Review: Cult Of Occult ‘Ruin’

Cult Of Occult have been delivering the sludgy goodness since 2011’s Self-Titled debut. Truth be told they’ve always had this mystery surrounding them to me. I first heard them on their Five Degrees Of Insanity album. After about five listens I thought maybe I had their sound figured out until Anti Life decided to sink its teeth into me and not let go for an hour. Leaving me speechless and knowing I hadn’t begun to figure out anything.

Cult Of Occult ‘Ruin’ EP

Beginning like an unknown cluster of feedback Ruin establishes itself as something that’s going to take its time. Untuned riffing that’s easy to get lost inside of fill every little second. The dense soundscapes feel uninviting until the vocals take center stage and let you know what uninviting really sounds like.

A deep hatred can be felt as I slowly head bang and let Cult Of Occult guide me blindfolded into whatever abyss I guess I’m going to end up in today. Drumming that could break rocks keep everything steady enough to keep me from swallowing my own tongue. Another voice chants along and the guitars gain an echo effect making the ever present feeling of isolation become overwhelming. The last leg of Ruin may as well have made the light of the outside world sink into nothing but a mess of filth as nuiRe begins.

This forty minute monster legitimately scared me into sleeping with a nightlight on…

I feel like I’m listening to a conversation I cannot understand but still shouldn’t be hearing. Synths with the intensity of church organs replace the guitars and drums. I see Ruin like waking up in another dimension. The shock leads your mind to breaking up momentarily. nuiRe is your brain actually making sense of wherever you are. The screams come back but an added sense of extreme desperation is even more present. This forty minute monster legitimately scared me into sleeping with a nightlight on and watching videos of clumsy animals being adorable.

Cult Of Occult have been crafting a world of cosmic terror no book or movie can really capture the same way. This is another chapter and more than worthy follow up to Anti Life’s bleak perfection. This is a project for anyone looking towards the cosmos, not to see beauty, but to see something beyond terror to humble you making our real world seem smaller.

Label: Breathe Plastic Records | Music Fear Satan
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Scribed by: Richard Murray