Usually you come to Ave Noctum for a music review and some witty or contextual banter within the words on this website, but this time round, you can add in a crash course in mythology and demonology!
Lilith is the name given to the Judeo-Babylonian mythical entity which was believed to be first developed somewhere between the 3rd and 5th centuries and by the time the first millennium had ended, she was widely regarded as the fictional character Adam’s first wife in the Garden of Eden. Punished for refusing to become subservient to Adam, she was expelled from the garden and ultimately decided to get back at Adam and humanity as a whole through the means of temptation, bewitching and possession. After enabling the ‘fall from grace’ and subsequent ejecting of Adam and Eve from their paradise, Lilith then went on to torment mankind through use of allure and other means often associated with Succubi. She is a popular figure in Wicca and Satanism, often regarded as a goddess and mother figure, and honestly, she doesn’t sound too bad!
Lengthy backstory out of the way, the latest additions to the throes of admirers Lilith has racked up over the years is Technical Death Metal 5-piece Cult Of Lilith. Formed in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2015, the band have one EP (Arkanum, 2016) to their name and now they have their first full length release, “Mara” (derived from the Icelandic word for Nightmare). A band who pride themselves on deep musical progression and equally deep lyrical themes and subjects, Cult Of Lilith have an album on their hands which could possibly be one of the best releases of a dreadful year!
With the words above, you already have a rough idea of my view on this album. 2020 hasn’t given us much to be cheerful or enthusiastic about in the musical world, with gigs and festivals being canned continuously, venues closing down and bands opting to sit on their potential releases due to the inability to tour in support of them, therefore, at least in my case, there hasn’t been as much music released this year which has really sparked my interest. That has changed with “Mara”. This 36-minute long explosion of Death Metal is simply fantastic. From its Baroque-esque Harpsichord opening to its neoclassical finish, there isn’t a dull moment on this album. The self-described ‘Necromechanical Baroque’ stylings are a fantastic blend of technical, progressive and neoclassical inspired death metal. Rich in melody, loaded with intricacy and packed with enough virtuosity to make Yngwie Malmsteen take a step back and pay attention.
The explosive opening track “Cosmic Maelstrom” has a haunting and atmospheric Harpsichord intro which quickly leads into some Psycroptic styled technical death metal which is furious in its delivery and intensity. Raw vocal screams shift into pagan metal styled singing and back again, Guitars weave in and out of rapid riffing and brutally crushing breakdown styled chord drops and the rhythm section is relentless with its pummelling assault. “Purple Tide” brings the more progressive sounds with its sprawling synth elements backing up a pounding intro, rounded out with shouts which will no doubt ignite a live crowd, and the way it shifts in and out of tight riffs to slippery sounding leads which border on fusion a la Cynic is delightful to hear.
“Enter The Mancubus” pays homage to the legendary first person shooter series DOOM, name dropping one of the most intimidating demons in the game, and much like its namesake, the track is just as intimidating; a chaotic sprawl of intricate riffs which ascend and descend scale sequences at blistering pace, tied in with those pseudo pagan/black metal styled vocals to shift the balance in places. “Atlas” brings in some clean sections which help create a dark and reflective atmosphere, tying into the lyrical themes of Guilt and carrying a burden, much like the mythological Atlas who carried the world on his back. Loaded with the more brutal leaning aspects of technical metal, it packs a powerful punch but the best bit of the track is the dynamic vocals – trade offs from clean to roars, loaded with emotion which bleeds through the lyrics into the delivery… It is a phenomenal track and it can easily carry this release on its back! The rich and flowing bassline which slips in and out of intricate leads drives the track on and the powerful guitar delivery just ties it all in nicely. “Comatose” shares a similar theme; the burden of overthinking, something many of us have fallen subject to this year, and it is an adequate reflection musically – a dark and twisted musical entity which slips in and out of fusion styled death metal, becoming the perfect musical ‘personification’ of its subject.
“Profeta Paloma” has a good new-classical vein to its composition and its unexpected flamenco section is magnificently done – a total style shift which doesn’t take from the momentum of the track and helps keep the listener engaged, whilst “Zangano” is an angular and relentless technical metal beast which refuses to let up, continually applying musical and intense pressure to the listener throughout the delivery. Closing track “Le Soupir Du Fantome” (The Ghost’s Sigh) is a dynamic example of progressive leaning technical death metal. Operatic initially, it carries a classical composition feel throughout courtesy of the instrumental additions in the background, the continually rising and falling sequences and flow to the verses and of course, the stunning neoclassical style lead work. Organs and strings add the flavour to the blistering death metal attack, the vocals roar with ferocity before shifting to more dramatic and powerful bellows but the main focal point is the guitar lines – buzzing and battering before sweeping away with precision and melody, it is a fantastic way to end what has been a fantastic release.
I don’t think I need to say more about this release. It is probably one of the best death Metal releases of the year and certainly one people should give a listen to. A consistent display from start to finish, loaded with phenomenal musicianship and what could be described as a masterclass in delivering technical death metal. It has complexity but it isn’t needlessly complex, it has the brutal edge and heaviness but it doesn’t create an overload nor does it mask the more subtle elements on offer in the tracks. “Mara” might be named after nightmares, but this hasn’t been unpleasant to experience in the slightest! A phenomenal release from start to finish!
(9/10 Fraggle)
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