Këkht Aräkh announces Morning Star, an album which finds him arriving at a truer, more refined version of himself. Recorded between Berlin and Stockholm, the album emerges from a period of intense personal and artistic growth, blending aggressive black metal passages with textured, immersive soundscapes that feel both intimate and vast. The lo-fi warmth of the tape Portastudio imbues the record with a tangible, analog immediacy, lending grit and character to every note while allowing drifting, melancholic melodies to linger.
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), 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.
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.