Qasu

Qasu describe their sound as “ancient future black metal,” a phrase that perfectly captures the collision of temporal and stylistic extremes. Their world is one of witch-burnings and heretical rites, but also alien transmissions, paleofuturist sci-fi, sequence codes, and stargates. Vocalist and electronics programmer Rahsaan Sagan threads the brutality with spectral synthesis and beat-driven propulsion, expanding black metal’s sonic borders into uncharted sonic realms. Drummer Nikhil Talwalkar (Anal Stabwound) anchors the maelstrom with punishing precision, grounding the cosmic sprawl in physical intensity. Instrumentalist and songwriter Aldous Daniken offers a cryptically reflective note on the album’s title: “I don’t think we need to explain who the ‘Bleak King’ is,” he says, “but we have found ourselves in a dark time in human history.”

Named after a dream in which Aldous Daniken met what he describes as a “destructive, powerful, but ultimately protective ghost,” Qasu is a transatlantic collaboration between the UK and the US. Working remotely, Daniken collects and sculpts contributions from Rahsaan Sagan and Nikhil Talwalkar in his own studio. Their 2026 debut, A Bleak King Cometh, marks the trio’s first full release.