Melechesh are a black metal band currently based in Amsterdam, though they originally formed as a solo project by frontman Ashmedi in 1993, while he lived in Jerusalem. The band often refer to themselves as “Mesopotamian metal,” meaning they incorporate Middle Eastern influences into their sound and lyrics. Melechesh play a type of folk metal on their latest album, Enki, though instead of incorporating European folk elements into their sound, the band references Sumerian and Assyrian history. While I’m fascinated by the potential to combine metal with various forms of folk music, I honestly wish there was more of it—and less generic black metal—at play on the album.
The Middle Eastern influence on this album is most evident in intros, transitions between songs and the long instrumental track “Doorways to Irkala,” with its range of traditional instrumentation, including sitar, bendir and bouzouki. Other than that, the most we get from the band are certain riffs that seem like they were written using a different musical scale than one typically sees in metal. Overall, the album feels more like a typical blackened groove/thrash record than anything else. It’s not an unpleasant listen by any means, but if the songs were stripped of all their decoration, the writing hovers around a mid-tempo groove that doesn’t always evolve or go anywhere interesting. Given the rhythmic complexity of many types of Middle Eastern folk music, the middle parts of some songs on Enki seem like a bit of a letdown.
There are some moments on the album that aren’t bad, though. “Tempest Temper Enlil Enraged,” the album’s first track, skirts closest to black metal, with its frenetic blast beats hurrying the pace of the song and forcing a quick but complicated melody out of the guitars, at a pace quick enough to feel similar to a tremolo pick. That’s kind of cool. Centerpiece track “Enki – Divine Nature Awoken” is also constructed well, with a middle part featuring a melodic solo and some chanting near the end.
Even though there are some tracks that work, you still can’t help but get the sense Melechesh could have done more to incorporate folk elements into their music than they have here, or made them a more prominent feature. One band that could serve as a comparison is Obsequiae, who mixed (Western) medieval music into their brand of melodic death metal, realizing that the meditative and melodic qualities of both genres complemented each other. As a comparison, Melechesh use their Middle Eastern heritage more as an accent to their sound rather than an anchor, and as a result, Enki feels like a missed opportunity.
– Joy
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