Artist: Void Meditation Cult
Country: USA
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Formats: 12″ EP
Year: 2026
When I got my hands on Sperm Of Antichrist’s ‘Blight And Darkness’ demo in 2009, I was truly blown away. Although it was clearly based on the musical legacy of Beherit (and that of Demoncy and Goatlord), this mysterious one-man band managed to capture the deep darkness and foul evil in such a compelling way that it claimed a unique place in the musical constellation of that era. It couldn’t possibly be called the original, but it was a flawless performance. The dark, growling guitars formed a terrifying backdrop for the intensely creepy whispered vocals. Long story short: ‘Blight And Darkness’ was one of the best Black Metal demos of that year and maybe even of that decade.
However, that one demo was not only a celebration of swampy Black Metal that harkened back to Beherit’s most evil days, it also turned out to be the last one for Sperm Of Antichrist. Or at least, the last one to be released under that moniker. Almost directly after the release of that debut demo, the band changed its name to Void Meditation Cult and went to record a new demo in 2011, which together with ‘Blight And Darkness’ was reissued in 2013 on vinyl under the name ‘Sulfurous Prayers Of Blight And Darkness’. It took another three years before we finally got our hands on their debut album, ‘Utter The Tongue Of The Dead’. The pace of their releases isn’t exactly fast, because although ‘Our Necrotic Revelations’ (2019) came out after that, it has remained frighteningly quiet ever since.
In a way, the slow pace of releases contributes to the mystique surrounding the band. Over the years, it has become known that the person behind the band is Dave Ingram, not the one from Benediction, of course, but ex-Manticore and ex-Blood Coven. However, that doesn’t detract much from the atmosphere; in these modern days, something like that remains difficult to keep under wraps anyway.
To break the long silence since the release of ‘Our Necrotic Revelations’, or simply to introduce these recordings to a wider audience, Hells Headbangers Records is now releasing them on a single-sided 12″ EP, with an etching on the B-side. These six songs, with a playing time of just under twenty minutes, were released by Ingram himself on cassette tape and were not sold publicly. The demo had already appeared on the internet, so those interested had already been able to listen to it, but most of them had not yet had the opportunity to get their hands on a copy. That has now been rectified, and it is definitely worth it.
All recorded material, whether under the name Sperm Of Antichrist or Void Meditation Cult, is more than worthwhile for those interested in dark and occult Black/Death Metal based on the foundations laid by pioneers such as Beherit and Mystifier. ‘Our Necrotic Revelations’ is no exception. ‘Blight And Darkness’ will probably remain my favorite forever; there are no weak links in the discography. This latest recording is perhaps slightly less overwhelming and oppressive, and has a somewhat more open sound that allows the keyboards to come to the fore a little more, but it can proudly bear the Void Meditation Cult name.
