Imha Tarikat (Turkish for “Destruction Sect”) are a young Turkish-German black metal duo attempting something rather unusual – and succeeding. What do I mean by that? I’ll tell you in a bit. For starters I’d just like to say the following: While it might seem obvious that musicians shape their music in dependence of their influences and their reality, the challenge is of a much grander scale if you’re trying to bring together divergent stimuli. Where some would say “It can’t be done,” this duo from Germany is saying “Let’s do it.”
Reading the reviews to Imha Tarikat’s first album Kara Ihlas (Engl.: Black Purity, Vendetta Records, 2019), you can almost picture some of the reviewers scratching their heads while writing their pieces, unsure where to place the album and what to think of it – and thereby showing their prejudices. A black metal album from Germany, with Turkish song titles, with lyrics in English, German and Turkish, drawing inspiration form the Quran? What’s that? How does all of that fit together?
Of course, my fellow scribes might be forgiven, since black metal is not exactly known for trying to bridge the cultural gap between the East and the West. Nevertheless, that is exactly what Imha Tarikat are trying to do – at least a little bit. And once you’ll give the album a listen you will hear that this is not just a fake, made-up goal. There is lifeblood invested here. The result is an authentic piece of music – something many bands strife for in vain.
The duo’s mastermind, responsible for the band’s song writing, is Ruhsuz Cellât (Soulless Executioner), in real life Kerem Yilmaz, a multi-instrumentalist, who will impress you not only with his guitar playing, but also with his vocal abilities. That said, the performance of the other band member, drummer Philipp Wende, is nothing less impressive. There is no shortage of guitar wizardry on Sternenberster, but neither is there a scarcity of furious drumming assaults.
Essentially, Imha Tarikat play punk-infused black metal. Their music is melodic, speedy, and exploding with energy. A “black metal supernova”, as the label’s press info puts it. The vocals on Sternenberster are screamed and of a guttural, passionate nature. The lyrics, in German, are well-written and inspired by psychoanalysis and dream interpretation, including a touch of the occult. A passage with acoustic guitar at the end of Brand am Firmament nicely hints at the Orient.
While the combination of punk and black metal and even oriental tunes is not new, the whole package here is what makes the difference. What I like best about Imha Tarikat’s new album is that you can hear where the band is coming from – in every sense of the way. Although at first glance it might seem that their influences don’t combine, the band formed them into a comprehensive whole. I can hear cult-status German punk bands like Oma Hans in Imha Tarikat’s sound and I think that’s fantastic.
Sternenberster won me over instantly. Imha Tarikat have a bright future ahead of them and Prophecy Productions have secured an outstanding band. Don’t be among the last to find out.
(9/10 Slavica)
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