Cultist, a Christian heavy metal band from southern California’s Inland Empire have released their first LP “Slow Suicide” under the banner of Facedown Records on the 21st July 2023. Having previously released 2 EPs and 3 unattached singles, the framework of the band is unquestionably west coast beatdown hardcore with plenty of east coast influence, giving significant weight to their sound and amplified by lyrical gravity. They pull deathcore-style threads from The Last Ten Seconds of Life, dark metalcore vibes from Varials, and combine it with the raw heaviness.

“Slow Suicide” opens up the album, as it plunges on with heavy guitar chugs meddled with screeching vocals with varied drum beats oscillating between rock and blast beats. The guitar chugs continue throughout the breadth of the song maintaining a solid attack with craftly interludes bringing about eerie tones. “Preacher III” carries on the formulaic from its predecessor, it layers on slow guitar chugs with a rumbling bass and screeches on muted guitars. The vocal delivery toggles between screeching and guttural styled vocals which surely brings about a ghastly aftereffect to the song.

With “Memento Mori” the deathcore shenanigans are met with slight melodies on the guitar before treading back to their signature sound. I liked the drums on this track, as I saw little experimentation that differentiated this song from the rest. The drums reminded me a bit of Slayer’s “Gemini”, not a like for like comparison, but more on the lines of standing out from the other instruments. “Hell of My Design” jumps on with similar energy, adding a few breakdowns in its delivery but staying nonetheless on a similar format as its predecessors. The vocals blare out throughout the course of the song with crafty breakdown on the guitars, still lacking new arrangements.

Continue reading »