Back to the black metal grind. This time, I get to experience the unique style of Cult of Fire. Hailing from Czechia, there is a major influence of eastern instrumentation along with ideals within their music. On their newest outing Moksha, they take the listener on a spiritual journey. Usually, this would be a major turnoff. Spiritualized black metal often has come off as preachy and forcibly psychedelic which ruins the chance for a true journey. Moksha on the other hand feels genuine and inviting. See, the inspiration behind this was stated to stem from Baba Kinaram, a Hinduist reformer said to be the reincarnation of the deity Shiva. The story behind him is quite interesting when I did my research, but how does it translate to Moksha?

This record revolves around the spiritual path. More specifically, the Aghori path. The Aghori path in relationship to the orthodox spiritual path is much harsher of a journey to face. It brings clear the worst sufferings held within the minds of humans in which we face in everyday life. Getting through it is a difficult task, but with it comes a refined understanding of life and solace for the deep inhibitions within. When Cult of Fire translates these ideas to Moksha, the result is a strong musical representation that highlights each element with harsh and beautiful black metal moments. Between the blast beats and the choked growls, a darker tone is established. Accompanying them are a slew of majestic ideas that show the uplifting payoff that will come from experiencing the Aghori path.

The blackened sections are rapid, yet welcoming. Take the blast beats that are naturally going to bring a rush of adrenaline to the body. What pushes them to a more nuanced state is the texturing on them that gives off a misty aesthetic. They set a tone of fuzz in the mind that is almost surreal. Of course the guitars assist in the surrealism with their warm tones that hide behind the colder tones of the bass. Everytime I listen to this I feel if I am getting pulled into the atmosphere and gripped til the end. The visceral growls in the forefront of the production also pushes the juxtaposition between dark and light. Although most of the time an atmosphere is being developed, we do get a dense and cacophonous track in the form of “Har har mahadev” near the backend that maximizes intensity before stepping back once again on the final track “Mokša”.

As icing on the cake, we have more traditional instrumentation fused in to accent Moksha’s origins. The plucking strings on “(ne)čistý” along with the reverberating acoustic chords the sneak in and out of the arrangements give an enthralling naturalistic vibe that I love to hear in black metal. We also get some bongos hidden within the blast beats across the album and take front-and-center on “Město mrtvých” with bells shimmering around them. These moments in contrast with the rest of the instrumentation really elevate the record to a level of greatness.

Spiritual black metal has proven to be a difficult sound to pull off without sounding opaque and overly psychedelic. Cult of Fire has proved that they can distinguish between spiritual and psychedelic with Moksha. This feat alone holds up the album even with the few questionable choices like the vocal lines on “Har har mahadev” which feel slightly corny with the laughing growls. Overall the instrumentation and production hold their weight making for a great representation of the spiritual path in which Moksha aimed for. Although only barely over 30 minutes in length, this record is tight with ideas and there is a sister album, Nirvana, that is meant to compliment it. This is definitely a record I will be revisiting for it’s uniqueness and I highly recommend you all do too.

Favorite Tracks: “Město mrtvých”; “(ne)Čistý”; “Mokša”

Rating: 8/10

Released: 02/20/2020

Label: Beyond Eyes

Genre: Spiritual Black Metal

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