MELINOE BY NAAS ALCAMETH
Akhlys is the name of a rather obscure Greek mythological figure. There are only a few surviving passages that tell us about Akhlys. She was a personification of misery and was associated with the Keres and the Moirai. Some later sources place her as the primordial night before creation which would associate her with the goddess Nyx. The name itself relays the idea of the misting over of the eyes upon death, the “death-mist”. I was immediately fascinated by this figure when I read about her years ago. I felt it personified this absolutely bleak and terrible spirit upon the transitional limit of life and death, something that I have been very fascinated with. I also found an appeal in how obscure this figure is due to the lack of surviving sources, which tends to keep such characters forever in the periphery, elusive and never to be entirely understood.
While I have drawn on much of the same inspiration as before, ‘Melinoe’ has a spirit all its own, so one should not expect ‘Dreaming I’ part two but a further development. The atmosphere is dense and shifts between majestic and terrifying. A lot of territories is covered within the 46-minute duration.
As far as style, I have always loved the “wall of sound” approach in black metal. Individual lines for the guitars and bass, all layered in interesting ways with the keyboards and ambient passages tends to create an oppressive density to it all and leaves much to be explored even after several listens. The influences of my teen years, early Emperor and such, is largely responsible for this approach, which I have built my style upon and adapted over these many years. As far as ‘Melinoe’ I could not pinpoint one specific outside influence musically. More than I have had this ever-evolving vision that I have been chasing which serves as the inspiration.
Black metal simply speaks to me more than other genres. The darkness, the cold and vast atmospheres, are all very conducive to a deeper contemplative mindset, which is something I have always found value in. For me, black metal is the expression of the mystery of darkness and all it invokes, all the forms and permutations it arises as, and the personal connection I feel with such things.
The subject matter within Akhlys all revolves around dreams and certain inexplicable occurrences that are related to sleep, all from an esoteric standpoint. Esoteric studies and practice, ancient history, folklore, well-written horror, these are all of interest to me.
Truthfully the Dark Arts, it is quite the loaded term and one I do not use. If we are talking about occult beliefs or practices that are “dark” or have an adversarial or sinister component, certainly, I am acquainted.
www.facebook.com/pages/Akhlys/1512419082356682
