A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of premiering a track from the debut album Sacramentum Obscurus by the Los Angeles-based black metal duo Cultus Profano. The album will be released on February 23rd by Debemur Morti Productions, and today we bring you the debut of this impressive new album’s final track: “Cultus Profano, Op. 9“.
In writing about the previous song we premiered (“Under the Infernal Reign, Op. 10“), I observed that from the hate-filled scowls of their corpse-painted visages to the Satanic mysticism that inspired their song titles and lyrics, Cultus Profano fuel their creations with loathing and abhorrence, seemingly guided by visions of fire and plague, and of the ascendency of evil and the triumph of sin. But, at least to my ears, I thought the mood of that previous song was one of intense sorrow and desolating despair — and it proved to be a hauntingly memorable song as well.
Something of that same desolated feeling comes through in the sounds of “Cultus Profano, Op. 9“, particularly at the outset, and like the first track we premiered, this one also shines with an otherworldly, mystical gleam. The lead guitar melody conveys a stricken sensation, but it soars and sweeps, with an unmistakable cold grandeur in its atmosphere.
This is also a dynamic song, one whose energy builds, crests, and subsides. In part, it’s a strikingly intense and savage attack, the caustic vocals blazing with demonic fire, the drums erupting in furious blast-beat and double-bass tirades, the riffs racing with fierce vibrancy. And in part, at the end, when the surging power diminishes, the music becomes ominous and haunting, mysterious and occult, the vocals becoming a chant, the melody descending into a perilous gloom.
The song adds to the proof that Cultus Profano are a force to be reckoned with, a very impressive new discovery worth watching very closely.
The cover art for Sacramentum Obscurus was created by Altar of Sorrow. It is available for pre-order from Debemur Morti in a variety of formats:
PRE-ORDER LINKS:
Digipack CD : http://bit.ly/sobscd
12″ LP : http://bit.ly/sobslp
Digital : http://bit.ly/sobsdl
CULTUS PROFANO:
https://www.facebook.com/CULTUS.PROFANO/