Tracklist:-
1. Prologue - The Light That Drowned Itself
2. Seeds Of Lesser Gods
3. All Now Are Wounds
4. IX
5. Interlude - The Bitter Wind Of Remembrance
6. In My Abysmal Dreams
7. Birth Of Eos
8. Sinister Lights And Manic-Depression
It's such a good feeling being able to relax at the end of the day and listen to bands, both old and new. This evening I though I'd talk about a band from a part of Europe that I've not featured much in recent time. Insanity Cult is a black metal quintet from Athens, Greece. They're the nihilistic, depressive type. Insanity Cult formed in 2011 and self-released their first EP "Insanity Be My Kvlt" in 2014. Their first full-length "As My End Unfolds..." was released a year later on cd and tape via Depressive Illusions Records and Razed Soul Productions respectively. "Of Despair And Self-Destruction" was released in February via French black metal label Ogmios Underground (though a tape release has also recently been announced via native Athens label Unholy Forces Productions). Insanity Cult has not made a live appearance yet (correct me if I'm wrong), preferring to stay anonymous.
Insanity Cult seems to be a lot more serious than their name may suggest. Prologue - The Light That Drowned Itself starts with an extended intro of gentle guitar that’s got great volume and mystery to it. The piece is solely instrumental and due to it’s length, doesn’t have the impact I was expecting from the opening song. Thankfully, it isn’t before Insanity Cult bursts into life on Seeds Of Lesser Gods, unleashing blasting hatred. Their brand of black metal is atypically majestic, with the mix of solid percussion, melodic yet authoritative guitar work and vocals that range from piercing screams to cleaner shouts that sit within the mix. The tempos range from fast and full-flowing to mid-paced and melancholy. Typical of the more depressive black metal bands I guess. All Now Are Wounds is as caustic as it gets with it’s barrage of screams dominating the opening passage, above the orchestra-like riffs. It all seems slightly self-absorbed but then again what black metal band isn’t (to a certain extent). That’s in no way a criticism because the music is really well written and performed, just the longer songs may loose some listeners (after all people do have shorter attention spans nowadays. One thing that does impress me is the band’s momentum as IX starts right where All Now Are Wounds left off. In fact it sounds pretty belligerent, which I guess is a symptom of Insanity Cult’s self-proclaimed love of nihilism. They won’t stop until either you or they are all but dead…preferably you. Interlude - The Bitter Wind Of Remembrance is another thoughtful instrumental piece that breaks up the record and to a small extent, the momentum too. As it plays though it does take on it’s own form and becomes very relaxing to listen too. In My Abysmal Dreams shatters that relaxation and tears through a little over six-minutes of intense extremity that sometimes drones along with the thick feeling of self-doubt and malaise. Once again Insanity Cult pulls no punches when it comes to son spacing, as Birth Of Eos seems to be just a continuation of In My Abysmal Dreams. This is definitely where the mid-paced tempos make more sense to me as well. If they sped things up too much, their songwriting and musicianship would be wasted, as both are solid. The abrupt ending leads you to the song that probably epitomises Insanity Cult more than any other on “Of Despair And Self-Destruction”. Sinister Lights And Manic-Depression mixes the band’s dark lyrical themes with oddly uplifting melody. The further you get into this album the more it seems to take hold. Insanity Cult are really good at what they do and their “depressive” black metal is actually anything but. Great work.
Insanity Cult seems to be a lot more serious than their name may suggest. Prologue - The Light That Drowned Itself starts with an extended intro of gentle guitar that’s got great volume and mystery to it. The piece is solely instrumental and due to it’s length, doesn’t have the impact I was expecting from the opening song. Thankfully, it isn’t before Insanity Cult bursts into life on Seeds Of Lesser Gods, unleashing blasting hatred. Their brand of black metal is atypically majestic, with the mix of solid percussion, melodic yet authoritative guitar work and vocals that range from piercing screams to cleaner shouts that sit within the mix. The tempos range from fast and full-flowing to mid-paced and melancholy. Typical of the more depressive black metal bands I guess. All Now Are Wounds is as caustic as it gets with it’s barrage of screams dominating the opening passage, above the orchestra-like riffs. It all seems slightly self-absorbed but then again what black metal band isn’t (to a certain extent). That’s in no way a criticism because the music is really well written and performed, just the longer songs may loose some listeners (after all people do have shorter attention spans nowadays. One thing that does impress me is the band’s momentum as IX starts right where All Now Are Wounds left off. In fact it sounds pretty belligerent, which I guess is a symptom of Insanity Cult’s self-proclaimed love of nihilism. They won’t stop until either you or they are all but dead…preferably you. Interlude - The Bitter Wind Of Remembrance is another thoughtful instrumental piece that breaks up the record and to a small extent, the momentum too. As it plays though it does take on it’s own form and becomes very relaxing to listen too. In My Abysmal Dreams shatters that relaxation and tears through a little over six-minutes of intense extremity that sometimes drones along with the thick feeling of self-doubt and malaise. Once again Insanity Cult pulls no punches when it comes to son spacing, as Birth Of Eos seems to be just a continuation of In My Abysmal Dreams. This is definitely where the mid-paced tempos make more sense to me as well. If they sped things up too much, their songwriting and musicianship would be wasted, as both are solid. The abrupt ending leads you to the song that probably epitomises Insanity Cult more than any other on “Of Despair And Self-Destruction”. Sinister Lights And Manic-Depression mixes the band’s dark lyrical themes with oddly uplifting melody. The further you get into this album the more it seems to take hold. Insanity Cult are really good at what they do and their “depressive” black metal is actually anything but. Great work.
You can stream and download "Of Despair And Self-Destruction" below:-
CD's, T-shirts and special merch packages are available from Insanity Cult via the Ogmios Underground bandcamp page above.
Tapes will be available soon from Unholy Forces Productions.
Insanity Cult - https://www.facebook.com/insanitycult/
Ogmios Underground - https://www.facebook.com/ogmiosug/
Unholy Forces Productions - https://www.facebook.com/Unholy-Forces-productions
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