worst, the production may seem a bit simple, but the many layers of instrumentation really cut through because the sound is so clean. Due to this cleanness, Enki is a dense wall of pummeling power. Ashmedi's blackened snarl is right out front with the instruments, the guitars are immense and crisp, the bass is fat and distinct, and the drums sound colossal and commanding. I really can't say enough good things about the drumming on this album. It's absolutely jaw-dropping, yet tasteful. Throughout the album, the drums almost steal the show time and again.

Even if I seem pretty negative about Enki, my complaints are relatively minor. There's still a load of solid material to enjoy, and I would recommend this album to any long-time Melechesh fan. Just know that when you want your Melechesh fix, you will most likely find yourself turning to the three previous albums. Enki is not the place for the curious listener to begin, but it's worth the cash for most established fans.

Originally written for http://www.metalpsalter.com

Melechesh is a one of a kind in metal. Well respected for their absolutely unique themes of Mesopotamian mythology, their story as a band and middle eastern sounds that avoid the pitfalls of an otherwise gimmicky take on metal.

For these reasons, and because they just make awesome music; they are a standout band in all of metal. I preordered the album and had bypassed sampling the album before I could hear it in whole. It's a very good album, but I was a bit let down. Having given it a period to grow on me, I've concluded it's just not quite up to snuff.

The main issue is although they're keeping all the elements in place that made the band great, they seemed to have just dialed down the intensity. There are less blast beats than in past releases and just less bite to it. The songs tend to dally, they stick on one idea too long, or don't seem to really get to the point at all in some cases. The band doing long instrumental takes with the ethnic instruments and chanting is nothing new, but for one reason or another I didn't mind it in the past, here it's just me hitting skip. Lost Tribe is one of the better tracks here, but half way in there's a pointless and abrupt drop off, into a none too special riff - I could see this if they timed it better and just blew you away with the next riff, but why bother with a hum-ho riff? The song is so good up to that point then, just hey, intermission I guess.

Doorways to Irkala is a 8 minute track of aforementioned ethnic instruments, and generally I like this stuff from this band but man this track is boring. Way too long, just doesn't hold my attention. Multiple Truths and The Palm, the Eye and Lapis Luzuli feel a bit like the band is going through the motions, definitely not bad songs, but nothing stands out.

The opening track and Metatron and Man have sick, memorable main riffs, and are the type of thing I expect from the band. The latter has a rather protracted main riff capped off by a heavily accented rhythm, and I find it the tastiest morsel on the album. The title track and The Outsiders although long-winded, have many cool riffs and ideas. The Outsiders has an almost epic jam feel to it.

In conclusion, it does a lot of things that we expect from the band, but does a few disappointing things. If they would have just trimmed the fat, and given us more of a meaty, driven album we'd be talking about another great album; not just a good one.

Coming off the back of the huge critical acclaim lauded on "The Epigenesis" one might have thought that Melechesh would be overawed by the task of trying to repeat the trick but by taking their time in the release of "Enki" the consummate detail that has defined their career remains in abundance. There is so much that pleases me about the works of Ashmedi & co but high amongst those is the layering and sophisticated usage of ethnic instrumentation which never descends into the pervading mindset of most folk(-orientated) metal bands for whom a brief synth blast of pre-processed sounds is as deep as it gets. No, Melechesh are the real deal in every sense of the word and six albums in the band should be recognised as one of metal’s finest.

Nine tracks, sixty-two minutes and enough layers and hidden elements to unearth new treasures even after countless listens, "Enki" is not an album to be fully absorbed in one or two spins, nor is it one where simply listening to just one or two tracks will suffice. In fact I would go so far as to say one of the album’s lead tracks, "Multiple Truths", is one of the least involving, if for nothing else than it’s more straight-forward composition lacks the lingering sense of hidden danger round the corner…but to put this into perspective, the technical performance and intricate guitar work in this track alone still puts the band into the upper echelons of the extreme- and folk-metal worlds. For the most part, each track weaves and winds through a host of complexities and divergences such that second-guessing each oncoming section is a thankless task. After a brief welcoming, "Tempest Temper Enlil Enraged" breaks into the classic Melechesh riff, ala "Rebirth of the Nemesis”. It’s the musical equivalent of a punch in the chops as a morning alarm call and is absolutely devastating. From there the song harnesses a big thrash influence before "The Pendulum Speaks" provides the first evidence of the collective ability to competently alter the pacing of tracks. The usage of various bridges to travel through Mesopotamian influence and crunching groove-laden metal is superfluous, with each band member getting a lead moment to display their wares like a victorious archival heist through the band’s native Jerusalem.

