Album
Type:
Album
Date
Released:
28th
November 2014
Label:
Self
Released
Fog
Cult (S/T) – Track Listing
1.Witchcult 08:51
2.Dark Ones 06:49
3.The Beast 07:12
4.Blue Dream, Ice
Queen 08:36
5.From Under Heavy
Eyes 13:32
6.The Burning 12:39
7.Rise In The Fire
03:36
Members
Tom Patterson-Drums
Richard
Kovacs-Guitars
Ian Hansson-Bass,
Vocals, Noise
Review:
Fog
Cult is a relatively new band from Pennsylvania who deals in Sludge,
Drone, Doom, Grunge and Stoner Metal for one heavy and creepy time.
Their music is mainly in the Doom Genre but it is good to see that
Fog Cult know how to mix things up a bit on their S/T debut album.
Its 61 minutes of great riffs and heavy atmospherics to thrill you
with. The opening track - Witchcult - shows what Fog Cult is all
about. Epic songs with a sense of menace in the air as they expertly
blend the different genres they play with such confidence. I have not
heard many bands mixing Grunge with Occult Rock though Fog Cult pulls
this off superbly well. It has its fair share of Doom, Sludge and
Stoner Metal for you to check out.
Fog
Cult adds a lot of Fuzz to the mix as well. The vocals are clean and
crisp through out. I will warn you now the album takes a sinister
turn on the second half of the album but more about that later.
Second Track - Dark Ones - starts as a slow-paced doomy affair with
slow guitars and drums becoming ever louder and faster as time goes
by. Shades of Sabbath, Sleep and Alice In Chains can be detected at
times on both the music and vocals and that is no bad thing. As Fog
Cult, keep things lively and fresh through out. A great hard-rocking
track has a creepy sideline in Occult Rock vibe starting to appear
through out the song.
The
vocals are superb as Fog Cult unleash another expertly written song.
Fog Cult make great use of the different genres they play through out
on the album. Some people maybe put off with the change in tone and
direction the album goes through with each song. Though I think, it
is a sign of Fog Cult's wonderful creativity, as each song sounds so
different to each other. Third track - The Beast - is a faster paced
affair compared to the opening two tracks. It sees Fog Cult venturing
into 70s/80s classic Hard Rock/Doom Metal territory for one of the
albums standout tracks. It features some of the albums standout riffs
for you to rock out to.
The
4th track - Blue Dream, Ice Queen is my fave track from the album as
it is a fast paced and intense affair with Fog Cult opting for a more
Stoner Metal vibe compared to the other tracks. Fog Cult adds
different noises once again to show they thrive on experimenting with
their sound. It is purely an instrumental track as Fog Cult let their
music become the focus here. Now it is time for me to warn you as
after this track the album moves into darker and sinister territory
as Fog Cult bring elements of distorted Ambient and Drone noises to
the album.
Up
next is the 13 minute epic From Under Heavy Eyes is firmly rooted in
Doom Metal as the band unleashes a whole wave of loud slow-paced
gloomy riffs and vocals to match. Around the 7 minute mark is when
the whole mood of the album changes for everyone. Fog Cult unleashes
distorted and ambient noises for a few minutes, as the mood turns
violent and bleak for one of the albums most unsettling moments.
However, things do go back to a more slightly normal feel with the
band playing loud and heavy sludge/drone riffs to end the song with.
The
last two songs - The Burning and Rise In The Fire - take up the final
16 minutes of the albums run time. The Burning is an almost 13 minute
epic where Fog Cult experiment with ambient noises once again before
playing the more normal Doom/Sludge/Stoner metal sound they played
earlier on the album. It is another creepy as heck song to impress
you with. The last track - Rise In The Fire - is entirely made up of
distorted drone and ambient noises without a riff in sight. It is a
shame the guys end the album with this track as it does not really go
anywhere. Fog Cult should have ended the album with The Burning as it
a more fitting way to end the album on a loud angry finish.
I
admire Fog Cult's creativity on this album as they have created a
truly superb debut album that offers something different and wholly
rewarding if you are into bleak based music. The album sounds superb,
as the production is excellent through out. A truly epic and
thunderous debut album. Check this out now. You won't be sorry.
Words
By Steve Howe
Fog
Cult S/T debut album is available to buy on BandCamp now.
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