KËKHT ARÄKH Announces New Album Morning Star, Shares "Three Winters Away"

Këkht Aräkh has announced a new full-length album, Morning Star, set for release March 27 via Sacred Bones Records. The record finds the black metal project arriving at what mastermind Dmitry (a.k.a. Crying Orc) describes as his most refined and honest artistic expression to date.

Recorded between Berlin and Stockholm, Morning Star emerged from a period of intense personal and creative growth. The album balances aggressive black metal passages with immersive, textured soundscapes, while the lo-fi warmth of a tape Portastudio gives the music an intimate, analog grit. Melancholic melodies drift through the record, lingering long after the songs end.

Alongside the announcement, Këkht Aräkh has shared a new track, "Three Winters Away," accompanied by a music video.

"This song was written by me in 2024, while I was writing drafts that would eventually become the new album," Dmitry explains. "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."

The song was shaped sonically by VS–55 and Varg2™, who handled sound design and tape-based mastering on a Portastudio, with James Ginzburg (Emptyset, Osmium) completing the final mastering. Lyrically, "Three Winters Away" reflects on the passage of time and the changes Dmitry has experienced since the release of Pale Swordsman in 2021.

"The meaning stays very much open," he says. "It doesn't reveal whether those changes were for better or for worse… leaving space for listeners to interpret the story in their own way."

Originally formed in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Këkht Aräkh has steadily carved out a singular niche within black metal since 2014, blending ferocious extremity with delicate, introspective moments across releases like Through the Branches to Eternity, Night & Love, and Pale Swordsman. That contrast reaches new depth on Morning Star.

Reflecting on the album, Dmitry states: "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."

The album features drums by Jonathan, while Bladee appears on the track "Eternal Martyr," contributing vocals and co-writing lyrics. Though unexpected on paper, the collaboration grew naturally from a shared interest in emotional directness and world-building across genres. Pre-orders are available here.