Cult of the Dragon is the debut release of Norwegian act Death Cult. Herr Ekkel, live guitar player for Taake, is the one behind this project; helped by Hoest, Meistermann and Thurzur. Guest appearances from Dirgered (Orcustus, Seecht) and Svartulv previously from Taake and the likes, complete the line-up. The offering here is straightforward, cruel Norwegian black metal. The sound is good and a bit raw; the compositions are simple and a bit catchy in the riffing area. Variation in tempo is present and quite appreciated. Wherever the vocals are heard, a sense of sick wickedness gives a twisted edge to the music. These manifest themselves by rasps, whispered screams of agony. Proof of my saying can be found on track #4, Sieg Hail Satan or on the closing Black Metal (The Sign of Pure Evil), some sort of anthem. The already mentioned track 4 comes in with darkness and a nice doom/ slow pace while the songs that follows it, Man of Kulu, sees its dark side conveyed by electronics, doing one of their few apparitions. Needless to say that the guitar work, either the crunchy riffs or clean arpeggios, are blackly good and enjoyable. Cult of the Dragon will appeal to fans of Nordic metal with a taste for twists and sickness.
