Country of origin:Germany
Location:Berlin
Status:Active

Formed in:2007
Genre:Ambient/Atmospheric Black Metal
Lyrical themes:Astronomical objects, Space
Current label:Self Mutilation Services
Years active:2007-present
The album Omega Cen is not an official release, but it contains 8 unreleased early versions of Alrakis songs, many of which appear re-recorded on the debut album, Alpha Eri.

DISCOGRAPHY

Alpha Eri Full-length 2011
Echoes from η Carinae Full-length 2018

current line up

A1V All instruments, Vocals (2007-present)
See also: Silent Thoughts, ex-Finster, Subtyp AH1N1, Waldlandreich, ex-Adalwolf, ex-Tales of Emptyness, ex-Кровь Рода

PAST MEMBERS

Mahr Piano, Vocals
See also: Lethargie, Morok, Steingrab, ex-Nargis
(N.) Guitars (2015-?)
See also: Epiphanie, Eurythmie, Shroud of Distress, Silent Thoughts, Unjoy, ex-Faulen, ex-Suffering in Solitude, ex-Vargsvinter, ex-Aegrotationis, ex-Grauzeit, ex-Oppressive Light, ex-Förtvivlan

reviews

I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that. - 38%
Wilytank, April 15th, 2018

When it comes to bare bones basic air conditioner atmo-black metal, I'm puzzled how one album or band can stand out as better than the others and why one of those is Alpha Eri by Alrakis. The only real thing that sets this apart from the Summoning clones is the aesthetic. Other than that, the black metal component is nothing more than 35 minutes or so of fuzz. This is followed by 20 minutes of admittedly pretty sounding ambient music, but that's not enough to salvage this boring album.

The guitar work that comprises the first two thirds of this album is the same tremolo strumming that pervades through tracks 2 through five. It's accompanied by slow paced drums, a layer of keyboard, and some inoffensive basic black metal vocals. It sounds cool for the first stretch of "M20", but once you realize there's hardly variance it just turns into a big chore to get through. There's some sample thrown in near the start of "Sternenstaub" in an attempt to sound desolate with some higher sounding lead guitar thrown in when the twanging starts up again soon afterward, but these things don't help. Funnily, the album doesn't really get interesting to listen to until the black metal elements are cut out completely once "NGC 6611" leaving some very pleasant sounding space ambient from here until the end of the album, and yet the fact that this is at the end of all that preceding boredom just doesn't make it feel worth the perseverance.

This album is like finding a small nugget of gold inside a landfill. I do like good ambient material and that's what stops me from completely despising this album, but I'm going to give a weird look to anyone pushing Alpha Eri as a worthwhile black metal release. And I especially find it bizarre that people draw comparisons to Darkspace from Alrakis. The only thing that brings these two bands together is the spacey theme. Other than that, Alpha Eri is slow, sad sounding, has pretty keys, and is overall boring; all qualities that are not shared by Darkspace. Alrakis's atmospheric black ambient style was done better by Midnight Odyssey before Alpha Eri was even released. Go listen to that stuff instead.

WANDERING THROUGH DEEP SPACE - 96%
CosmicCult, March 31st, 2017
Written based on this version: 2011, CD, Self Mutilation Services (Limited edition, A5 digipak)
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When it comes to cosmic black metal, Alrakis and Darkspace are the first bands that usually come to people's mind. Probably not the precursors of this subgenre, but definitely they are one of the standouts within it. While Darkspace displays a very aggressive and harsh style, venturing in the horrors and chaos of deep space, these German prefer to focus in the immensity and desolation of the unexplored universe.

In "Alpha Aeri", A1V majestically combines the basic elements of ambient black metal with drone synths to create a space atmosphere without comparison. Not only that synth mastery is Alraki's seal of identity but also the key to its success in providing the listener such an awesome and fulfilling experience.

The vocals are not the highlight of this album; they are effective, but nothing special. It is unlikely for me to like a band with an average vocal register (especially when it comes to black metal), but in this case, it is completely justified as they are meant to merge with the melody instead of standing out. The production is quite good, maybe A1V could have improved it a little bit, but hey! Black metal and a crystal clear production is an oxymoron.

The tracks come as a whole, not as a part; they have been meticulously placed in terms of efficiency so an alteration in the order wouldn’t have as much effectiveness. To some people this album may seem a bit repetitive as there isn't much pace and melody variation between the pieces of music, but to me that is the charm of "Alpha Aeri" a Magnum Opus within this subgenre.

