Artist: Cultus
Country: The Netherlands
Label: Heidens Hart Records
Formats: Cassette Tape
Year: 2004
People who like the Dutch underground metal scene know this guy named Arjan for sure. He’s the owner of the Heidenshart distro/label, a steady force in the Dutch metal scene for some years now. He’s also the man behind this solo-project Cultus. After a rather successful demo called “De Zwaarden Spreken” and a full-length on Forgotten Wisdom called “Our Swords We Raise … Our Gods We Praise” it was time for a new demo-tape on his own Heidenshart label, the demo is from 2004 and a few weeks ago a new tape was released, a live split tape with the Czech black metal band Detonator 666, a band with amongst others Vlad Blasphemer of Maniac Butcher, Dark Storm, Agmen and Nhaavah. Quite a busy man…
While listening this demo it is clear that there is a difference between this demo and his older material. Arjan already told me that I had to reckon with these changes. He described it as: “Lesser of these Graveland ‘oenga oenga’ rhythms”, including a liner note that there is nothing wrong with that in its principle. I must say I can just partly agree with this statement, it is indeed a little less of these pagan sounds but it didn’t vanish all at once, I still hear certain Graveland-ridden songs – but one can’t deny his influences and roots, right? But on the other hand, the few pagan moments are heavily mingled with a rawer kind of black metal, some times its rawer or messier than other occasions, it still has this paganish vibe – it even slightly reminds me on Burzum every now and then. A closer look on songs itself learns us that not all of them are new, the seventh song (“Tragwldia”) was already on the split 10″ with Odal, Deathgate Arkanum and Branstock in a demo-track version. And the last two songs were already on the full-length, but these songs are improved versions. Another remarkable fact that must be mentioned is the fifth track (“De Dodenstoet”) that was drummed by a guy named Floris (I’m not entirely sure but I do think that this is Floris Velthuis from Meslamtaea). Yeah, all in all, another nice demo tape by this sole soul…
