Imha Tarikat: Kara Ihlas (2019)

Imha Tarikat (and no, I don't know what that means) is a German black metal band.  Despite Germany's impressive history in various metal genres (heavy, speed, power and thrash in particular), there is not nearly as much black metal that has made an impression on me.  There are definitely a number of bands that I have enjoyed (Dark Fortress, Bethlehem, etc.), but compared to the country's other scenes, there is not quite as much representation in black metal.

Apparently, Imha Tarikat has Turkish roots and takes some measure of influence from the Quran, which is definitely an unusual lyrical theme in metal, in particular the often anti-religious black metal.  But apart from having song titles in Turkish, there is not really much to set this album apart from most other black metal.  I would expect some Middle Eastern folk music elements or chanting, or something, but there is not really anything of the sort here.

None of this is to say that the music itself is disappointing.  Musically, Imha Tarikat derives a lot of influence from the nastier moments of Norwegian groups like Darkthrone (A Blaze in the Northern Sky) or Enslaved (Frost), although almost exclusively the relative bands' obviously black metal output.  The band is a duo consisting of a singer/guitarist and a drummer.  Most of the riffs are pretty standard for black metal, and the drumming is fairly typical as well.  The most interesting aspects are the frequent blazing solos and the harsh, yelled vocals.

I actually really enjoy this release, even though it really is not ground-breaking.  It is a fairly safe black metal album with some great songs and terrific riffs.  Just because it does not break the mold does not mean that it is bad by any stretch.  There is a lot of talent here and this is the band's first full-length.  I look forward to hearing more from Imha Tarikat.