{"title":"Këkht Aräkh","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eis a Ukrainian black metal project founded in 2018 by Dmitry Marchenko in Mykolaiv. Shaped by a desire to reimagine the genre, it blends raw black metal with melancholic ballads and romantic, gothic undertones. Evolving from earlier work under Yokai, the project developed a distinctive contrast between aggression and tenderness, combining lo-fi aesthetics with emotional depth and introspective songwriting.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"kekht-arakh-night-love-lp","title":"Kekht Arakh 'Night \u0026 Love'","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"547\"\u003eEmerging from a desire to reshape black metal’s emotional language, 'Night \u0026amp; Love' introduced \u003cstrong data-start=\"94\" data-end=\"109\"\u003eKëkht Aräkh\u003c\/strong\u003e with a sound rooted in contrast and atmosphere. Originally released in 2019, the album expanded ideas first explored on earlier recordings, merging raw, early Norwegian black metal intensity with softer, introspective passages. Rather than separating these elements, the record allowed them to coexist, creating a shifting landscape where aggression and fragility moved in parallel, guided by a strong sense of mood and romantic tension.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"549\" data-end=\"1209\"\u003eFrom the acoustic opening of “As the Night Falls...” to the abrasive force of “Elegy for the Memory of Me” and “Den Venstre Hånd På Den Høyre,” \u003cstrong data-start=\"693\" data-end=\"708\"\u003eKëkht Aräkh\u003c\/strong\u003e established a stark duality that defined the album. Tracks like “Night” and “Love” introduced ambient textures, spoken word, and delicate melodies, deepening its melancholic and gothic character. The interplay between black metal, dark folk, and atmospheric elements unfolded with a quiet coherence, culminating in a restrained closing piece that echoed the album’s opening. 'Night \u0026amp; Love' stood as a formative statement, where emotional vulnerability and raw expression were held in careful balance.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sacred Bones Records","offers":[{"title":"12\" LP - Black","offer_id":44273116250415,"sku":"SBR3039LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"12\" LP - Metallic Silver","offer_id":44273122246959,"sku":"SBR3039LPC3","price":26.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0261\/5771\/1414\/products\/kekht-arakh-night-love.jpg?v=1780066982"},{"product_id":"kekht-arakh-pale-swordsman-lp","title":"Kekht Arakh 'Pale Swordsman'","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"241\" data-end=\"818\"\u003eExpanding the emotional and sonic framework established on earlier work, 'Pale Swordsman' saw \u003cstrong data-start=\"335\" data-end=\"350\"\u003eKëkht Aräkh\u003c\/strong\u003e moving toward a more atmospheric and restrained expression. Originally released in 2021, the album softened the harsher edges of traditional black metal, drawing inspiration from outside the genre to shape a sound that felt more fluid and introspective. While traces of raw intensity remained, they were increasingly offset by ambient passages, acoustic textures, and fragile melodic structures, creating a careful balance between weight and vulnerability throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"820\" data-end=\"1434\"\u003eAcross the record, \u003cstrong data-start=\"839\" data-end=\"854\"\u003eKëkht Aräkh\u003c\/strong\u003e navigated between opposing forces with a deliberate sense of pacing and contrast. “Night Descends” and “In the Garden” retained elements of black metal urgency, while “Amor,” “Nocturne,” and “Lily” introduced quieter, desolate moments that deepened the album’s melancholic tone. The closing track “Swordsman” distilled its core themes into a poetic and minimal form, pairing spoken word with a subdued piano arrangement. 'Pale Swordsman' unfolded as a conceptual work, where narrative, atmosphere, and emotional contrast merged into a cohesive and immersive listening experience.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sacred Bones Records","offers":[{"title":"12\" LP - Black","offer_id":44273200169263,"sku":"SBR3040LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12\" LP - Metallic Silver","offer_id":44273220780335,"sku":"SBR3040LPC3","price":26.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0261\/5771\/1414\/products\/kekht-arakh-pale-swordsman.jpg?v=1780067203"},{"product_id":"kekht-arakh-morning-star-lp","title":"Kekht Arakh 'Morning Star'","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"730\"\u003eRefining the fragile balance between ferocity and vulnerability that has defined the project since its beginnings, \u003cstrong data-start=\"115\" data-end=\"130\"\u003eKëkht Aräkh\u003c\/strong\u003e reaches new emotional and artistic depths with 'Morning Star'. Recorded between Berlin and Stockholm, the album expands upon Dmitry’s unmistakable blend of raw black metal, melancholic atmosphere, and introspective songwriting. Violent tremolo-driven passages collide with sparse ambient interludes, dreamlike textures, and lo-fi warmth, creating a record that feels equally intimate and vast. The result is a deeply personal work shaped by anxiety, isolation, artistic uncertainty, and emotional transformation, while still carrying the cold spirit and haunting melodies of classic 90s black metal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"732\" data-end=\"1391\"\u003eThroughout the album, \u003cstrong data-start=\"754\" data-end=\"769\"\u003eKëkht Aräkh\u003c\/strong\u003e explores themes of wandering, existential struggle, and longing through tracks like \"Wänderer\", \"Angest\", and \"Three winters away\". Collaborations with Bladee, VS--55, Spöke, and Varg2™ subtly expand the sonic palette, adding abstract electronics, sampling, and ghostly textures without losing the project’s raw emotional core. Reimagined versions of earlier material such as \"Drömsång\" further reinforce the album’s reflective nature, bridging past and present into a cohesive whole. Both immersive and deeply human, 'Morning Star' stands as one of the project’s most refined and emotionally resonant statements to date.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sacred Bones Records","offers":[{"title":"12\" LP - Black","offer_id":53195484430664,"sku":"SBR377LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12\" LP - Black Ice","offer_id":53195495145800,"sku":"SBR377LPC3","price":28.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0261\/5771\/1414\/files\/kekht-arakh-morning-star.jpg?v=1779970597"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0261\/5771\/1414\/collections\/kekht-arakh.jpg?v=1777286403","url":"https:\/\/mondonegro.com\/en-us\/collections\/kekht-arakh.oembed","provider":"Mondo Negro","version":"1.0","type":"link"}