DEATHCULT "Of Soil Unearthed"

By Dr. Abner Mality

There's thunder in the Alps! Hailing from Switzerland, DEATHCULT deliver raw, basic death metal, but what they lack in originality, they make up for with brutal force. "On Primal Wings", "Black Vapor Coagulation" and "Funeral Trance" all begin with thunderous, bone-crushing force in a mid-paced mode. These riffs slam super-hard...not quite Swedish death metal, but not very far off that sound, either. The tracks speed up into something that sounds a lot more familiar and faster...I definitely think DEATHCULT is better with slower, more measured tempos.

Another aspect that makes them slightly different are the demented lead vocals, which are different than the usual growls and sound better because of it. Not quite black metal rasps, the singing sounds like a demonic super villain cackling after his latest plot to conquer the world takes shape. Listen to "On Primal Wings" and "Alastor" particularly to hear them at their wildest; this gives DEATHCULT a sleazy, less predictable note almost like AUTOPSY in intent, if not actual sound.

A good cobwebby production enhances the sickness. "Of Soil Unearthed" is not sufficiently strange or different enough to move into a highly memorable sphere, but it's satisfying when it comes to raw Euro-death brutality and it's just that little bit off the usual HM-2 worship we get.

INVICTUS PRODUCTIONS

DEATHCULT