Having said that, I can tell that my favourite songs (if I had to pick some) are "Gas und Staub zwischen den Sternen" and "M20". The first, being instrumental, is the most epic, evolving and captivating piece of the album; nearly ten minutes of melancholic slow-paced riffs interacting with very trance-like synths that perfectly capture the essence of this one-man project. The second one is one of the few that have vocals in it and is, without losing the album’s tendency, the purest yet depressing "black metal" song of them all.

This is a stunning debut album. A mesmerizing soundtrack to nothingness and a journey to the unknown. A perfect way to escape from the mundane world. Ambient/atmospheric black metal at its highest extent.

The beauty of loneliness in space - 90%
Urnoev, April 10th, 2014

While listening to atmospheric black metal releases, I do not often feel the sorrow transported with the music, which is intended most of the time, of course. It certainly is very prominent on this one, though. Sorrow can be chained together with other emotions like hate, envy, frustration, and loneliness, which makes it not very easy to listen to this stuff, but also gives it an indescribable beauty. And Alrakis manages to bring this combination of two seemingly opposite feelings to damn near perfection. And this one word just mentioned summarizes the album quite good: loneliness. An atmosphere is created where you can flow around in an endless universe with nothing but the stars around you... and it actually works for me.

Now, this is accomplished by a few simple, but effective choices made in the creation of this piece of art, the most significant being the use of long, stretched synthesizer sounds and slow, repetitive drumming, together with quite unimpressive, but professionally executed black metal riffs, so one might feel the endlessness and the lack of other things around you, an unpretentious, but effective style. Nothing is overly intrusive as these elements come and go naturally with each other.

The vocals are harsh and hardly understandable, as if someone would cry and shout in despair somewhere between here and nowhere in space. This is the way it should be and it fits the atmosphere well, although they could have been integrated better since they seem to overlap with other parts of the music. The lyrics, of course, surround the main theme - space - and contribute to the overall emotion of loneliness. And finally even the production is good...very good, considering this is a debut album of a band consisting of one member only.

The album is structured in seven long songs, each of them interesting in itself, but worthless without the others. Do not get me wrong, I only think the overall experience would lack some of its impact. When single tracks are listened to, you should take some time, sit down, and listen to this whole thing at once in order to maximize the enjoyment. This is also the reason why it is impossible to name a favourite track. The beginning felt a bit weird the first time I heard it, but was also fascinating, so wait and prepare for the sudden invasion that will convince you, no doubt. And when the two last atmospheric songs come and the music fades out, you will feel lonely, but also satisfied.

If I would have to name some flaws, it would be nothing but the already mentioned and one thing - as tempting and good this album might is, it is nothing really special or original in any sense. There are no huge surprises and no phenomenal or outstanding compositions, just a perfect mixture of the aforementioned emotions.

And this is what Alpha Eri seems to be all about.

Space and Atmosphere? Space and Atmosphere. - 99%
IndividualThought, March 8th, 2012

Alrakis is a German one-man band that plays an amazing amalgamation of ambient music and atmospheric black metal. His first album, "Alpha Eri", just might be the epitome of ambient black metal, for this is one of the best albums I've heard, ever. The atmosphere this album gives off is like no other. It actually makes you feel like you're floating in space. And that's not even the best part.

The songwriting is just magnificent. Every song on this album is strong, including the two final tracks, "NGC 6611" and "NGC 3242 (Ghost of Jupiter)", which are pure ambient tracks. The guitar playing here is phenomenal and so is the drumming. Both the drumming and guitar playing appear distant as if they are in space. The vocals are another highlight as they aren't as common as one would hope, but when they appear they shine above the rest. A1V's vocals are as depressing and beautiful as the ambient atmosphere surrounding them. He deserves more attention than he's receiving. This is music.

The highlights of this album are "M20" (probably the "blackest" track on here),"NGC 3242 (Ghost of Jupiter)" (ambiance like no other song I've heard), and "Sternenstaub." In fact, every song is a highlight.

The reason I didn't award this album a perfect one hundred is because I dislike samples. I just think they are unnecessary in the music, but hey, that might be right up your alley.

Get this album now! It's like floating in the dark abyss of space...a dark abyss of melancholy and ambiance. You won't regret a moment of it!

Nice space atmosphere - 89%
nilgoun, December 18th, 2011

First of all, I would like to point out the total playing time of the record that exceeds 56 minutes, which is quite impressive for a debut record. The playing time is distributed on seven tracks which results in an average playing time of eight minutes per track. If you think, that this overlength will cause monotony in the tracks, you’re totally wrong – at least if you like ambient music. As the record tries to capture the beauty of the universe, it’s quite obvious that the tracks resemble the “endless vastness” and therefore are a bit repetitive from time to time.

