Këkht Aräkh – Morning Star LP

A record that synthesizes past explorations with new collaborative energy, producing a record that honors 90s black metal tradition while embracing lo-fi warmth, melancholic melodies, sonic experimentation, and emotional candor. The result is a deeply personal statement - an album that is both an arrival and a continuation of his artistic journey.

The story of Këkht Aräkh started at the end of 2018, in Mykolaiv, the southern city of Ukraine. However, the roots of the project take us back to Aug 2014 when the sole mastermind behind the project — Dmitry Marchenko — finished his very first song for his very first black metal act called Yokai.

Although he had always been a huge fan of the genre, he felt like the version of black metal that he wanted to hear didn’t exist yet. Even his favorite black metal songs he felt were lacking in some aspects. That is why he decided to try it for himself, excluding some aspects of the genre and replacing it with something else - an approach that would help the project that is Këkht Aräkh become original in its own right.

After dozens of songs recorded as Yokai, Dmitry felt like taking the project to a new level, making it public and more meaningful. This was the point where some rebranding was needed and Këkht Aräkh came to be. Këkht references the Irish god of healing, Dian Cécht, and Aräkh references the Cambodian poisoning god, Arak Kol, with the word arak itself standing for evil spirit (usually female) in Cambodian mythology.

His first release as Këkht Aräkh, Through the Branches to Eternity EP (2018), includes a special feature that would later develop into the project’s signature: a rough contrast between black metal songs and quiet ballads. This signature further solidifies in the debut album Night & Love (2018) and sophomore Pale Swordsman (2021) and puts a spotlight on the project as an exciting new form of black metal - raw and aggressive yet melancholic and tender with romantic gothic sensibilities throughout.

Morning Star features guest appearances from:

J.S. (aka Spira me, of Vanskapth, Olycka) — drums
Varg2™ (of VS--55) — sound design & tape processing
Spöke (of VS--55) — sound design & tape processing
James Ginzburg (of Emptyset, Osmium) — mastering

Bladee — vocals, lyrics (track 11)
Spöke — vocals, lyrics, organ, flute, piano (track 4)
Spöke — backing vocals, organ, flute, piano (track 12)

Varg2™ — background ambience (track 2, 8, 17)
Eurohead — background ambience (track 2, 8, 17)
Spöke — background ambience (track 2, 8, 17)