Portland, Oregon band Selqet unveil their debut EP, Blood Moon, a four track saga of crushing atmospheric doom. Named for the scorpion-headed Egyptian goddess of stinging and healing from poisonous stings, Selqet weaves the sweetness of mournful cello soundscapes from Brenna Sahatjian with earth-shaking drums from Aboudi Audi and thunderous, multi modal guitar riffs from Angel Gonzalez. Over it all are the symphonic invocations of vocalist Alessandra Genovese, punctuating ypnotic poetry on grief and transformation with great primordial howls. Fusing elements of doom metal, the heavier sides of shoegaze, and even anarcho-punk, Selqet uses ancient melodies and motifs to conjure new life.
Blood Moon kicks off with the hypnotic image of a shapeshifter in “Martyr,” introducing many signature elements of the band’s sound: reverb-drenched guitars, honey-thick cello lines, episodic song structures, and entrancing vocal spells. The song closes with the refrain “sehid namirin” – martyrs never die – invoking freedom fighters from Kurdistan and beyond. Drawing from elemental symbols of power and change, “Flail and Crook” is a blistering charge against false gods, crescendoing with revolutionary furor before simmering back into a meditative trance guided by Sahatjian’s cello. The percussive “Industrial Lies” unearths the natural splendor lost to industrial capitalism before reaching deeper for a seismic vengeance, finding a cacophonous groove. Finally, “Persimmons” lays the EP to rest with the explosive grief of a summer storm, but Genovese’s lyrics find hope in what lies below. “I seek not / to disturb the earth beneath me / not to crack the scrim of morning’s frozen dew / spears of grass / green plaited hair on her back / this, the earth, a most elegant cemetery,” she sings, gesturing to the subterranean world where water begins to nourish the roots.
Recorded and mixed by Sina Youssefzadeh and mastered by Joel Grind in Portland, Oregon, Blood Moon is a towering new take on transcendental doom and symphonic metal, sowing seeds and birthing new worlds. The first week of sales from Bandcamp go to Middle East Children’s Alliance.
[Written by Karly Quadros]
