French doom ritual black metal band Alukta unveils the track "Exuvia", accompanied by an official music video, as the first single from the upcoming debut album entitled Merok. The album is set for international release on 2 May via Transcendance. The track offers a haunting glimpse into the dark and immersive world of Merok.

Alukta is a band composed of Marie (Brouillard, Vertige,... France) and Déhà (Slow, Wolvennest,... Belgium). The band was formed in 2023 out of a mourning period mixed with a need to explore old tribal customs. After a fully black metal experience, Marie felt like trying a more doom approach to music and the urge of using clean vocals to express her deepest primitive feelings. The first album, Merok, was born, then recorded in Opus Magnum Studio, Brussels by the talented studio master, Déhà, who added his musical contribution and arrangements, and finally signed on Transcendance label.

The concept is inspired by the Toraja people and their quite special funeral rites, and by cults and death in general. Alukta is grief but also relief through rituals and ancestral traditions. The video was directed by Simon Biron. Link