Akolyth | Ecstatic Kingdom | Amor Fati

 

Release Date: 8 October 2025

Format: CD/LP

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Belgium

Akolyth first appeared in 2020 with their self-titled debut through Amor Fati Productions, instantly surrounding themselves with mystery. No photos, no visible members, no interviews, just a cloud of ritualistic black metal energy. Their sound was dark, repetitive, and spiritual in a way that leaned toward trance rather than melody. Over time, the name Akolyth became known among listeners of obscure European black metal for its distant production and haunting presence. “Ecstatic Kingdom” arrives five years later, keeping the same shroud of anonymity but deepening the descent into their hostile and devotional world.

 “Ecstatic Kingdom” continues Akolyth’s descent into raw and ritual-heavy black metal. The album sounds distant and buried, as if recorded in a cavern where the instruments echo off damp stone walls. This raw production turns the music into something less human, more like a ceremony overheard from far away. The guitars blur into a steady stream of noise, while the drums crash and pound in a steady, hypnotic rhythm. Vocals emerge like distorted chants, thick with reverb, never trying to dominate the mix but becoming another part of the sound’s chaos.

Across the album’s long compositions, Akolyth sustains a bleak and trance-like energy. “A Black Torch” sets the ritual in motion. The title track “Ecstatic Kingdom” drags the listener into a darker pit, its structure building around repeating guitar lines that twist through the fog. “To Grow, Flourish And Conquer” gives the sense of a march toward destruction, its pacing relentless and ritualistic. Finally, “Without Light” closes the album in nearly fifteen minutes of suffocating black metal repetition that feels like a final descent into total void.

The album has an atmosphere that belongs to the early days of black metal but Akolyth handles it with genuine intent. There’s no warmth, no softness, only cold devotion to darkness. This isn’t an easy listen. It asks for patience, even surrender, but that’s the point. The production’s muffled texture turns the aggression inward, making it less about attack and more about immersion. Listeners who search for melody or technical flourish will find little here, while those who prefer an experience that consumes everything else around them will understand its strange pull. “Ecstatic Kingdom” exists in its own shadow, raw and unwavering. It expands what Akolyth began with their debut but stays firmly within their cryptic territory, dark, and unrelenting.

Score: 6.0

akolyth.bandcamp.com 
www.amor-fati-productions.de  
amorfatiproductions.bandcamp.com  
www.facebook.com/amorfatiprod