Këkht Aräkh Morning Star
Consensus is still forming across 4 professional reviews. Këkht Aräkh's Morning Star arrives as a melody-forward, genre-subverting entry in contemporary atmospheric black metal that balances icy tremolo and a surprising cloud rap and folk sensibility. Critics note its warmth and melancholy threaded through lo-fi production and short, sharply drawn song structures, but they ar
The Bladee-featuring “Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)” is the album's most surprising and effective pairing, blending haunting pop vocals with raw black metal.
The album’s strength is mood and atmosphere, but an overlong tracklist and many underdeveloped ballads weaken its impact.
Best for listeners looking for DSBM and folk influence, starting with Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee) and Wänderer.
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Full consensus notes
Këkht Aräkh's Morning Star arrives as a melody-forward, genre-subverting entry in contemporary atmospheric black metal that balances icy tremolo and a surprising cloud rap and folk sensibility. Critics note its warmth and melancholy threaded through lo-fi production and short, sharply drawn song structures, but they are split over a sprawling 17-track sequence that sometimes undermines the record's forward momentum.
Across four professional reviews Morning Star earned a 65/100 consensus score, with reviewers consistently praising the album's best songs where melody and economy meet. “Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)” and “Wänderer” emerge repeatedly as standout tracks, while “Three winters away” and “Lament” are singled out for bass warmth and plaintive vocal counterpoints. Critics agree that collaborations - notably Bladee's verse on “Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)” and guest appearances elsewhere - sharpen the record's contrasts, producing moments of genuine emotional clarity amid post-punk melancholia and DSBM textures.
That said, some reviewers found quieter pieces like “Genom sorgen (feat. VS--55)” and several short ballads underdeveloped, contributing to a mixed reception: praise for inventive tonal shifts and melodic hooks sits alongside critiques of pacing and occasional bloat. For readers asking "is Morning Star good" or searching for the best songs on Morning Star, the critical consensus suggests the record is worth close listening for its highlights, even if its length and uneven sequencing keep it from becoming Këkht Aräkh's most cohesive statement. Below, professional reviews unpack those highs and the album's uneasy, compelling blend of exile, camp, and tenderness.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)
3 mentions
"it doesn't work completely. It's a harsh black metal track at heart, but Bladee's echoing singing and whispering adds a haunting, stalker-ish vibe"— Sputnik Music
Wänderer
3 mentions
"it's what allows the clean guitar in "Wänderer" to become the focus, drifting as it does like moss"— Pitchfork
Three winters away
2 mentions
"The low end fills out a song like "Three Winters Away," its syncopation providing an emotional counter"— Pitchfork
it doesn't work completely. It's a harsh black metal track at heart, but Bladee's echoing singing and whispering adds a haunting, stalker-ish vibe
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Wänderer
Castle
Lament
Genom sorgen (feat. VS--55)
Angest
Mörker över mörker
Three winters away
Drömsång
Raven King
Vigil
Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)
Trollsång (feat. Spöke)
Land av evig natt I
Land av evig natt II
Gates
Morning star
Outro (feat. Varg²™)
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Këkht Aräkh returns with Morning Star, an album that leans into folky margins while keeping the DSBM core intact; the reviewer praises the hybrid of icy tremolo and acoustic tenderness that makes songs like “Wänderer” and “Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)” feel like the best tracks on Morning Star. The voice is vivid and slightly lurid, describing “Castle” as a morbid folktale and “Genom sorgen (feat. VS--55)” as where Ukrainian folk truly blooms, which explains why these tracks stand out. The reviewer's tone is admiring but measured, noting the album does not quite eclipse the highs of the prior record while applauding Crying Orc's adventurous expansions.
Key Points
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The Bladee-featuring “Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)” is the album's most surprising and effective pairing, blending haunting pop vocals with raw black metal.
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Morning Star's core strength is its seamless fusion of DSBM ferocity and Ukrainian folk/post-punk textures, expanding Crying Orc's palette.
Themes
Critic's Take
Këkht Aräkh fashions on Morning Star a warmer, tender strain of DSBM that still smells of corpse paint and lo-fi Xerox aesthetics. The review repeatedly foregrounds “Lament” and “Three Winters Away” as moments where melodic clarity and bass warmth reward close listening, and “Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)” is singled out for Bladee's plaintive second verse nudging Marchenko toward guttural counterpoints. Sadie Sartini Garner’s sentences move between sly cultural critique and precise musical description, arguing that these best tracks make the album feel both intimate and defiantly rooted in black metal tradition. Play it on headphones and those standouts - particularly “Lament”, “Three Winters Away” and “Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)” - reveal the record's emotional counterpoint to blastbeats and hiss.
Key Points
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The best song is "Lament" because its intelligible, tender vocals crystallize Marchenko's warmer DSBM aim.
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The album's core strength is blending lo-fi black metal orthodoxy with surprising melodic clarity, ambience, and themes of exile.
Themes
Re
An
Critic's Take
Këkht Aräkh retains his ear for melody on Morning Star, but the record’s bloated 17-track running order dilutes many moments. The reviewer praises black-metal forward cuts like “Wänderer” and “Eternal martyr (feat. Bladee)” as highlights, and credits the cloud rap touches for making several of the best tracks surprisingly effective. At the same time, quieter pieces such as “Genom sorgen (feat. VS--55)” and “Drömsång” feel static and underdeveloped, which saps the album’s momentum. Overall the best songs on Morning Star are those that blend hooky, haunting melodies with concise development rather than the many shorter ballads that stall.
Key Points
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The best songs succeed by blending melody-forward black metal with cloud-rap influenced production and tight hooks.
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The album’s strength is mood and atmosphere, but an overlong tracklist and many underdeveloped ballads weaken its impact.