Imagine for a second that Enthrone Darkness Triumphant-era Dimmu Borgir or Old Man’s Child leaned a little more into Egyptian history, myths, and legends.  Then you would have Germany’s Maahes.

Maahes is an ancient Egyptian lion-headed god of war, protection, and the weather, and Nechacha, their second album, is an Egyptian symbol of dominion held by pharaohs and gods. However, despite all that going on, this doesn’t beat you over the head with Nile-esque instrumentation or atmospheres, staying well within the realm of 90s Symphonic Black metal’s sound, although there is a Middle Eastern influence here and there.

Regardless, Nechacha is a solid effort that I thoroughly enjoyed and has some standout moments amid its hour-long-ish runtime. There are 8 songs listed, then a couple of bonus tracks and a hidden track, which is a bit convoluted, but all are good tracks.

“Magic Slave” and “The Resurrection” open things up, and you immediately feel the Dimmu and OMC influence in the riffs, synths, production, and vocals (as well as their costumes). Horus has the requisite black metal rasp, and the synths of Osiris are epic, yet understated, being not quite as obtuse or theatrical as Dimmu, but when they do appear, they are effective.

For example, “Lord of the Underworld”, “Morbid Love”  or standout track “The Crown and the Sceptre”  which has a really killer keyboard and choral bridge, and moodier “Keeper of the Secrets”, they never go full bombast, but they are there and effective.

The two bonus tracks, “Patron Saint of Pharohs” (which does lean into more Middle Eastern sounds), more fierce “Medusa”, and the 7 minute ‘hidden’ track “Nephthys Tears” (a previously released single), deserve more than being tacked on, as all three are good, especially after the album has already had a song called ‘Outro’ before them.

A solid addition to the autumn of 2025’s solid symphonic black metal offerings from the likes of Old Machines, Gjallahorn’s Wrath, Achathras, Carach Angren, Argesk, Rotting Demise, Echoes of Gloom, Execrari, and Withering Soul.

[Visit the band's website]

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