Hutch checks out the long awaited debut album from up and coming UK Melo-death superstars.. Akilla!

It’s been brewing for some time, but finally, the debut release from Akilla is ready, and it’s an album well worth the wait. The four-piece bring a fresh take on melodic death metal, and it’s certainly an album that should be of interest if you are a fan of the likes of Dark Tranquility, Rotting Christ, Insomnium etc.  

Time has allowed Akilla to craft their talent, and the eight songs that are presented over 46 minutes work equally well in tandem or individually. However, like most metal music, ‘The Gods Have Spoken’ works best when listened to in full. It flows naturally, the organic style of the band impressive. From the opening track ‘Winds of Winter’, through to ‘Echo’, which closes the album, there is ample to explore, enjoy, and return to again and again.  

Yes, there is only so much room for a melodic death metal band to turn, but Akilla do it incredibly well. There is a vibrant groove to ‘Winds of Winter’, which is the ideal opener and scene setter. As soon as the music starts, you can immerse yourself into the songs in a deep manner. ‘Winds of Winter’ is majestic, impressing more as it develops, the sheer chasmic size of the band’s sound one of the key components. Aided by an excellent production, the album mixed by Akilla, with drum recording and mastering by Jack Helliwell at DC Studios. 

Ross Wilson’s vocals are typical of the genre, rough, throaty roars and gravel-soaked growls that work alongside the dual guitars of Wilson and fellow shredder David Hill (known to many from his other band Elimination). With Ginger Taylor and Kathryn Hailes anchoring the rhythm section, it’s a foundation which is both cohesive and impressive. Hailes’ pulsing bass lines are particularly distinctive, driving forward alongside the clever use of synths on tracks like lead single Serpent and Son.  

It’s unsurprising that Akilla are proud of this album. They have worked hard to craft and create the sonic soundscapes which draw you in. At times, the sweeping movements are breath-taking, almost cinematic in tone and style.  Dive into ‘Blood and Bone’, and you could be forgiven for believing this was the cream of the Swedish scene, such is the quality that this band deliver.  

There are many highlights, each song bringing something special to the album. But Akilla save the best to last. The 7:45 of ‘Echo’ demonstrates that the band can do epic in the most majestic of styles. It’s a stunning track, huge in sound and with sweeping, soaring movements that engage in the most impressive way. It’s rightly placed as the grand finale; such is the grandiose way it ebbs and flows.  

The band’s press release tells of the graft that has been put into ‘The Gods Have Spoken’. “After 4 years in the making, we are so happy to finally be on the verge of releasing our debut album ‘The Gods Have Spoken’. The reception we have had on the road this last year has been nothing short of incredible. It has been a long journey with a lot of changes along the way, but we’ve worked our asses off and incredibly proud of this album”. They should be rightly proud, for it is an album that will stand alongside the best of 2023, and one that should be added to the playlist come release day.  

Available in physical and digital formats and due for release on 2nd June 2023 Pre Order Physical & Merch HERE