Dakhma are a blackened death metal band from Switzerland and this is their second album.
Dakhma play an exotic form of blackened death metal that’s Zoroastrian-themed and highly detailed. Epic in scope and execution, Blessings of Amurdad offers a highly atmospheric exploration of extreme metal, without sacrificing the meaty, brutal riffs. The music is imbued with Middle Eastern influences that come to life not only in the core of the songwriting, but also in additional acoustic instruments that add extra texture and nuance to the music when they’re used. The end result is something non-standard and definitely worth spending some quality time with.
The songs are menacing and surprisingly horrifying. This album feels threatening, as if something vital and irreplaceable is about to be corrupted and lost. The band twist the death metal template to suit their own needs, combining the darkness of black metal with Persian influences to craft music that feels different from the bulk of the musical acts out there. Yes, Dakhma clearly know their art very well.
Despite the clear emphasis on atmosphere and mood that the album has, it’s not all that it’s capable of. There’s also more than enough blackened brutality, crushing groove, and killer riffing to satisfy. Interestingly though, these never detract from the band’s ability to create and sustain atmosphere. Instead, they work with the atmospheric elements to produce music that’s greater than the sum of its parts. This is an album that terrifies with its malevolent moods, and intrigues with its intelligently-crafted and thoughtful ideas. And yet, you can also bang your head to it wildly, without contradiction, and with great passion.
Blessings of Amurdad is an album that is ripe for rich exploration by connoisseurs of the extreme metal underground, and there’s enough depth of quality here to keep intrepid explorers happy for many moons to come.
Very highly recommended indeed.
Wonderbox Metal 