Nechochwen have always been extremely intrigued by Native American culture and lore, and this reflects in their sound and lyrics. On Heart Of Akamon, things get off to a blistering and gripping start with "The Serpent Tradition", which is rife with melodic black metal riffs and well-interspersed folk passages. Unfortunately, the album doesn't quite get back to the prowess of the opener, but there are other parts worth hearing. "October 6, 1813" is a great dark folk song, and after "Traversing The Shades Of Death", no lyrics are sung or spoken until two minutes are left in closer "Kiselamakong", bringing a nice change of pace to the album as a result. During this period, the songs do become a bit more formulaic, and thus predictable, but it is a nice listen in general. As a whole, Heart Of Akamon is a good pagan black metal/dark folk record, with an interesting and tasteful Native American theme coming through in the lyrics.
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