Review: Dkharmakhaoz ”Proclamation ov the Black Suns” [Iron Bonehead Productions]

You probably don’t want to get served up with Dkharmakhaoz in any Spelling Bee challenges but that’s about the only thing not to like about these bristling black metal newcomers. German label Iron Bonehead Productions usually spot the potential and capabilities of a band before signing them and their faith in Dkharmakhaoz is certainly not without foundation.

This double act recently emerged from Belarus, from where Downcross are one of the few other notable underground acts to reach beyond their borders so far. It’s hard to share much more about Dkharmakhaoz than that but the duo have evidently locked their devil’s horns around 90s black metal warriors such as Darkthrone.

“The Cycle ov Omega” sets the stall out from the off, plenty of rolling beats, some deepened larynx work and some impressively sharpened riffage all merging together under a high tempo thrust.

Having piqued your interest, Dkharmakhaoz then bring the speed down a notch or two on the thunderous “The Way with the Serpent Entwined,” a more atmospheric piece played out with seemingly deeper gravitas.

They stick to the lower slung sonic path on “Beyond the Transcendental Lumines”, a track that captivates with its subtle melodies with the vocals adopting even more strident barks almost by way of a dual.

Dkharmakhaoz inject some chunky industrial parts into the mix on their debut album. It’s an intense first shot across the bows of the black metal scene but one that flies true to itself, right down to the adoption of the ultra cvlt habit of supplanting a v for an f, as with the album title itself. The title track is another snarling number, as its name would suggest, there’s plenty going on though and at times you need to step back to truly appreciate all the parts and how they all slot cleverly together.

“Chthonic Rites ov Fertility” features a siren like groove, almost acting as a warning call as the guitars bump and grind their way along. The first significant sonic shift comes on the more experimental penultimate track “Ascension” which has a brief cosmic clash and for a few seconds some female vocals. The band present themselves as He and She, so I guess that’s She then!

Precisely who plays or says what isn’t really the issue here anyway. With Dkharmakhaoz it’s really all about creating that slightly creepy ambience, a place they return to on album closer “Reu Nu Pert Em Hru,” a track with one of the best grooves on the album and the most bloodied of blastbeat explosions. A strong start then from Dkharmakhaoz whose progress will be interesting to follow.