Year: 2026
Label: Awakening Records/Futhark Records
Here’s a group with an unfortunate name – Metal Archives knows three other artists named Cultist plus a small throng of alternate spellings, Discogs knows six Cultists, some with releases antedatring the current Cultist. Especially with namesakes operating within similar fields of music, it becomes increasingly hard to distinguish oneself.
So, let’s specify. Today we’re dealing with Cultist from Calgary, Canada, and their second album. They’re a three-piece who’ve been together for 11 years already. Their debut was released in 2022, so they’ve not exactly been in a hurry to push out releases.
And, at least to some extent, this seems to have paid off. The Canadians have a pretty solid identity in their death metal, if not exactly the most characteristic sound. The foundation of Cultist’s death metal lies in the late 80’s, bearing a resemblance for example to Altars Of Madness era Morbid Angel. In a similar fashion, Cultist’s heavy, riff-driven death metal owes a heavy debt to the heavier and darker side of thrash metal (think Slayer) but still stays firmly on the death side of the tracks.
There’s nothing particularly original in this aspect of their sound. The shredding, pummeling riffs, the speedy thrash plods and the urgent, gruff screams are all very familiar to anyone into that era of death metal. At times, Cultist do lean heavily into thrash – the drum fills sound like they were stolen from some thrash classic! – and the occasional more purist thrash riff is a nice tough.
However, despite sharp riffing and in general furious musicianship, and some pretty intense vocals by vocalist/bass player Vanessa Grossberndt, who alternates between gruff gutturals, hoarse shouts and a harsh, throaty scream, Spiritual Atrophy remains distant. None of the tracks make an impression, and the aggression fails to convince.
This is strange because, essentially, all the pieces are in place. The songs are hectic, the musicianship suitably intense, the heavy sound as overbearing as it should be. On paper, this kicks ass. But somehow it entirely fails to enamour one like the original classics did. That magical, elusive something is missing – Spiritual Atrophy conveys nothing to the listener. None of the darkness and neanderthal brutality of death metal, that feeling of being crushed by ancient monoliths.
And so, reluctantly, I come to my conclusion: close, but no cigar.
Only Death Is Real 