That doesn’t mean, that repetition equals something bad! Although, the fundament of the songs is reprised some times, there are new details every time which spices everything up. But how does the music of Alrakis sound? First of all, you have to state that the songs are held in lower till average mid-tempo and the basis of every song are long-drawn synthesizer sounds or equally long-drawn layers of guitar sounds. This fundament is supplemented through spheric sounds, ambient noises and of course the good old black metal riffing. Most of the songs are purely instrumental, but if there are vocals added, they instantly merge with the rest of the sound to form an incredibly thick unit.

The really slow drum beats are creating a sentiment of emptiness, while the guitars, as well as the synthesizers, are resembling the vastness of the universe. The production is well done, or at least as good as it has to be. The guitars are as undifferentiated as they have to. You could wish for a stronger distinction of the vocals or the drums but they are fitting the theme as well. To be a bit contradictory: There are some deductions as the vocals are overlaying the drums from time to time, but they are minimal!

Conclusion:

Alpha Eri is an incredibly thick, atmospheric record. Although, the transitions between the songs are seamlessly and there are some melodies that are akin, they are completely different at the same time and quite refreshing. The dragging orchestration resembles, accompanied with the sparsely sawn vocals, the vastness and oppressiveness of the universe, as well as its beauty. You surely need a faible for ambient music to like this record, as the songs may seem to be really eventless otherwise, but if you like this you HAVE to get it!

Originally written for http://threnodies.com

"Captain Fuzzy's log, Stardate 65465168946165223598497431232974513715" - 38%
Wilytank, February 26th, 2019
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After about seven years of inactivity, Alrakis come back with basically the same general idea that A1V had on the first album...for better or worse. For those new to the project, Alrakis take Steve Roach influenced ambient music, add gritty guitar fuzz and a sluggish drum track, and call it black metal. It's supposed to appeal to some overlap of fans from the atmospheric black metal camp and the dsbm camp; the former because of the keys and the space theme, and the latter due to the melancholic mood of the music and the slow tempo that a lot of bands in that genre seem to love.

Of course, with an overall lack of riffs, it's difficult to really tag Alrakis as metal at all. Echoes from η Carinae has the dubious advantage over its predecessor in actually being one whole piece of music instead of being splintered into seven parts that might as well be one whole wall of fuzz; and I say dubious because it implies in order to get the whole tale you have to sit through the 52 minutes of this album which is a very difficult task. Though I will say that composition seems to actually have a slightly more obvious sense of movement compared to Alpha Eri. The lead guitar tremoloing actually changes for once.

But at the same time, all the bad things that applied to Alpha Eri are in effect on this album too. The lethargic drum track kills any sense of movement, the fuzz generated by the guitars is not memorable, and almost half the album is straight ambient. While I have no objection to ambient done right, in this album's case it makes the droning guitar noise marketed as black metal seem intrusive. At that point, you might as well commit to just one or the other: either space ambient by the likes of Steve Roach's Structures in Silence, or atmoblack by bands that actually give their music a sense of movement like Midnight Odyssey, Progenie Terrestre Pura, or Mare Cognitum. Whatever your choice, go listen to all of that stuff instead because Alrakis would've been better off if HAL 9000 sabotaged its hibernation pod.

Alrakis’ Musical Painting of a Doomed Binary - 100%
GNASHNAGAAR, April 13th, 2018
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After a 7-year wait, the legendary German atmospheric black metal band, Alrakis, has returned from the dark void of space and has bestowed upon us a new slice of exquisite cosmic black metal that, in my opinion, could be the beginning stages of a cult classic for fans of this interstellar subgenre. Alrakis’ first release, “Alpha Eri”, was great in its self, but the creator, A1V, and his newest guitarist, (N.), have created something really special here. One song, titled “Echoes from Eta Carinae”, is a massive space-laced beast that measures 52:34 minutes long. Being a big fan of the funeral doom subgenre, I have grown very accustomed to very long songs and I usually cultivate much excitement when I encounter a new song over 40 minutes long. Discovering a new long song like this, for me, usually means that a band might have put forth some kind of effort in creating something fresh and enchanting - at least that’s the hope anyways. The question is, can a band create a long ass song that can captivate one’s attention and imagination and not bore them to sleep? Sometimes they succeed. Sometimes they fail. Did Alrakis deliver in creating such a song? Yes, they did indeed, and much more.

