Ahamkara – The Harrow of the Lost (Review)

This is the second album by UK black metal band Ahamkara.

I’ve been waiting for a new Ahamkara album since 2014, which is a shockingly long time to wait for anything. The Embers of the Stars was a damn good album though, so now that a new record is here, it was not one I wanted to overlook. Unfortunately, it seems there was a good reason for this delay, as the promo blurb tells us – “Following ten years of silence after the release of their debut album “The Embers of the Stars” and the untimely death of vocalist Steven, Ahamkara return with a new lineup and new album “The Harrow of the Lost”, an unflinching exploration of the transformative nature of grief.”

As stated, the Ahamkara of 2025 has a new lineup, one that features current/ex-members of Anagnorisis, An Axis of Perdition, Hesper Payne, Nemorous, Panopticon, and Wodensthrone. A lot of talent and emotion has gone into the making of The Harrow of the Lost, and it shows.

The Harrow of the Lost is an immersive and transportive album of atmospheric black metal. It features four songs, clocks in at 43 minutes, and is absorbing throughout. It’s the sort of album you can easily get lost in.

The music is richly atmospheric, drawing on melodic and folk influences to paint its well-rendered soundscapes. There’s complexity here too in places, but it’s always subservient to the needs of the song itself, and never flashy or without purpose. The music is driven forward by feeling and emotional depth, allowing the songs to spread out organically across their lengthy running times.

The Harrow of the Lost presents as a raw, underground black metal journey, one that’s rich in texture and detailing. The songs journey wide, and all of the component parts do equal amounts of heavy lifting. While guitars are always an obvious focus, the bass and drums are unexpectedly textured and rich in feeling. The former is more audible and adds a lot more value to the songs than is the norm, while the latter I could listen to alone, even without the wrapping of the rest of the music. I’ll also mention the vocals, as these are exactly of the sort I favour for atmospheric black metal – high pitched and piercing. They’re imbued with emotion, and have impactful placement and patterns.

The Harrow of the Lost is a very strong album that has not disappointed at all. Born from tragedy, Ahamkara’s second album is best visited as a whole, at length, over time. It’s an album that’s provides a lot to explore, with enviable depth and ability. An underground black metal gem that will hopefully get Ahamkara the greater exposure that they deserve.

This is an essential listen if you’re a fan of bands such as Alda, Falls of Rauros, Fen, Fellwarden, Panopticon, Saor, Winterfylleth, Wolvencrown, and Wolves in the Throne Room.