Nechochwen - Azimuths to the Otherworld

[audio: NECHOCHWEN_ATC.mp3]
[audio: NECHOCHWEN_ATTO.mp3]

Using European music to explore Native American concepts might seem rich. But Aaron Carey is one of the few who could pull it off. He’s part European and part Native American. As Nechochwen, which means “walks alone”, he utilizes both sides of his ancestry in Azimuths to the Otherworld (Bindrune, 2010).

Carey is classically trained in guitar, and teaches music at various schools. He’s also played metal in Angelrust and Harvist. These two sides converge on Azimuths, which is about half acoustic and half metal. The metal is black metal-tinged, sometimes slowing down for majestic pagan metal. If Nechochwen were a full band, it could easily play alongside Agalloch or Wolves in the Throne Room.

A lot of folk metal has this acoustic/electric dynamic. But Carey’s acoustic chops are so advanced that the sum total is much more dynamic than usual. (He also wields a Native American flute for a haunting interlude.) He strums, he picks, he weaves lines that ripple and flow. Recorded with woody, natural sound, they sound like a living thing.

This is apt, as Carey is exploring the Native American concept of death in terms of passage to “the otherworld”. He has a particular fascination with burial mounds. Like Nile’s albums, each track has an accompanying historical essay in the liner notes. Unlike Nile’s albums, however, Carey has a personal connection to his subject material. He’s part historian and part normal guy tracing a family history that European invasion mostly bulldozered.

Azimuths is both towering and humbling. As music, it is one of the most unique visions ever realized. As artifact, it is a reminder of borrowing. We live on land that is often “borrowed” from others. We like to think that we own our time, but it is “borrowed” from forces greater than us. Carey has tapped these forces with respect and skill.

Amazon (CD)
Nechochwen (CD)
Bindrune Recordings (CD)
Interview with Nechochwen