Hailing from West Africa’s Togo, Arka’n Asrafokor are becoming figureheads for a diverse African metal scene. In the four years since they released their promising debut album, Zã Keli, the band changed their name from Arka’n (Asrafokor means ‘music of warriors’) and beefed up their sound.

Whereas Zã Keli contained frequent detours into traditional folk and soulful Afro-funk, Dzikkuh is a more ambitious blend of groove metal, death metal and nu metal elements, with frenzied Afrobeat polyrhythms from percussionist Mass Aholou, and hypnotic chants.