Amalekim – Avodah Zarah

Written by on 29-11-2023 at 22:23.

Italy and Poland are not exactly near each other, but distance is not a problem for the gentlemen in Amalekim. Not illogical, of course, because nowadays many music is made through the electronic highway. You can either be in favor of it or not. I often have the feeling that when time is spent together in a rehearsal room in order to create something, the songs are often stronger. But of course that could just be a thought.

After the previous album HVHI, Mróz – the bands brain – assembled a completely new line-up to create this Avodah Zarah. The renowned Avantgarde Music sees potential in collaborating with this international collective. A collective of four that wants to revolt, but in an atypical way, not in the way we see it so often today. With the help of (among other things) the Old Testament, going back to what are called values ​​and norms, tradition, but also occultism and alchemy, Amalekim tries to convey its message. Avodah Zarah has therefore become a record that you should listen to and watch. For the latter, take a look at the beautiful artwork by Igor Datkiewicz.

The band divides this second opus into eight psalms, each with a specific title. The closing number nine is merely entitled The Disease. It may all have its message, I suspect. At first listen, the melodic black metal of this group is very reminiscent of a mix of Bathushka (the first version), Aara and some friends whose band name does not immediately come to mind. Ktulak must have received the fairly simple assignment to fill everything tightly without leaving a crack or crack open. He prefers to use the reduced blast beat for this. In the meantime, you are treated to a volley, an arsenal of narrative melodic blasting riffs that are built up in different layers. The vocal palette, offered by band leader Mróz, will certainly impress you.

Before you even realize it, you are already at number three in your psalm book, Olam Teshuvah. Maybe I will regret listening to this album, I will have to confess it to you one way or another and I will therefore realize that I should not do it anymore, but I can already tell you that this is a masterful album. And that not a hair on my balding crown will remind me to ignore this record. I’ll list a few more of my favorite passages in the remaining psalms.

First of all, the thin lead part in Psalm IV: Tzel Hakarah, a song that is also characterized by a contemplative set of ending bars. Psalm VI: Litfos Atziluth starts with a menacing strumming and majestic cymbal playing and is then guided into the rest of the song by an evil roll and a very tight blast. Then we are entertained for another few minutes. The Disease, no psalm this time, is a more straightforward, even more robust song that has a slightly different character due to its many breaks.

With Avodah Zarah, Amalekim releases a masterfully melodic black metal work that is unparalleled. You can write about this for longer in the form of pieces of prose, poetry, poems perhaps or even books. I’ll stick with a simple one: phenomenal.

Score:

95/100

Label:

Avantgarde Music, 2023

Tracklisting:

  1. Psalm I: Avodah Zarah
  2. Psalm II: Efes Sefirah
  3. Psalm III: Olam Teshuvah
  4. Psalm IV: Tzel Hakarah
  5. Psalm V: Litrof Rekanut
  6. Psalm VI: Litfos Atziluth
  7. Psalm VII: Hallel Lequayn
  8. Psalm VIII: Hester Panim
  9. The Disease

Line-up:

  • Mróz – Vocals, Guitar
  • Ktulak – Drums
  • Atanor – Guitar, Vocals
  • Azaghál – Basguitar, Vocals

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