Review by Jeger on July 15, 2024.

Contemporary refinement in black metal - an unforeseen future for the genre as what was initially intended by its progenitors as an outlet for Devil worship and a soundtrack for crimes against the holy. But you can’t stop evolution and why would you want to? True black metal is definitely a thing, but we can’t spend all of our time listening to Satanic Warmaster and Armagedda, now can we? The fruits of innovation ripened to succulence and plucked off the vine in the form of pristine records like Azketem’s sophomore self-titled LP, realized by one Azken and released on July 4, 2024 via Darkness Shall Rise Productions.

In this cathartic, almost ritualistic caveat of all things melancholy, a sojourn for the broken awaits - a weary existence in this brave new world for the layman and only mid-tempo’d, misery-drenched black metal to track the experience as Gaahl-like clean chants cut through the mix like icy winter gales through still moist pine in spellbinding chapters such as 'Norditor' that ensnare one not with clever hooks or engaging choruses but just the depressive tranquility of each moment as one passes before another in sync with your innermost despair. Images of one aimlessly wandering through cold grey abandoned corridors; symbolic of youthful days once cherished; now nothing more than a mundane existence…

Damn it, speaking of mundane, every track on this fucking snoozer sounds the same. See how quickly things can turn for the worse? In what started out as a promising piece of Katatonia-like doom-reveling black metal, I find very little reason to even continue listening other than for the sake of this review. Picked the wrong album to review at 2:45 in the AM, as it’s really making me tired… Great stuff for helping you fall asleep after a night of blowing lines while listening to Deströyer 666: a couple of benzos, a tall boy, some Azketem and lights out compadre… Gotta butcher another one I guess. What are artists thinking when they write this stuff? Like some modern abstract piece of shit that passes for art but is nothing more than the high point of pretentiousness. Track by track breakdown? Not even going there. Gonna wrap this up quickly. No one will ever listen to this entire album and feel good about it. It’s not without its stunning moments, particularly during the intro and interlude, but what in the actual fuck are we doing here? Besides putting people into a sleep state deep enough for surgery… Like the hilarious look of accomplishment on a modern artists face as he sloppily splatters acrylic onto the canvas in what’s supposed to pass for viable art. Did this guy make this album for himself? Is it one of those annoying pieces that only the artist his self actually understands? I think it’s just a dude putting a LOT of thought into creating very boring black metal.

I’ve never wanted to listen to Satanic Warmaster and Armagedda more in my entire life… Glad this one’s over, and I’m just fucking blown away by how something that sounds so alluring can at the same time be so incredibly dull. Like a chic that looks like le package totale from a distance but ever more busted as you get closer. A look of disappointment on my face as I hang out the driver’s window of my black metal mobile listening to this disappointment of an LP and seeing the broad up close. Yikes… Classy cover art and nicely represented by Darkness Shall Rise is Azketem, but ever heard the tuxedo on a pig expression? Barely keeping my eyes open now. They should call this REM black metal or sleepy time black metal. Nap time, kids… May your dreams be of much more substance than this album.

Rating: 3 out of 10