House of the Black Geminus is the fourth album of the American black metal band Akhlys. After the insane bombardment of their previous album Melinoë (2020) we thought Akhlys had reached out to the ultimate boundaries of extreme atmospheric infused metal music. Well, it seems we have to admit that the band succeeded to find some more space to move forward their black metal borders. The known Akhlys concept of eerie and brutal black metal structures accompanied by esoteric electronics and the furious machinegun like drums of Eoghan (also bass) are still present on their latest recording.
House of the Black Geminus is introduced with overwhelming pumping industrial pulses and high speed guitar riffs that welcome the listener into the newest haunting and diabolical Akhlys-hive. New is the more prominent use of the lead guitar (reminds us a bit of the Swedish blackened death metal band Necrophobic) which add a strange kind of extra tension to the songs. Naas Alcameth’s vocals (also guitars and keys) sound berserk and unearthly in this horrifying demonical ambiance. The colossal track ‘Maze Of The Phobetor’ is maybe the most intensive black metal skull grinder ever written until this day. We got swallowed by a high density wall of riffs and deadly striking vocal work. No need to say that this suffocating killer is one of our favourites on this neck breaking album.
The dark ambient drone track (‘Black Geminus’) provides, somewhere in the middle of the album, a welcome balance to the mind preventing us to cross the rim of this addictive form of insanity. Nox Corvus (guitars) is a new band member on House of the Black Geminus which makes Akhlys now a trio. Our enthusiasm for this album doesn’t tempt us to avoid some slight form of criticism. House of the Black Geminus is a very good album but the dystopian and misanthropic ambiance suffers sometimes under a flirting overproduction that wanders in some parts of the songs. The feeling of entering a room full of active vacuum cleaners is never far away. Nevertheless, Akhlys delivers a mind-blowing album with a pounding rhythm section, creepy keyboard work, lightning-fast guitars and growling, screaming vocals that are out of this world.
