Review Summary: A layered, complex endeavour blending crushing blackened thrash with subtle Middle Eastern influences that creates an engaging, atmospheric and cinematic experience
Whilst never a true household institution for fans of extreme music, Israeli band Melechesh have nontheless established themselves as a highly consistent band. Their debut was arguably their weakest effort to date, yet from their sophomore album 'Djinn' through a decade and a half they have largely maintained a high bar of quality. 2015's 'Enki' was the last album released by the band, marketed heavily through magazines in a bid to push them more into the consciousness of mainstream metal fans, and it is a perfect example of a sound refined to brilliance.
'Enki' takes the band's established blackened thrash approach, hones the riff work to a razor sharp assault, and the ensuing record is a cinematic and memorable work of art. At over an hour in length, it would be easy for the band to lose some of that focus found in the opening moments, yet it seldom dips at all. The band have a knack for crafting some really great riffs, with the chunkier mid-paced riff found five and a half minutes into the opening track feeling precisely judged against the faster mayhem surrounding it for perfect effect. That balancing act is continued across all of the longer songs here, whilst slower cuts such as "The Palm, The Eye, And Lapis Lazuli" enable the band to diversify into catchier and more anthemic moments with addictive guitar work. "Doorways To Irkala" recalls the band's heritage with some Middle Eastern melodies stretched out across eight minutes to provide a moment to breathe and become immersed in the band's own background, before the crushing and beautiful closing track. The solo found in "The Outsiders" might actually be the strongest moment throughout the whole album, and the vocal work adds an additional dimension to the sound worthy of praise.
"Lost Tribes" is one of the songs where the album threatens to buckle under its own ambition, and this is a point worth highlighting. It opens with some great thrashy riffing, which really does warrant head banging. Sadly, when it has a slight break for a more Eastern-sounding riff, it feels a little disjointed. This is not to say the song itself is bad by any means, but there are definitely moments throughout the album where it briefly loses steam by an oddly placed break. The drumming here is also rather pedestrian, sticking primarily to two or three archetypes without any deviance or creativity. Again, this isn't too much of a problem, but for an album as layered and impressive as this one, it isn't too much to expect all of the members to attempt to push themselves to their limits.
Melechesh's 'Enki' is an album that finds the band at their absolute apex, and if this is their final work then it is a real swansong for them. The layered sound, complex song structures built around escalating levels of intensity that then level out with a slower but equally menacing riff, and subtle influences from their own heritage create an engaging experience. Whilst never quite being "Album Of 2015" material, it is definitely one worth an hour of anybody's time assuming they have even a vague interest in blackened thrash.
