Who doesn’t love a good mysterious masked band? Cultus Black have honed an aggressive nu-metal meets deathcore sound that also oozes slightly surprisingly delicious melodies. On top of that, there’s an intriguing edge provided by their masked attire.
The band started from the ashes of frontman L’s former band Motograter. In the words of the frontman, who’s described to us as the ‘Messenger’: “I was not an original member of Motograter, that wasn’t my baby, I didn’t create it. Cultus Black, I created it, with the help of some other industry badasses.”
L is joined in Cultus Black by H and T (guitars), E (drums), Z (percussion) and M (bass), who’ve honed a sound they summarise as “intense, dark, heavy” and L adds: “‘You have to hear it to believe it!” *in best used car salesman voice*.”
Our latest taste of this is Burn, which opens with a funky sound that drops into a vicious riff and powerful drums. Chunky guitar chords kick in and drop into a verse led by vocals that intensify into big screams. The pace picks up with driving guitars and drums under cries of “burn it to the ground, burn it all down” as it flows into a catchy chorus.
The funky sound from the intro returns, before dropping into an intense chorus with atmospheric guitars and heavy drums, bringing it to an intense conclusion.
On the track, L tells us: “The reception has been good across the board. I guess some people say this one is a bit different for us? I dunno, we just create what we are feeling in the moment. So in that way, it’s just like any other art we make. I think the lyrics are very relatable, it’s dark, it’s heavy and it has a good hook.” Check it out here:
That followed a couple more singles last year, including the engaging Nevermine and the intense Killing The Beautiful. The latter opens up with a spinning lick then a crushing riff over atmospheric synths and heavy vocals. The lines “I am the clouds that block the sun, I am the bullet in the gun” feed into a big catchy chorus. A chunky riff jumps in as the vocals intensify before another big chorus ends with intense screamed vocals and a booming riff. That tees up a powerful conclusion, with searing synths over engaging vocals. Check it out in the video here:
We also recommend checking out the angsty, more nu-metal-sounding Witch Hunt, the intense You Make Me So Sick and their intriguing interpretation of Nirvana’s Negative Creep.
Cultus Black list a range of 90s rock, nu-metal and deathcore bands as their key influences, including the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, Motionless In White, and Whitechapel.
And on what insires them to write music, L tells us: “I always try to write about things from my own personal perspective. So I always try to dig as deep as possible to dredge up whatever is most bothering me, or means something to me. I guess there is somewhat of a theme of feeling different or not belonging. If we are being honest, I think we can all relate to that at some point or another.”
Expect plenty more new music from Cultus Black, including their debut album coming out on 10 March. That will come ahead of an exciting-sounding tour alongside Static-X, Fear Factory, Mushroomhead and Dope, which starts on 23 March. Check out their website for more info on tour dates.
You can follow Cultus Black on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Listen to Cultus Black on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Core and GigRadar Metal
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