With a name, sound and lyrics that make you think this band is from Egypt, it is hard to believe that they are not. Hailing from Manitou Springs, Colorado, Akhenaten have perfected the Middle Eastern Folk inspired metal sound with the release of “Golden Serpent God.” Released May 31st through Murdher Records in collaboration with Satanath Records and Cimmerian Shade Recordings, this album takes all the aspects of black metal, death metal, folk metal and Middle Eastern themes and condenses them into a powerhouse of an album.
Brothers Jerred and Wyatt Houseman are the masterminds behind the project and uniquely bring a different take on the Middle Eastern influenced metal sound we have seen with bands like Nile, Melechesh, and Arkan to name a few. Akhenaten specializes in the use of fast and heavy guitar riffs, pounding drums accompanied by brutal guttural and unearthly screamed vocals. The orchestrations that dance between the guitars and drums add to the atmosphere that gives each track the folk feel. There are also instrumental tracks that stand out with the use of ambient folk styles that feel like the past times of the Mesopotamian era.
I thoroughly enjoyed this album. The instrumentals, the heavy riffs, the atmosphere, the lyrical content…there is really no flaw with this album. Jerred Houseman is a talented multi-instrumentalist while Wyatt Houseman is a well rounded vocalist, both combined produced a well rounded album. If you are a fan of death metal, black metal, folk metal or just metal at all, this release is a definite do not pass up!
Overall Score: 9.5/10
Review by Neil Andersen
