Ctulu: Sarkomand

It goes without saying that H. P. Lovecraft's influence is very much a part of heavy metal music. I could probably write as much about Lovecraft for this review as I could about the band. I'll try to control myself; in any event, I've commented on Lovecraft plenty of times in other reviews. I've also written some other stuff about the author that should find its way into print in the coming months. As for Ctulu, the band obviously takes its name from Cthulhu, Lovecraft's infamous monster. I did notice the difference in spelling, but it didn't bother me. Metallica modified the name for "The Call of Ktulu" back in the 1980s and that song turned out pretty well.

Some readers will probably wonder why I'm reviewing Sarkomand, an album that originally appeared in 2011. There are two reasons: 1) the album, which quickly sold out when it appeared on CD, is finally being reissued and 2) this reissue is actually available for the first time on black vinyl. It's all part of the celebration of the band's 10th anniversary. For those who don't know the band, this is the perfect place to start. This is a strong album, full of black metal played to perfection.

My favorite thing about this album is that the songs are both consistent and different. Sure, everything is built on recognizable black metal structures, but this band actually writes songs that have distinctive qualities. As I listened, I never felt that the songs were blending into one another, becoming impossible to tell apart. Check out tracks like "Nachtwind," "Mondsucht," and "Arckanum Der Tiefen" for examples of this band's various sounds. The music here is well-written, strong, and engaging. I'm looking forward to another ten years of Ctulu.

Track Listing:
1. Arckanum Der Tiefen
2. Sarkomand
3. Nachtwind
4. Traumturm
5. Gezeitenstürme
6. Windschreiter
7. Blindes Chaos
8. Mondsucht

Added: December 16th 2014
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2021
Language: english

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