Arkaik - Labyrinth Of Hungry Ghosts

Man - this might be the big one. Five years since the release of their last album, Arkaik are back with full length #6, Labyrinth Of Hungry Ghosts. Few bands persevere for 18 years as Arkaik have, fewer still have the creative juices to crank out 6 albums. Nevertheless here we are and we have one of the best things Arkaik has ever done. This record, Pac-Man references aside, is some of the tightest and most impressive tech death that I have heard all year and any way you slice it, it's a massive step forward for these masters of the genre.

The performances here are busy and gloriously technical. angular playing dominates with punchy grooves and a sonic assault that has clearly been honed over the past five years. It's a truly special album and one that I feel continually speaks to just how talented this band is. There is a real sense of high powered guitar wizardry that helps to make this record fun too. Songs like "Wayward Opulence" with their high powered guitar histrionics are a blast and the rhythm section assault makes for something truly exciting. The vocal performances are on a wholly different level now. If nothing else, frontman Jared Christianson has really brought one of his best performances on this album. 

This music is athletic and fun, tech death for the modern age, dedicated to flying faster than over the top and going for the throat. Labyrinth Of Hungry Ghosts is a masterful offering that speaks to the state of tech death today. The band is aggressive and over the top, hungry for blood but really wonderfully cleanly executing on Labyrinth Of Hungry Ghosts. This album is a stunner and I will eagerly revisit it. Thoughtful and potent, this is a wonderful next step for the band. If you're going to listen to one tech death record this year, this should be it.

Pre-order the album!

https://www.theartisanerastore.com/collections/arkaik

https://arkaikband.bandcamp.com/album/labyrinth-of-hungry-ghosts