Over the past decade, Kenyan vocalist, songwriter and producer Martin Kanja, AKA Lord Spikeheart, has become a figurehead of the African metal scene cultivating a distinctive blend of guttural growls, screeching screams and gravelly rap verses that seep menacingly through head-banging instrumentals.

His debut album ‘The Adept’, released on his own label HAEKALU Records has gained widespread recognition from prestigious media outlets such as The Guardian (which named it one of the best 10 global albums of 2024), BBC Radio, Pitchfork, Arte, Dazed, The Fader, NTS, Crack, Resident Advisor and The Quietus, captivating audiences globally from East Africa to the rest of the world as a new frontier in extreme music. 

In September 2025, Lord Spikeheart released his EP *REIGN* under HAEKALU Records. The EP is a hard-hitting encapsulation of elements of industrial, death metal, grindcore, African traditional rhythms and club sounds. Featuring collaborations with Iggor Cavalera, Brodinski, and Togolese sensations Arka’n Asrafakor, *REIGN* has received recognition from various outlets, including Metal Hammer, The Fader and Wire Magazine.