Crafted to oscillate with the droning wake-and-rest of existence in chase this concept album from Zürich, Switzerland-based atmospheric blackened death/doom metal trio ARKHAAIK brings the challenge of collaborative survival deeper into the singularity driven psyche of extreme metal, intending an inherently organic statement by way of slow-to-doom paced muse upon Bronze Age European subsistence. Conjuring a tribe’s worth of spectacle within these four longform pieces our hunters posit the bloodthirst of a (once great) animal hunting in pack and their irrepressible connection with the cyclic forces of the natural world within this well-evolved sophomore full-length album. The progression of their idiosyncratic style found herein is exciting enough as a step beyond a fairly tentative debut and a much higher riff count is a bonus but the real point of admiration to bestow here is their emboldened primal-transcendental character, a vantage point which is (mostly) unique to them and rare regardless.

Arkhaaik formed circa ~2015-2016 between Menetekel (Ungfell, Kvelgeyst, et al.) and Karapan Darvish (Dakhma, Lykhaeon) who’d conceived their own method for stoking primitive music which’d intentionally invoke the pre-religious state of Bronze Age Europe, eventually turning to drummer Voidgaunt (Ateiggär, et al.) who had performed on a number of Jünger Tumilon (formerly Helvetic Underground Committee) related releases in 2019 for their first official recordings. In brief review of their absurdly named debut full-length ‘*dʰg̑ʰm̥tós‘ back in 2019 I’d described their effect as: “[…] Death/doom riffs and bellowing ritualistic vocals atop the enraged psychedelia of black metal marching forward with an unsure gait, not lacking in confidence but rather avoiding playing their entire hand at once.” appreciating the deliberate tension and roar of their work while likening their approach to the mystery-cult barbarity of Irkallian Oracle in terms of movement and Grave Upheaval per the cavernous, bestial atmospheric cacophony resultant. That first album wasn’t an insanely deep statement in experience though it’d been satisfyingly cryptic, ancient in its summon, and mostly compelling for its final piece (“u̯rsn̥gwhé̄n”) which served as the main focus of the experience. ‘Uihtis‘ doesn’t pick up right where Arkhaaik left off per that tentative beginning, though, as we will find a far deeper conceptual embodiment of a more feral age within this second album.

The grind of a bow against a double bass greets us, hollowed bones serve as woodwinds and the clattering of a downtuned bass guitar offer a surprisingly cinematic introduction, something like late 90’s atmospheric sludge in effect, as opener “Geutores Suhnos” finds its trampling slow beat. It isn’t long until group-roared vocals and deeper growls begin to narrate our entrance, finding a point of black/doom metal ingress around ~4:42 minutes in and sprawling from there. While I did not appreciate the comparisons made with Bølzer in terms of Arkaaik‘s previous album this time around that scent is more than faint, though we open with looser semblance than the two middle pieces amongst the four total. Hitting beyond the ~7 minute mark on the song will likely have that ‘Hero‘-esque ideal/observation pinging in ear to some extent. This is of course just one movement within many on the ~15 minute opener but not an insignificant signifier for where the trio’ve emboldened beyond the first. For me there is a sort of ‘A Sun That Never Sets‘ sort of roll to the final third of this song which’d drawn me in from the first listen, a rare level of immersion brought via both familiar sounds and unconventional methods. The group sung portions of the song might be my favorite addition to their ouevre, at least beyond the barked sections earlier on.

From the cave mouth’s hum toward a trickling stream we find standout piece “Hagrah Gurres” slowly marrying something like the extreme-doomed layers of The Ruins of Beverast with the intermittent rushing trample of ‘Soma‘, serving as a key point of interest as the blackened death metal side of the band eventually comes into focus more clearly via a few huge riffs. Simple as the song itself is it does well to convey a certain level of entranced movement, a patient delirium which also permeates key single “HrkÞos Heshr Hiagom“. That third piece is suggested as a “bear blood rite”, a song of celebration and blood-intoxicated thrill achieved through the hunt. While I enjoy this theme the spectacle of this song is just how active its black metal incensed rhythms become as a major focal point, of course the vocals are just as important but all of this in concert exits the “ambiance” of the first album most completely and creates something truly ritualistic yet appreciably non-linear in movement.

While the first third of “Kerhos Mehnsos” reads to me as a continuation of the momentum of the previous piece the remainder of the song speaks to the roll of the pack, an extended “jammed” section set as the search and the horn-blaring ride out as the tribe’s hunters surge after their prey. There is the sense that they are going to war within this piece per the fanfare established toward the end. Perhaps more importantly a sense of something like progressive rock simplicity enters Arkhaaik‘s approach within this final song creating a scene per a series of related movements rather than a fully narrated stretch. You could just as well see it as (again) a jam that made sense in the course of the full listen, or even as a chunk of filler, but the overall effect is illustrative in a was which is different from the three pieces that’d preceded it.

The full listen of ‘Uihtis‘ is richly experiential as a series of longform pieces which showcase a far bolder voice engaged within the trio which manifests as a sort of “progression” in terms of instrumentation, atmospheric setting and vocal expression which is far less minimal. The most thrilling extension of Arkhaaik‘s work is of course the greater focus upon the riff in this context, a blackened-death/doom mutation which embodies a serious character and command, though I’d just as well returned to it another ten times beyond the norm for the sake of being wrapped up in the atmospheric tension available. As is the case with most all Jünger Tumilon-related troupes and projects we find with each pass some exponential consideration is applied toward a superior result and while I’d liked the band’s debut this record is something extraordinarily memorable, not only in its rhythms but the unique atmosphere flowing throughout. A high recommendation.

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