AHET MERI RA

Even as a listener and reviewer that is quite well-versed in the music and career of Russian experimental artist Senmth, this particular project blows my mind. It is not necessarily as a result of the music- which is not far from the typical Senmuth ordeal- but rather a matter of the sheer expanse of this one project. For a musician that has released nearly countless albums with this and other projects, the fact that even one of his albums would be lengthy is quite impressive. Now, the fact that this album 'Akhet Meri Ra' is three and a half hours long and comprises four discs is something that is both unbelievably ambitious, and more daunting than just about anything else you're going to find in metal. With a length and span that rivals most epic films, Senmuth's 57th album depicts the history of Ancient Egypt, through a heavy and symphonic form of metal. However, despite being arguably Senmuth's most ambitious project yet, the music ultimately fails to be interesting throughout, and lacks the diversity and dynamic needed to warrant such a time investment.

In terms of the music here, this is certainly one of Senmuth's heavier efforts. The music relies on simple, but crushingly distorted and downtuned guitar chords, with a host of different vocalists singing overtop. Stylistically, this is very similar to Senmuth's metal masterpiece 'Sebek', but lacks the same feeling of freshness and intention to it. Instead, while none of the music here is 'bad', there is the sense even twenty minutes into this leviathan, that things sound far too much the same. Along with the typically metal instruments are plenty of ethnic and pseudo-orchestral (computer generated) symphonic arrangements, that tie in the music with the theme and concept.

Vocally, there are at least four different voices that can be heard here. Along with the inconsistent delivery of Senmuth mastermind Valery Av himself, there are the death metal growls of one named Lefthander, the familiar operatic vocals of Annie Red Hat, and the male tenor voice of Eresh. While Senmuth's collaborative vocalists have been generally pretty hit-or-miss in the past, the guest stars here are all quite good, with Eresh especially adding a good deal to his parts with a smooth and melodic voice.

'Akhet Meri Ra' is certainly one of the more noteworthy Senmuth albums, for the sheer fact of how vast it is. On a musical level, things are fairly good, although a lack of variety can make the entire three and a half hours quite a chore to listen through. As it stands however, anyone looking for a truly 'epic' project to consume their afternoon or evening might want to look into the album.

This monumental effort signs a return to the industrial metal of Cognitive Discord with growling, distortion kits and all the accessories that Senmuth has made his public familiar with.

From a musical point of view it's all in those few rows. Nothing too different from the usual Senmuth, even if an improvement respect to the debuts is clearly evident, both in the songwriting and the execution. I say so because the music of this Akhet Meri Ra is of the same kind of that on Cognitive DIscord and also to Bark of Ra, so I can see the difference.

CD 1 After a short intro we have a hymn to Narmer, a Pharaoh who more than 3000 years ago unified the south and the north of Egypt. It's followed by an instrumental that features a female unmentioned vocalist. "Osiris-Orion" is another sort of hymn. The vision of Orion opens the path to the "Duat", the Egyptian underworld. The esotheric lyrics fit very well with the mixture of heavy guitar. Another mythological growled hymn is the one dedicated to Meritneyt, the first ruling queen of Egypt. This is a complex track with a central section that's melodic and features again a soprano. A very good track both in the metal and in the melodic segments. Mehet Urt is one of the incarnations of Nut, Goddess of the sky. "Illuminating the Earth Rays, Banishing the Dark Nights". It's light a prayer but it's growled. An interesting instrumental whose title means "Land Consolidation", then Imhotep, the Great Architect Who came to the World. Another hymn composed by Senmuth and Lefthander on which both sing. It can be considered a Tenochtitlan's song. Then CD1 is gone.

