Wednesday 10 December 2014

Fog Cult - S/T (Album Review)

Fog Cult cover art

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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