Black metal truly is having a hell of a time. I don’t care what many haters or know-it-alls say online across the forums or in their own little spaces, black metal is in a glorious state where magnificence is to be found practically around every corner should you know where to look, and even then, it’s not that hard. There is something for everybody across the vast underground realms that the sound inhabits with there always plenty of bands carving out their own realms. Having been a name to know for some time, it’s in the rising darkness Amalekim is a representation of what black metal can still be in the best of circumstances.

It’s a fascinating thing to see what a band can accomplish in what’s hardly any time at all. Even if we’re dealing with loads of established talent behind the name in question, it’s not normal to see multiple albums over what’s not even four full years to become an entity that has so much to offer. Amalekim has been something to respect since their first album, yet it is with everything that is to come before us upon the release of their third opus, “Shir Hashirim”, that we’re given a display of power and prowess the likes of which only the finest in the underground are able to ascertain no matter the circumstances. Doing far more than simply tapping into the occult, alchemical, and biblical that have become all the more central to the themes of this record, it’s in every one of these eight chants that Amalekim attains access to that we see black metal taken to its full depth of dissonance and unbridled intensity. Perpetually caustic and truly captivating as the themes and metaphors are deeply interconnected throughout its entirety, “Shir Hashirim” holds nothing back. Whether it be in the form of its rhythms or unyielding approach that truly drives home everything that the record seeks to inflict upon the frail human soul, it would be a gross understatement to say that Amalekim succeeded in whatever goal they had in the crafting of this exceedingly dense and menacing work.

This is an album that embodies so much of what black metal can still be even after all the high excellence that has been accomplished many times over across the decades. A voracious assault upon the senses that turns the words of scripture in on themselves while allowing for a path forward through the blasphemes, it’s throughout “Shir Hashirim” that Amalekim asks us questions with the truth only found within should you brave their intense offensives.

“Shir Hashirim” releases on May 2nd via Avantgarde Music!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Shir Hashirim” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

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