All Around Metal
by Rob M.
Google translate:
The Black Cult are not a new name in the scene, given the underground celebrities who founded the project, and this new work of theirs is a must-listen. If ours do not go beyond a certain “religious” or “orthodox” current for most of the album, there are so many moments that together act as a glue between ideas that cling to various metal veins, making this work varied and totally intriguing. Ours do not dare as much as other post-black projects of recent years, but they go through the most famous shores between Arkhon Infaustus, Hell Militia and Kriegsmachine, delivering to the public a modern, fierce and violent metal split granite.
The drumming is perfectly executed and functions as a real engine for the proposal itself, which enjoys excellent riffing, a powerful bass and a vocal performance in step with the times. The guitars untangle themselves between perfectly distributed rhythmic lines and leads that are articulated between harmonic and disharmonious steps in perfect balance. The bass, although not as prominent as it could be in other projects, perfectly fills the hole between the other supporting instruments, keeping the tension high and adding an extra touch to the whole. When the vocalist wants to concentrate on moments of pure madness, in which distorted voices alternate or in unison articulate guitars and drums, the result is perfectly successful. When instead he wants to improvise daring moments, he gives us the opportunity to listen to “clean” voices absolutely in line with the proposal and able to give a new face to the whole.
In doing so, after the two initial tracks “Black Cathedral” and “Worship the Beast”, the band goes beyond the “already heard” and offers the public “Dark Matter” (track totally worthy of note), before going into diversity of “Until the Devil Takes Us” vaguely reminiscent of the Odraza in its attempt to detach itself from the dark tide that dragged us adrift until this moment. Although the potential is present, it is evident at this juncture how the band could give much more. The “black” side of their sound is winning, the technique is “top-notch”, what is missing is the experience in forging weapons of mass destruction that can really make the difference. Arrived at the next “The Witches Dance” Black Cult give their best with a performance of devastating power and precision, while with the next “Hierophant” our try to give different nuances to the product presented so far. At this point, we realize the limit now reached by this work. Subsequent passages do not show anything different at the “formula” level. The ingredients are those and the band is skilled and able to mix them in different recipes, without reaching creative heights like those already achieved in the previous songs. The album has nothing more to offer, if not other songs that are valid, but they don’t show anything new, if not sporadic moments of genius, like the riffing of “Gaze of Insanity” or the end of “Ego Te Absolvo” . This is not a bad thing because in any case you find yourself in front of songs with a structure that is almost perfect and capable of showing a huge potential for the future of the project. Without a shadow of a doubt, I don’t think this job could reach a higher level. The talent does not compensate for the experience and here we find ourselves dealing with excellent musicians, with enormous potential, but still intent on reaching the final form for their sound. The evolution in terms of tracks between this new album and the previous “Neo-Satanism” is however consistent and Black Cult are absolutely on the right track to becoming a band with which many will have to deal. If ours were to succeed in detaching themselves from the schemes that they have already used in this last “Cathedral of the Black Cult”, to dare slightly more and to propose an even more daring product, the next record could seriously be the work of the turning point! Right now the Black Cults have won all my attention and I want to hear the new chapter in their story as soon as possible.
3.5/5