If you're looking for a big level jump in the creativity department, then you've come to the right place. If your taste for black metal is "cold, grim, and evil", then this music might spoil your appetite. This is a 3 piece band from Illinois. They started out in
1994. They've put out a long series of demos (20) during the years 1995 through 2004. They finally got signed and released their first full length album in 2005. This one,
We Are the Cult of the Plains, is their 2nd full length release, and their first album with
Moribund Records.
Moribund Records is one of my favorite black metal labels. I've got a lot of confidence in their productions. So when I'm at the record store and see an unfamiliar band with this label, I'll usually take the 15 dollar gamble. This strategy normally pays off, but I wasn't too pleased with this album at that time. I originally thought that this album sounded lame, so it sat on a shelf for a couple of months. I had been listening to the grinding and shredding of 4 thrash albums repeatedly for 4 days. I needed some mental lubrication, so I got this album out yesterday and relistened to it.
This is an extraordinary album, with an unorthodox approach to black metal. It seems to be 1960's hippy rock combined with black metal. Ha, ha, ha!
That's right! It sounds funnier than it sounds scary.
The vocals of J.R. Preston sound comically grim. His guitar playing is very skilled, with influences of Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, and Neil Young. His keyboard playing also sounds along the lines of 1960's psychedelia. The bass playing of Justin Hackett usually sounds deep and droney, like that of
Cronos from
Venom. The drum playing of Lewy Hackett is adequate, but not very remarkable. The lyrics all have themes of satanism.
My
Forest Home, sounds different than the other songs with its
1980's punk influence, think
Adrenalin OD. The
Devil's Sabbath, Cult Of The Plains, and
Necromance all have a 1960's style of old stoner rock meshed together with 1950's rockabilly song structures. Ludi Ceriales has a slower attack, with a psychedelic keyboard sound. This is a long song at over 8 minutes in length. The last 4 minutes of this song sound like the style of early
Deep Purple, with stunning guitar leads that sound a lot like Ritchie Blackmore. Seeds displays a lot of Hendrix styled psychedelic guitar riffs.
Serpent and Illinoisian Alter both have an old 1960's sound with song structures that sound like The Moody Blues, set to black metal.
They almost made this unlikely concoction of musical styles work. But like I've said before, humor doesn't mix well with black metal. This music sounds more like the mockery of the dark, than it sounds like the mockery of the light. This album would make a great soundtrack for a cartoon. This band might be a better fit under the death 'n' roll category.
You must be logged in to add a comment