Further splintering the sub-subgenres of
metal,
Melechesh, hailing from Israel, declared itself the exclusive creators of "Mesopotamian
black metal" at its inception in the mid-'90s. Roll your eyes if you must, but second album
Djinn is quite stunning and ambitious, being the band's first collaboration with drummer
Proscriptor (also of lunatic Texans
Absu), who not only cemented
Melechesh's sound with his insanely frantic and precise percussion battery, but also lent the band conceptual focus. Like
Absu,
Melechesh gallops through the ether between
black,
death, and
thrash metal, crafting impressive, tastefully rendered epics chock-full of superb riffs, Middle Eastern melodies, and vocal exchanges varying from a throaty midrange screech to
chanting. Bandleader/guitarist/vocalist
Ashmedi guides the group through ornate, epic arrangements built around odd and memorable melodic themes, the best example being
"Dragon's Legacy," which smartly builds tension with a lush interlude of Middle Eastern buzuq, synth washes, and subtle percussion before unleashing a stellar, speedy
thrash blitzkrieg. Album closer
"The Siege of Iachish" is more anthemic and grandiose, a concise fist-pumper in comparison to lengthy and impressive epics
"Rub the Lantern" and
"A Summoning of Ifrit and Genii." Imagine North Carolina's resident Egyptologists
Nile minus the
grindcore and crossed with
Morbid Angel's Sumerian summonings, and you're in
Melechesh's ballpark,
Djinn reeking of authenticity and conviction as it tackles occult mythology themes without relying on the simple-minded blasphemies paraded by many other bands in the genre. Fans of underground
metal should not let this superb, underappreciated release slip by. ~ John Serba