Nechochwen - Azimuths to the Otherworld

Nechochwen - Azimuths to the Otherworld

Just a quick one to recommend this amazing neofolk-tinged US black metal project. I've been meaning to post something on here about this little beauty for a while now, and if it happens to have passed you by then I hope this acts as a prompt to dig around for a copy. The two chaps behind Nechochwen hail from West Virginia and have a shared fascination in Native American history and heritage. This has inspired them to create an epic hour long fourteen track journey into the ancient history of the noble story of two factions of these fascinating people - the Adena and Hopewell - occupants of the Ohio River valley 3000-1300 years ago. Archaeology has gleaned that these people were responsible for vast and impressive earthworks and mounds that were aligned to the sun and the moon using astrology and a (not fully understood) unit of measurement as well as hallucinogens and rituals to enable these structures to act as space ships for the souls of passed ancestors.

Just how passionate these two men are for this ancient history and these mysterious folk is evidenced in the emotion and energy imbued in the album, which via lengthy song structures and a potent use of cathartic release achieves the rare feat of working only as a whole piece. The magnificent sound is realised through a potent combination of raw sounding, expertly produced black metal, combined with some really beautiful acoustic passages. So, sit down, plug in and be taken away to the Otherworld.

A phenomenal achievement, and another extremely.