Death Cult: Death Cult

I reviewed a demo by Death Cult several months ago and was very impressed with its drive, its riffs, and its power. I had a few quibbles--what critic doesn't?--but I hoped that Death Cult would come forward with a strong debut, one that would grab the attention of a larger audience. I'm pleased to report that this album is very strong; it makes for a good listen and will appeal to fans of Venom, Obituary, and others. If nothing else, check out the song "Death Cult," easily one of my favorite band name songs in recent memory.

Some readers will be interested to know that Death Cult is basically the work of Tim Pearson, a musician who plays all the instruments, performs the vocals, and, I assume, writes the lyrics. He's a talented guy with an obvious love for death metal. Pearson's music is mostly made up of strong riffs and hard-driving drums. The lead parts are somewhat melodic and played in a minimalist style that suits the music quite well. He tends not to solo on the guitar, playing instead melodic lines of tremolo picking. I wouldn't expect anything else. After all, this style of metal is less inclined to the displays of technical wizardry made famous by guitarists of the 1980s. This is a more stripped-down metal, a style familiar to listeners since Venom came on the scene.

For readers coming to Death Cult for the first time, here's a breakdown of what to expect: hard-driving guitars playing low-end riffs, growly singing that is more or less understandable, and aggressive drum passages. The bass isn't as noticeable, but the guitars make up enough of the low end that it doesn't matter much.

In my initial review of Death Cult, I complained that the drumming sounded like they were lagging behind the guitars a little bit. As I listened to the album, though, things sound much stronger and much tighter. Either the drum tracks were fixed or my ears were. Either way, Death Cult is a promising new band, one that our readers should discover.

Track Listing:
1. Forms of Things Unknown
2. Mutant Generation
3. The Test of Time
4. Hail the Antichrist
5. Born to Lose
6. Doctrine of Hate
7. Inner Beast
8. Deathcult

Added: March 2nd 2013
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 1816
Language: english

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