CD 2 Sokar(Seker) is a god shaped as a falcon coming from Memphis(not the same as Elvis of course). It's an instrumental opener that's followed by the growled "The Look of Djoser", a Pharaoh. The lyrics are about a silent necropolis in the desert. "Serapeum. The Cult of Apis" starts as a slow ethnic instrumental then the industrial noise grows gradually. A good track with some passages in the middle very unusual for Senmuth. It's about the trasmigration from the Serapeum to the Duat. Death in a word. An ethnic instrumental then "Sehemet. The mystery of Saqqara". Sehemet is the egyptian rite of marriage and Saqqara is a necropolis. Ethnic and dark. "Snephru, son of Neb Maat and father of Cheopes is the subject of the next song. on which we hear some acoustic guitar and a good bass line behind the growl. The dance ritual of the priestess of Hathor is an ethnic slow instrumental. A bit of relax between all this metal. Snephru's wife, Hetepheres "the Dreaming" closes the second CD with a heavy but melodic instrumental. Not bad but very common in Senmuth's discography. The soprano work is remarkable.

CD 3 Khufu (Cheopes) Horizon is another hymn. This is a piece of what the growler says: "The power of granite walls Will see the East and West Over the top - Orion Underfoot - Horizon". A quite nice instrumental about a pyramid secret chamber (Upuata) and there's another combined effort of Senmuth and Lefthander: Temple of Isis. Slow powerful metal and growl. Following there's the Confession of sins in the hall of Maat. Just a ritual sentence over hell's noises and percussions. One of the darkest moments of the whole boxset. One of the sons of Khufu is the "rebel Radzhedef", quite a death metal track. Screamed, more than growled and with some good guitar. I think it's the first time that I hear Senmuth tapping. The following instrumental is entitled "Roads of Rostand". I haven't found any info about it, however this is a typical Senmuth's ethnic track based on sitar and arabian instruments. The next track has the lyrics written by some "Anacephal" and is a bit different from the others. More symphonic, it's a sort of prayer to thank Ra of the path of Hordzhedefa, whatever it means. The melodic line of this song is of a level higher than most of the others. The melodic instrumental "Khentkaus In the Shining of Sopdet" closes the CD3

CD4 It' sopened by a hymn to Userkaf, the founder of the fifth dynasty. A very dark track on which the fusion of ethnic and metal is well mixed. "The Great Flood of the Sacred River" has few lyrics and is powerful. With Unas ascending to Orion a God the fifth dinasty is closed. A funeral metal hymn. The ambient instrumental "In the place of Eternal Rest" is a natural follow-up. More of this stuff, please. From the same place a number of Gods have to arise, evoked by, I think, Lefthander's voice. Anacephal writes the lyrics of the following track. It's interesting what Wikipedia says: "The Maxims of Ptahhotep or Instruction of Ptahhotep is an ancient literary work attributed to Ptahhotep, a vizier under King Isesi of the Egyptian Fifth Dynasty (ca. 2414-2375 BC). It is a collection of maxims and advice in the sebayt genre on human relations, that are directed to his son" A bit screamed, maybe. A pharoah is assassinated and his wife Neytikert claims the revenge and ashes...well the music is mellow respect to the album's standard. There's sadness more than rage. "Dawn Falcon" is evocative. The lyrics are written by Estelle who also sings. "Song of the Harper in the House of Atef" is one of the longest tracks and one on which Senmuth seems to have spent more composing effort. Atef is a regal crown, not a person. The lyrics are from Anacephal and I don't know who is responsible of the baritonal clean singing. One of the best album's songs. Even with few lyrics, "Magnificence of the Tsars, Posthumous Ritual" can be considered an instrumental. It closes the album, ot's the longest track but it's nothing special, I would have preferred the previous track as closer.

This is an ambitious project, quite an esotheric essay about the Egyptian history, but from a musical point of view the tracks are not connected enough. I mean that without reading the lyrics (translated by Google in my case) it's not possible guessing that there's a concept behind. It contains some very good tracks but is sometimes repetitive and boring. Those two faces are almost balanced, so in the end I can say that it's a good album. Challenging for its duration but that can surely appeal a metal fan. A journey through the darkness.