CULTES DES GHOULES - Henbane... or, Sonic Compendium of the Arts (2013)

Genre: Orthodox Black Metal

Labels: Under the Sign of Garazel Productions, Hell's Headbangers

Rating: 9.5/10

I first fell in love with Cultes des Ghoules when Spectres Over Transylvania was released. I immediately got this remarkable album in forest green/grey double vinyl, gatefold. Completely worth it. If you want it on vinyl, good luck finding it. Discogs is probably your best bet, although if I recall correctly, Terratur Possessions had a copy of the picture disc edition in stock. His stuff moves quickly, though, and I'd be surprised if it hadn't sold yet. The CD and MP3s are available from Hell's Headbangers here and here, respectively.

"Idylls of the Chosen Damned" starts the album off as if in a race. You, the listener, will immediately notice the massive low-end in this song; the whole album is like that. "The Passion of a Sorceress" starts off somewhat more mid-tempo, but then kicks into high gear soon enough. The song is, as the youngsters might say, black as fuck, with trills, to boot. "Vintage Black Magic" commences with clean guitar that converts to hellish, distorted evil after a few seconds. It sort of vacillates between the two extremes for most of the song, but not before the groovy, sliding power chords that lead into the verse, which is clean. Mark of the Devil really shines in these parts, as his phenomenal, albeit strange, vocals are very easy to hear. If you like chunk in your distorted guitar, you'll love the intro to the next track, "Festival of Devotion." Terminal track "The Devil Intimate" is truly sinister sounding in the beginning. What makes this song all the more special for me, as a Slavophile, is that the lyrics are in Polish. It is somewhat long, clocking in at 14:16, but you'll love every minute of it; I know it warms my black heart.

Despite having a French-looking and -sounding name, the band is from Poland, if you didn't know that already. This album was mastered by Mgła, and has truly overwhelming low-end. It sounds great on good sound-systems, but sort of muddies up the guitars a little bit. If it weren't for that factor, I would have had to give this album a 10 (though, as a serious reviewer, no album can really achieve a ten, so I sort of had to dig my mind for a possible flaw to this album). The drums and vocals are perfect. This album is great for when you need a pick-me-up or are having some self-doubts. It is a confident work AD MAJOREM SATHANAS GLORIAM, and it will rub off on you.