Oakhelm

Once upon (twice actually) a time I lived in the Bay Area. A veritable mecca of punk, metal, music, activism, queer culture, and spiritual growth.

I hated it.  I couldn't get it together.  I couldn't find a job, make friends, find anywhere that felt like home.  On many days, I could barely muster the energy to leave the house.  Something about the sprawling, grey, crowded East Bay was so alienating and soul destroying for me.  I still think back on it occasionally as one of the most painful periods of my entire life. 

 I guess with every dark night comes a dawn, and with the dim light of hindsight I can kind of see what it was all for now.  Sometimes you have to walk through miles and miles of poisoned landscape, frozen water, and desolation to find out what nourishes the light of your soul. 

Somewhere in those years spent in ruins, I discovered the music of Oakhelm.  Some members' former projects Fall Of The Bastards, and Assuck had been old favorites of mine, so it seemed a logical step to see what they were up to now.

Goddamn, was I in for a treat.  The opening track begins with ghostly howling, and then goes straight into the song proper.  The music that unfolded in my ears was unrelenting, epic, masterful, inspiring.  It is broken up by two, quieter interludes.  I don't really know how to describe the music here.  Epic blackened death metal?  Sure.  It's not all that dissimilar from Fall Of The Bastards, just some more melody, and a little less misanthropy, and more spirituality.  The lyrics are heavily influenced by the Celtic Book Of The Dead, and speak on journeys of the soul to cleanse inner turmoil, which is just I needed at the time.  This record helped me view the place in my life as part of a journey, and not the end, not somewhere I had to be stuck forever, and for that I will always be grateful. 

2011 brought the release of Oakhelm's second full length:  Echtra.  I'm only on my second listen of this record, so I can't speak super clearly about it,   I will say this:  Even on the first track of this record, it's power is undeniable.  There are a whole slew of guest vocalists, and guest musicians who lend even more epic depths to this record.  Again, the title and lyrical content invoke the imagery of epic spiritual journeys through the otherworld.  I haven't gotten the chance to pore over them yet, but I have a feeling this record will be on heavy rotation come winter, and will further aid me in the life long process of healing. 

Thanks y'all. 

Both of these records are available on vinyl.  Go buy the shit out of them. 

Here and Here.