Cult Leader – Lightless Walk
The demise of Gaza led to Cult Leader who have finally recorded a full length Lightless Walk. Sonically, it as menacing and brutal as Gaza, but is does veer into newer waters.
That is hardcore opposed to a more technical grindcore/metal sound of Gaza. Opener ‘Great I Am’ is the perfect showcase for that, 90 seconds of straight forward sonic punishment, balls to the wall distorted heavy. Another short, short song later feels a Gaza homage in the form of ‘Gutter Gods’.
Halfway throughout the record, ‘A Good Life’ hits a different pace. Slower with haunting vocals reminiscent of the Mark Kozelek & Desertshore cover song on the previous EP. Not the most original song ever, but a welcome change of pace for the band after their murdering output earlier. And it feels true to their nature too. The band returns to this in the title track that serves as a bleak seven minute closer. I love the sound of these two songs and hope to see the band venturing more into apocalyptic crooning over slow and mystifying songs. Only ‘How Deep it Runs’ feels a little too much, placed right before the monumental ending.
Still as heavy as on their two EP’s but Cult Leader has more in store for us on their first actual album. More please!
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