It sucks to be a vampire. First, being undead/immortal means that you see your entire family, friends and loved ones die. And second, if you're in love with someone, you experience the cruel conflict of the thoughts 'shall I turn my loved one into a vampire by drinking their blood?' or 'shall I remain a ghost to them and see them eventually die?' On 'Pale Swordsman' the second full length album by Këkht Aräkh, such thoughts are explored with the help of poetry, black metal and excellent musicianship.
Formed in 2018 by Crying Orc, this band uses the lo-fi recording style of Darkthrone’s Transylvanian Hunger and combines it with romance, vampirism, and melancholy. After 'Night & Love', 'Pale Swordsman' tells the story of a murdered swordsman whose lust for blood leads him out wandering during the night. Besides that, he's suffering from a broken heart, guilt, and memories of being murdered. Talk about a traumatic life after death.
Musically, Këkht Aräkh keeps it subtle and doesn’t do too much if it is not necessary. There is a constant laid-back blast beat when it comes to drums and the guitars play a tremolo-picking melancholic melody throughout the record. There are three instrumentals on this album, and they really highlight the overall sorrow on this record. Not surprisingly one is called 'Nocturne' after the famous nocturnes that were perfected by Frédéric Chopin on piano. He tried to capture the spirit of the night in music, and he did that very successfully. Crying Orc is trying the same and he succeeds as well. He delivers an atmosphere filled with loneliness, self-pity, melancholy and dark love. He even closes the record with a heartbreaking ballad which actually leaves you with a lump in your throat.
But it's purely the lo-fi recording style, the little cracking sounds of an old record player, and the musicianship that makes this album so charming. If this was recorded in a modern music studio with the best equipment, the album would miss the charm it has now. It wouldn't be so fruitful in creating a universe.
If you like your black metal anti-Christian and aggressive, maybe you should let this one slide. But if you’re a sensitive, romantic person who wears a Darkthrone shirt, put 'Pale Swordsman' on. Because it’s a black metal record that heals you when you’re heartbroken….or a vampire. Or an Orc.
Tracklist:
Intro
Thorns
Night Descends
In The Garden
Amor
Nocturne
Amid The Stars
Lily
Crystal
Swordsman