Across the variety of music the world has to offer in the 21st century, the marriage of genres is inevitable and is a fundamental principle of musical artistry. One of these marriages however, has stood the test of time by constantly evolving itself with a ferocity and intensity that is unlike any other; classical merged with the wonder of metal. Cult of Lilith is the newest manifestation of this artistic marriage on the scene, and they bring along with themselves their debut album ‘Mara’. The album is a cluster of intricate compositional skills and tone colours raging across the spectrum, coming together in unison to deliver on one intense sound, the name of which is as menacing as the sound itself; Necro-mechanical Baroque.
With the band being founded in 2015, then-sole member and guitarist Daniel Þór Hannesson brought together session musicians to manifest the EP ‘Arkanum’ into being. On the first listen, it is understood how a good majority of the compositional ideas that are etched into Mara overlap with the structures written for Arkanum. But pair it with the additional shreds of guitarist Kristján Jóhann Júlíusson, the mastery of the low-end by bassist Samúel Örn Böðvarsson, the impressive dynamism exhibited by vocalist Mario Infantes Ávalos and the rhythmic foundation delivered by drummer Kjartan Harðarson, and Mara proves itself to be a mammoth of an album; a David standing up determined and bold in face of the Goliaths that circle it in the genres of Progressive and Extreme metal alike. Behind the mixing desk, Dave Otero handled the post-production process of the album, manifesting a degree of such intense cohesion in the album’s sound that serves it in the best possible manner.
With the intention to make the album “a journey that never becomes stagnant and that keeps the listener engaged the whole way through”, the band proves to be successful in encapsulating that intention wholly. The eight track record starts with “Cosmic Maelstrom”, an introduction into a roller-coaster that attracts the curiosity of every listener and hooks to the attention of the seasoned metalhead. It ends with “Le Soupir du Fantome”; a tense acoustic progression that gives the impression to be the perfect outro for the preceding seven songs, only to be supported by the ominous overshadows of a vocal melody and strings soaked in malaise before kicking in for the final act.
Each song in between holds an identity of its own that does not compensate on the flavor, intensity and variety of the expression that is covered across them all. “Purple Tide” introduces itself with a synthesizer opening that is reminiscent of the 1980’s and is bombed by a jazz-saturated organ halfway through, while dramatic rhythms play through the song constantly. “Profeta Paloma” maintains the atmosphere of an extreme metal song all the way, only resting to let a flamenco inspired section run in between that soothes the ears before the grueling nature of the song heads back in again. When it comes to the lyrical direction of the album, Mario adds a side to the entire picture that is arguably rare to come by; lyrics that are written and performed in a nexus of various languages as he is passionate about linguistics. The sewing of linguistic and lyrical variety into the album adds a character to the record that seamlessly integrates the diversity of the record into one complete whole.
Mara is a complex genre-fused headbanger’s ball that is a delight to the likes of extreme metal but also sets a precedent to be an acquired taste of its own. As a debut album that absolutely slams, it documents Cult of Lilith’s ambitious sound into one cohesive whole and really sets the bar high for itself. One can only imagine how the band may outdo themselves for their future endeavors. Mara is out via Metal Blade Records on September 4th!