Culted: Oblique To All Paths

Webster's, the online version because, well, who has time to go to the library anymore, defines "Blackened" in three ways, to make black, to sully or defame, or to coat with pepper and other spices and then quickly sear in a very hot skillet. If you're like me, you love all three! Culted, purveyors of Blackened Doom, will be releasing their second full-length, Oblique To All Paths, this month and if you hadn't guessed, Blackened Doom is clearly of the "to make black" variety of blackened. It's not easy to describe this music without stumbling over the dichotomy of the evilness of the "black" portion and the drawn-out drudgery of the "doom" part. It's like a satanic snail, spewing fire and brimstone while oozing over a bleak, barren, dystopian landscape.

Culted do a fine job of both, building a ferociously vile snail using voiceover audio clips, screech owl worthy vocals and crunchy, no rather crinkly, vexing guitar all while creating a stomach wrenching environment, slogging slowly through a tar-pit of broken glass and bile. There's no ray of sunshine here, no hope for the hopeful or silver lining, just pure malevolence, shrouded in despair, covered with despair. If suffering from anything, Oblique To All Paths, does get a bit monotonous through the first three tracks, employing similar voice overs and tones, but jump into "March Of The Wolves" and the story changes with an active guitar and rhythm section leading the way into a groove laden sonnet of doom. The closer, "Jeremiad", swings around once more jarring us awake with reverb filled drums hollowing out a fierce beat over deliciously distorted vocals and looming guitar. There's just enough variety here to keep interest and for those seeking anguish and dejection, well there's plenty of that as well.

All in all a very fine job indeed, considering the members of Culted have yet to all be in the same room at the same time. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, Culted are able to collaborate despite being separated by continents. As an entry in the Blackened Doom milieu, Oblique To All Paths takes the cake, and then smashes it in your face, slowly, with menace and intent.

Track Listing –
1. Brooding Hex
2. Illuminati
3. Intoxicant Immuration
4. March Of The Wolves
5. Distortion Of The Nature Of Mankind
6. Transmittal
7. Jeremiad

Added: January 12th 2014
Reviewer: Eric Marvin
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2071
Language: english

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