Bladee, Varg2™, and more to appear on upcoming Këkht Aräkh album, Morning Star

Dmitry Marchenko's first release under the moniker Këkht Aräkh arrived in 2018 with his EP Through the Branches to Eternity, followed by his debut album Night & Love released in the same year, and Pale Swordsman, which dropped in 2021. Today, he shares a new cut from the upcoming record, "Three winters away".

Speaking about the track, Marchenko explains: "This song was written by me in 2024, while I was writing drafts that would eventually become the new album. I recorded all of the instruments myself except for the drums, which were recorded by my friend Jonathan (Spira Me, Vanskapth, Olycka) in spring 2025, along with his drumming for all the other songs on the new album. The recordings took place between the cities of Berlin and Stockholm. The soundscape was shaped by VS--55 and Varg2™, who did the sound design / mastering on a tape Portastudio (for this song and for the whole upcoming record). The final mastering work was done by James Ginzburg (Emptyset, Osmium).

"The song’s lyrics show me reflecting on changes in my life since 2021, when my previous album Pale Swordsman was released, as well as reflecting on the passage of time and the changes it brings. That said, the meaning still stays very much open. “Three winters away from my old life I look back and I smile”, one line says. It doesn’t reveal whether those changes were for better or for worse. The following lyrics suggest doubt, leaving space for listeners to interpret the story in their own way."

While VS--55 and Varg2™ are featured on "Three winters away", Bladee also appears on Morning Star include Bladee, having co-written and contributed vocals to unreleased track "Eternal martyr", with collaborators serving as an important part of shaping Morning Star. Speaking about the album, Marchenko comments: “This album was created at a point where I’m more skillful as an artist, with a much clearer sense of my own sound than in my earlier work. It explores a different emotional palette - rawer, more honest, and more personal. On this record, I feel more like myself than ever before.”

Morning Star tracklist

"Wänderer"
"Castle"
"Lament"
"Genom sorgen (ft. VS--55)"
"Angest"
"Mörker över mörker"
"Three winters away"
"Drömsång"
"Raven king"
"Vigil"
"Eternal martyr (ft. Bladee)"
"Trollsång (ft. Spöke)"
"Land av evig natt l"
"Land av evig natt ll"
"Gates"
"Morning star"
"Outro (ft. Varg2™)"