The first thing that makes Alrakis’ “Echoes from Eta Carinae” so captivating for me is understanding what kind of cosmic atmosphere they were trying to convey with this song. Being an amateur astronomer myself, I am very familiar with the spellbinding Eta Carinae. If you’re not familiar, then perhaps I can explain what it is real quick. I personally see this song as a literal musical interpretation of what Eta Carinae is and what the “Echoes” are. Eta Carinae, about 7,500 light-years away, is binary star system in the Carina Constellation. The system comprises of two main stars, the primary, named Eta Car A, and the secondary star, named Eta Car B. Eta Car A is a massive unstable leviathan similar to a luminous blue variable star. These volatile stars are over a hundred times massive than our own sun and Eta Car A is about 200 solar masses. Blue variable stars have a relatively short lifespan and end up exploding in a supernova when all their fuel is spent. The resultant explosion usually leaves behind a Black Hole. When Eta Car A explodes, somewhere between now and a million years from now, the supernova will be so bright, observers here on Earth will be able to see the spectacle during the daytime. The secondary star, Eta Car B, is a big mean bastard as well but it’s only about 50 solar masses. So, Eta Car B rotates around Eta Car A in an eccentric orbit and does so once about every 5.5 years. At their closest approach, these two stars get pretty pissed at each other. The gravity of each star tugs and pulls on each other straining the already unstable and tormented primary Eta Car A star. Sometimes their gravitational interactions strip off massive amounts of material from the primary resulting in flare-up similar to a supernova itself. When this happens, the star system becomes one of the brightest objects in the night sky. This happened in the year of 1837 and the flare-up lasted for 21 years. Known as the “Great Eruption”, the cataclysm became almost as luminescent as the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius. Now days, astronomers can detect further evidence of the 1837 eruption by observing a phenonium called “light echoes”. When this eruption occurred over 180 years ago, light from the outburst has been bouncing off neighboring dust clouds ever since. Without any known lyrics at this time to examine over, I am assuming that this song that Alrakis has created is referring to this “light echo” phenonium created by the Eta Carinae 1837 outburst.

The second and most important thing that makes this song and album so captivating is, of course, the music. The song starts out with what I perceive as the outburst or outbursts of Eta Carinae and the following echoes. This echo is eventually accompanied and slowly replaced by a slow symphony of beautiful cosmic soundscapes that drift an atmosphere of total calm and entrancing ambiance over my ears. One can easily envision following the source of the echoes by slowly approaching the Eta Carinae nebula - a kaleidoscope of cold dust clouds, gasses, stars and vibrant colors. At about the 9:30 mark, the guitars, bass, drums and vocals all kick into the atmosphere as you pass into the “Homunculus” cocoon - and their they are - the two demonic leviathans wreaking havoc on the region. As per Alrakis fashion, you will never hear any volcanic black metal style blast beats but, rather, their usual style of slow/mid-paced drumming accompanied by (N.)’s fast-ass melodic rhythm and lead guitar picking. If you’re not familiar with Alrakis’ sound try to imagine a meeting between black metal and funeral doom. A1V’s vocals are about the same as on their previous album - high-pitched black metal type shrieks and wales and the style fits perfectly with the song. Along with the atmosphere of keyboards, they proceed to create symphonic tunes of cosmic solitude, resplendence and inevitable doom. Then around 16:30, you hover near Eta Car A - the primary titan of annihilation and awe. But she is quite now, beautiful as she sleeps soundly but… Eta Car B slowly approaches. Then, suddenly, a violent burst of bright light and deadly radiation explodes across the cosmos and you are thrown light-years away. The “Echoes” of light slowly returns. Do you follow the echoes back to the source or do you retreat like a pansy-assed little bitch? Continuing on, very good. At about 28:05 the strings, drums and vocals returns. This time the vocals of A1V sounds utterly tormented, almost like he is mourning the death of something. At about 32:03, a pained and sorrowful picking of guitars floods in like the lowering of a coffin, containing someone once loved, forever into the cold ground. This is the part where I envision Alrakis’ interpretation of the future death process of Eta Carinae – a vicious upheaval of destruction and true unbridled power unlike anything any of us could possibly imagine… The supernova - an explosion so massive that even 7,500 light-years away from us would glow brightly in the daytime sky and would be brighter than the full moon at night. At about the 40:00-minute mark, the song uses the remaining time to grieve the death of Eta Carinae and explore the aftermath of the calamity with a soft relaxing symphony of beauty and majesty – a damn perfect way to end a damn fantastic and mesmerizing song.

I enjoyed Alrakis’ first album well enough but this newest release of theirs is something special. It’s everything I love in music, long as hell and chucked full of imagination, darkness and beauty – just waves upon waves of crushing atmosphere. You’ll not wish the song to end, literally. The good news is you can play it again. “Echoes from Eta Carinae” is not a song for the distracted, impatient or a rushed listener. Embark with Alrakis and this song when you have 52+ minutes all by yourself. If you’re a fan of space, cosmic, depressive, ambient and atmospheric black metal, this newest album is a must-have. If you were a fan of Alrakis’ first release and, after 7 years, gave up thinking they were done – go get this now you damn fool! Go get it!