Release Date: 2005 Record Label: Deathgasm/ Blood Fire Death Track list:
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Cult of Daath - Slit Throats And Ritual Nights Here's some fetid, sickening, vehemently ancient-sounding occultic BLACK metal from another American band that has really gone from strength to strength since its demo days. Not a whole lot has changed since the last Cult Of Daath offering, though everything seems far more coherent and cohesive on this go-around. Vintage Darkthrone, Hellhammer, 'The Return'/'Under The Sign Of The Black Mark' era Bathory, first EP Sodom, 'Worship Him' Samael and Death Strike all peer through the bilious haze throughout, the band weaving a diverse array of antique, transcendental influences together and vomiting them forth with a debauched, dangerous recklessness, championing the cause of black METAL with savage aplomb. To those of you already initiated with the Cult of Daath sound (and admittedly I had to work my way backwards after purchasing this disc a few months ago), the most prominent difference you'll notice upon first listen is the thrashier, more riff-based approach- the nebulous Procreation meets Order From Chaos leanings of their previous material have been toned down severely in lieu of more tangible, deliberate passages that push CoD's acrid death/thrash influences to the very forefront. Additionally, the songwriting on display here is far more dynamic than any seen on previous CoD forays, patching together stumbling, frenzied sub-Possessed messiness with murderous mid-tempo Celtic Frost fare, ritualistic Samael repletion and acerbic, indolent Hellhammer-isms to brilliant effect, fleshing 5+ minute structures with a host of referential, but masterfully executed ideas. Of course, some might suggest that the dissipation of Cult of Daath's more obviously Yank leanings have rendered the band less distinctively ‘'American'', but I don't believe ANYONE would dare suggest that this is not their best release to date. The keyword here is distortion- LOTS of it. Guitars buzz and grate, vocals are VERY processed, the bass is an acrid black mass spills all over the recording…only the drums sound organic and full. This approach PERFECTLY suits Cult Of Daath's aesthetic aspirations, varnishing the record with several impenetrable veneers of filth. As with most of their first-wave-cohered-through-a-second-wave-approach brethren, CoD live and die by the riff, and the riffs are A-PLENTY on this affair! The closest parallel one could establish here is to (you guessed it) 'Panzerfaust', another record that resurrected ancient specters through a slightly more modern presentation. The 'Moonfog'-isms are a little hard to neglect here, particularly in many of the Fenriz-esque beats employed by Wargoat Obscurum, though CoD are far from mere replicas- much like Darkthrone did with 'Panzerfaust', CoD revisit the bloodsoaked roots of occult metal, resurrecting ancient spirits through sonic ritual. Admittedly, there are sections where the record gets a little too monotonous for my tastes, but thankfully CoD have enough of a grasp on dynamic songwriting to throw a thrashy interlude into the fray (case in point: “Occult Obsession”, which seems to meander for far too long, dwelling on riffs that never really go anywhere, and then a VERY COOL Celtic Frost passage cuts through the swathes of fog 03:52 through to OWN YOU). 9 Minute closer “Transcending The Great Satan” is noteworthy here, meshing strident, insistent bursts of double bass with more elaborate, despairing downtempo sections. There is a VERY ritualistic feel to the ceaseless repetition and cruel simplicity here, all anchored by very tasteful, ominous double bass. This is, beyond any reasonable doubt, far and away the best thing Cult of Daath have done, and considering how malevolent their past endeavors have been, this is a very positive thing. While first wave revivalism seems to be the en vogue thing nowadays, and CoD might at times appear slightly redundant in light of more accomplished contemporaries like Megiddo, there is real honesty and EVIL within the 48 minutes of this recording. If you live for carrion-infested, NECKWRECKING black metal in its most perverse incarnation, you'd be advised not to miss this. July 24th, 2005 |