"Lost Tribes”, featuring the vocals of Max Cavalera which contrast with Ashmedi’s more blackened howl, recalls recent Absu works in the breakdowns at each junction but to these ears the album’s progressive nature picks up through the second half, as the eight-minute tracks "Enki Divine Nature Awoken" and "Doorways to Irkala" blend Middle Eastern scales into a thumping and swirling plague of riffs in the former, while the latter is simply a beautiful percussive-led instrumental that sends my mind to the kind of ethnic, atmospheric smoke-filled tent of their descent that I have never visited. In between those two "Metatron and Man" kicks off at a real lick and hardly relents throughout - I can’t help but notice how the song’s thrash-influenced riffs kick the arse of many a thrash band of recent times without seemingly even trying to. "The Palm The Eye and Lapis Lazuli" as the shortest track at ‘just’ four minutes feels somewhat undervalued in it’s position yet features a volley of intricate soloing from Rob Caggiano (Volbeat/ex-Anthrax) that for once feels worthy of it’s involvement, while 13-minute closer "The Outsiders" moves at a slower pace for much of its duration, exploring the outer reaches of the band’s varied influences, before a latter crescendo heralded by the manic pounding of Lord Curse behind the kit.

Unfortunately I don’t have accompanying lyrics but the mythological depth of the track titles should assure any readers of Melechesh’s intelligent approach to that particular art, too. Though comparison is difficult through the sheer scale of each record, "Enki" feels as heavy on the metal guitar as any other in their discography, pushing the ethnic interludes more to the background, in contrast to where I personally would have expected the band heading at this stage of their career. That a couple of the shorter, less diverse tracks carry least weight only enhances the prowess of their more complex arrangements; a talent in the extreme metal world in which few can rival Melechesh.

Originally written for Rockfreaks.net

I am a self-admitted, total noob to Melechesh. Somehow it is 2015 and I have never heard a single album. Disgrace, I know. But don't go anywhere just yet. I find it useful to have both objective and subjective reviews of an album, and given that I have not yet been tainted by previous releases, my outsider perspective may prove poignant as well.

Enki caught my ear first and foremost with its energy and able musicianship. Sumerian-soaked riffs, rampant double-bass, and vicious blackened growls: there is very little not to like about any of the various parts at play. Regarding what is so enjoyable about this album, there is little more to say that has not already been covered in reviews of past albums. Terms like “heavy groove” and “infectious rhythms” still very much apply. Songs like “Tempest Temper...”, “Multiple Truths,” and “Metatron and Man” are thrilling, albeit familiar rides through the desert.

Comparing this album to other works, I hear similarities to the frenetic, guitar driven onslaught of Absu. This comes as little surprise given that they are former label-mates and even briefly had Proscriptor in the band. However, Enki is emphatically more focused on folky melodies and rock and roll than pure blackened thrash. The sound is also fuller through both production choices and use of alternative instrumentation. Vocals are akin to Ghaal-era Gorgoroth, but the upbeat melodies and bouncy rhythms maintain the fury while defusing some of the evil.

But for every exciting sandstorm, there is a dull oasis on the horizon. While the album initially sucked me in with promises of an early 9, subsequent listens led to an overall deterioration of impression. Tracks like “Enki...” grind the action to a halt with unmemorable performances and uninteresting songwriting. What at first seemed hypnotizing has become a bit of an endurance run. This is especially notable given that the track is only around 9 minutes long. The closing track is far longer, whether or not you count the prior interlude, yet works infinitely better with its sense of progression and entrancing use of sitars. But the real stinker of the bunch is the collaboration with Max Cavalera, which I find to be pointless and downright annoying. He adds very little to the sound and feels tacked on. Furthermore this track offers the most repetitive and arduous hook of the album.

Final word: inconsistent. While there are some undisputed heavy-hitters on this album, extended time will reveal chinks in the scimitar-worn armor. Riffs can sound a little too similar at times from track to track and energy ebbs and flows without a clear structure. Ultimately I did go back to listen to prior releases, and I can't help but make the typical recommendation for Emmisaries. This album seems to attempt a fusion of their masterpiece's sheer adrenaline with the more wandering approach of Epigensesis. The result is more pleasurable than the latter, but falls short of the former. That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see this on an end-of-year ballet.

Enjoyability=7.5
Musicianship=8
Innovation=7