It’s been a long and heavy journey for Ahamkara since the release of their debut album, and, until now, only recorded material, The Embers of the Stars. Vocalist Steve Black passed away in 2015, shortly after the album was released, and Ahamkara didn’t release anything new… until today.
The band’s lineup has changed some, with Austin Lunn (Panopticon) stepping behind the drum kit alongside original keyboardist Alexandra Blenkarn-Durning and guitarist Michael Blenkarn, who also handles vocals on their new album, The Harrow of the Lost.
“Following ten years of silence after the release of their debut album The Embers of the Stars and the untimely death of vocalist Steven, Ahamkara return with a new lineup and new album The Harrow of the Lost, an unflinching exploration of the transformative nature of grief,” Ahamkara tell Decibel in a statement.
“An emotionally charged and fiercely personal record, The Harrow of the Lost takes the Ahamkara sound in a more complex and tormented direction, encompassing existential rage, nihilistic despair and all in between. Both rawer and more organic in sound, intensified by the electrifying drum work of new member Austin Lunn (Panopticon), and scaling greater peaks of Emperial ambition than ever before, the album integrates the expansive reach of the Cascadian black metal sound with the densely detailed savagery of classic Emperor and the aching melancholy of early Anathema to produce a deeply involving journey of genre-transcending atmospheric metal. Completed by a heartfelt and uncompromising vocal performance from founder member Michael and the nuanced, evocative synth work of Alexandra (also of labelmates Nemorous), this is a journey into the scorched earth landscapes of bereavement that no follower of the Bindrune family should miss.”
Alongside the album announcement comes new song “Our Scars Shall Abide in the Thaw.” It is every bit as emotional and impressive as described, and you can listen to it below. The Harrow of the Lost is out on April 25, 2025 via Bindrune, with a limited number of European copies available via Nordvis.
The Harrow of the Lost by Ahamkara
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