Sacred Bones to release new Këkht Aräkh album, Morning Star

Since its origins in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Dmitry (a.k.a. Crying Orc), the sole mastermind behind the Këkht Aräkh project, has consistently sought to carve a distinctive path within black metal. Tracing back to 2014, his early experiments exposed the gaps he felt in the genre, culminating with his debut under the Këkht Aräkh moniker, Through the Branches to Eternity EP (2018), and the albums Night & Love (2018) and Pale Swordsman (2021), later reissued by Sacred Bones Records. Across these releases, Dmitry, now based in Berlin, established a signature contrast between ferocious, visceral black metal and delicate, introspective ballads: a dynamic that reaches new depth on Morning Star.

Reflecting on the creation of the album, Dmitry says: “This album was created at a point where I’m more skillful as an artist, with a much clearer sense of my own sound than in my earlier work. It explores a different emotional palette – rawer, more honest, and more personal. On this record, I feel more like myself than ever before.” The writing and recording process was not without its challenges: stress, anxiety, and long stretches of writer’s block shaped the music, giving it a rare vulnerability and immediacy.

Dmitry recorded nearly all instruments himself, with drums contributed by Jonathan (Spira Me, Vanskapth, Olycka). Bladee appears on “Eternal martyr”, adding his vocals and co-writing lyrics – a collaboration that may seem unlikely at first, yet reveals an intuitive chemistry. Both artists share a commitment to world-building, emotional directness and carving a singular path outside their respective genres. Despite their different genres, Dmitry has long admired Bladee’s introspective lyrical style and saw how it could translate into black metal without disrupting the genre. Bladee’s own interest in black metal created a natural space for collaboration, and the project grew organically from their shared fascination with bridging their musical worlds.

That spirit of unexpected yet natural synergy extends to the rest of the album’s collaborators. VS–55 and Varg2™ helped shape the record through abstract sampling and subtle textural design, giving Morning Star its distinctive grain and analog warmth. James Ginzburg (Emptyset, Osmium) completed the final mastering, enhancing its dynamic depth and atmospheric richness.

Several tracks revisit earlier material from a new vantage point. “Wänderer” and “Drömsång” are now partially rerecorded or fully reimagined. Across the album, intense, driving passages collide with sparse, contemplative interludes, creating a landscape that is at once visceral, haunting, and immersive. Themes of isolation and wandering echo in “Wänderer”: “Still wandering in the night… Life’s eternal, I travel on my own.” Dreamlike passages in “Drömsång” capture melancholy and introspection: “Nothing’s real as it may seem / Sleep tight, life was but a dream.” Moments of existential struggle are foregrounded in tracks like “Angest”: “Förvisa mig från smärtan och ljuset / Lämna mig åt glömskans djup” (“Exile me from the pain and the light / Leave me to the depths of oblivion”), while “Three winters away” reflects on the passage of time and personal transformation: “Three winters away from my old life I look back and I smile.” 

With Morning Star, Këkht Aräkh synthesizes past explorations with new collaborative energy, producing a record that honors 90s black metal tradition while embracing lo-fi warmth, sonic experimentation, and emotional candor. It is a deeply personal statement. It is an album that is both an arrival and a continuation of Këkht Aräkh’s artistic journey.