Cultes des Ghoules

Throat – Blood Exaltation Review

By Dear Hollow on February 7, 2024 in Reviews, Black Metal, 28 comments

“I’m gonna sound like an absolute madman when I say this, but Blood Exaltation is what I wanted Ad Nauseam’s Imperative Imperceptible Impulse to be. Poland’s Throat is neither dissonant nor death metal, and their aesthetic resides in tired and trve approaches of blackened occultism and evil in the shadow of religious alienation. However, there is a distinct and tantalizing array of clattering and creaking, a dusty and organic quality that settles like hard night on an old church, the tension of ancient voices crackling through haunted halls.” Breath control.

Nahasheol – Serpens Abyssi Review

By Dear Hollow on November 15, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 11 comments

“Black metal is a petty mistress, a femme fatale. Promising the void with cupped hands only to say “made you look” when thousands of one-man bedroom projects jump on your face like deranged sugar gliders, black metal will lull you in and punish you for your optimism. That said, I know better, so I approached the Dutch duo Nahasheol cautiously.” Fear of the dark (and snakes).

Calligram – The Eye Is The First Circle Review

By Dear Hollow on April 10, 2020 in 2020, Black Metal, Crust Punk, Doom Metal, Hardcore, International Metal, Prosthetic Records, Punk, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Black Metal, Crust Punk, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 37 comments

“How can music communicate the feeling of dread? While all styles are able, metal’s inherent darkness fits like a glove. While it’s easy to provide aural bludgeoning or emphasize excess, the discipline of restraint takes time and effort. From the post-metal dirges of Neurosis, the avant-garde buildups of Eryn Non Dae., the spiraling doom of Swallowed, the blackened payoffs of Cultes des Ghoules, and the death metal environs of Desolate Shrine, it revels in darkness, plays with menace, but most notably, waits patiently.” Waiting in the darkness.

Empire of the Moon – Εκλειψις Review

By Dear Hollow on January 7, 2020 in 2020, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Greek Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 18 comments

“Another year has passed us by. As 2019 drifts to memory, I contemplate all the love the AMG community has shown me, a now somewhat less maligned contributor to a respected forum of metal journalism, feeling the love, feeling the camaraderie, feeling the–oh shit, there’s a review due this week?” Better get to it before the Task Monkey gets to you.

Hagzissa – They Ride Along Review

By Grymm on August 23, 2019 in 2019, Austrian Metal, Black Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, 23 comments

“I guarantee that you are looking at the album cover to the left (or above, if you’re cellphone-advantageous) and are probably guessing the review score without even scrolling down. Believe me when I say that I took one look at that garishly drawn, purple-as-fuck monstrosity and noped the daylights out of it myself. In my fuzzy cat-brain, without even hearing a note of They Ride Along by Austrian newcomers Hagzissa. But I’m always willing to give everyone a fair shot, and we all know how the old adage goes about books and covers.” Purple is the new black.

Lo-Ruhamah – Anointing Review

By Grymm on May 16, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Estonian Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 15 comments

“Having been wrongly labeled as a Christian band, Lo-Ruhamah nevertheless garnered quite a few interested ears with their interesting take on progressive doom metal mixed with esoteric spiritualism. But then, they went inactive for almost a decade. Now, with the members spending time between the States and Estonia, they return with their long-awaited follow-up, Anointing.” Back from the dead, but not like Jesus!

Cultes Des Ghoules – Coven, or Evil Ways Instead of Love Review

By Grymm on February 13, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Polish Metal, Reviews, Under The Sign of Garazel Productions, Black Metal, 13 comments

“When I was a wee little Grymmling, I developed an addiction to peanut butter cups. I know, it’s hard to get addicted to the heavenly concoction of peanut butter wrapped in milk chocolate, but as a kid, the flavor combination blew my mind. So when I was a teenager and worked my first job, I did what any respectable teen would do; I bought a fuck-ton of peanut butter cups and gorged on them. Needless to say, the stomach issues weren’t pleasant. That memory sprung to mind when I snagged Coven, or Evil Ways Instead of Love, the third full-length by Polish black metal weirdos Cultes Des Ghoules.” Bring forth the Comfy Chair!

Throneum – Morbid Death Tales Review

By Mark Z. on October 18, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Death Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Polish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 13 comments

“Another day, another blackened death release from Hells Headbangers. It’s not that I don’t like what the label puts out — the past few years have seen great material from Destrukor, Denouncement Pyre, and Profanatica, to name but a few. But it’s albums like Morbid Death Tales that make me wonder if some bands just utilize a filthy sound and the ‘no trends, just pure metal!’ aesthetic as an excuse for churning out music which is half-assed, knowing full well that members of their ‘kvlt’ fanbase will rabidly devour it regardless.” A diet overly high in kvlt is not recommended.