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/:: Artist :: Chthonic Cult ::\
:: Album :: Become Seekers for Death ::
:: Year :: 2022 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CDDA . ::
:: Label :: Putrid Cult R.date :: 2023.01.11 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: PUTRID311 S.date :: 2022.03.28 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 270kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 76.27 MB .
. .
https://chthoniccult.bandcamp.com
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/:: ::\
:: 01. Ironclad Nemesis 05:07 ::
:: 02. On the Wings of Drought 03:42 ::
:: 03. The Thunder Spoke to the Spirit 03:45 ::
:: 04. When the Ancients Speak 07:39 ::
:: 05. Become Seekers for Death 03:12 ::
:: 06. In the Seventh Hour 04:37 ::
:: 07. Crimson Streams of Sacrifice 06:34 ::
:: 08. The Hunt of the Light-Bearer 04:43 ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 39:19 ..
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
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/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Absolutely massive release here from Chthonic Cult, a band I ::
:: have never heard of until recently. From the info I got ::
:: Chthonic Cult seems to mainly be the creative outlet of a ::
:: Polish lad calling himself Hyperborean, with another guy ::
:: named Oblivion also being mentioned in the line-up details. ::
:: ôBecome Seekers for Deathö is their second full length, ::
:: being released on the Polish label Putrid Cult. I am not ::
:: familiar so far with their first output ôI am the Scourge of ::
:: Eternityö, something I need to change as soon as possible. ::
:: That one had been released by Iron Bonehead and I am ::
:: wondering why the band switched to a label which as far as I ::
:: know is smaller (nonetheless very good) as their music is ::
:: fantastic and among the best I have heard within the ::
:: black/death genre for quite some time. ::
:: ::
:: Like I said this is my first encounter with Chthonic Cult ::
:: and based on the material here I would argue they sit more ::
:: within the death metal side of things. This particular album ::
:: is a swirling abyss of bleakness and chaos, one that draws ::
:: the listener into its cruel yet fascinating world thanks to ::
:: its dense atmosphere, while still allowing the consumer to ::
:: focus on the different elements of the music and the single ::
:: tracks. The most notable element to me might be the guitars ::
:: which are fuzzed-out, cheeky, aggressive, and alter back and ::
:: forth between hauntingly melodic, atmospheric, rhythmic, and ::
:: some slower doomy sections. While the music can be quite ::
:: dissonant the patterns here seem a bit more structured ::
:: compared to similar outfits. There is enough going on to ::
:: keep every listener engaged over the whole 40 minutes ::
:: running time. ::
:: ::
:: ôIronclad Nemesisö starts of with some chunky mid-tempo ::
:: riffs, slowly building up tension and transforming into ::
:: something faster and ultimately ferocious. The mind-bending ::
:: performances and experiential, meticulously detailed ::
:: relentlessness are at the core of the music, but what ::
:: impressed me the most is the way Chthonic Cult have worked ::
:: these technical details into one coherent piece of sinister ::
:: art. They often use eerie harmonies and unorthodox rhythms ::
:: before settling into more straight-forward grooves that ::
:: steadily change into even more uncomfortable, ::
:: uncompromising, and chaotic shapes, while still maintaining ::
:: this central thread of disordered yet melodic harmony. The ::
:: whole album builds upon this with a blend of tangled ::
:: technicality and mangled melody, sometimes dipping its toes ::
:: into more avant-garde like territories while never skipping ::
:: some subtly catchy key sequences and always coming across as ::
:: being coherent in its entirety. ::
:: ::
:: While overall a pretty much straight-forward affair Chthonic ::
:: Cult added more layers to the overall sound as it seems on ::
:: the first impression. The music carries a sinister and bleak ::
:: mood, but is somewhat accessible at the same time. While the ::
:: character of each track is grim and dark there is no ::
:: shortage of captivating lead harmonies, permanently dwelling ::
:: in the background as counterpart to the fierce and harsh ::
:: chords and blast attacks and sometimes also used as linking ::
:: elements when the tempo is slowed down during a song. ::
:: ôBecome Seekers for Deathö is rounded off by a powerful and ::
:: fitting production. The wailing guitars sound clear and ::
:: crisp, and although no drummer is mentioned in the notes the ::
:: drums have enough punch and a natural and organic feel. ::
:: While there is always something going on in the background ::
:: and atmosphere is king, there is a certain level of rawness ::
:: left, giving the music enough grittiness to be of interest ::
:: for any fan of heavy and murky music. The strange and ::
:: somehow minimalistic cover artwork makes this album an ::
:: interesting package and fans of the genre need to absolutely ::
:: check this one out. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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