
Black and blood magic
-- Cult Of Scarecrow --
19/08/2019
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Doom Metal |
Album artists:
■ | Filip De Wilde | Vocals |
■ | Jan Van Der Poorten | Guitars |
■ | Ivan De Strooper | Guitars |
■ | Gunther ‘Gunny' Poppe | Bass, backing vocals |
■ | Eddy Scheire | Keyboards, backing vocals |
■ | Nico Regelbrugge | Drums |
Review written by Stijn "Metal Shredder" Daneels.
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
My first
taste of Cult of Scarecrow’s doom was in late 2018 when the band joined the
Wacken Metal Battle Belgium 2019 competition. They eventually made it to the semifinals
where I saw them deliver a more than solid performance during the semifinals in
the Asgaard bar in Ghent and although they didn’t reach the finals, they did
leave a very positive impression on me. I also received a physical copy of
their eponymous debut EP and now it’s damn time to shred this 4-horned goat!
[SHREDDING BASICS]
Cult of
Scarecrow’s self-titled EP is their first release after the band was formed in
2017 by ex-members of acts like Dead Serious, Battering Ram, Tears of Colossus
and Innerface. It’s an independent release sent to us by our Dutch friends at
Hard Life Promotion and consists of 4 tracks for a healthy 33-minute playtime.
While the
band describe themselves as melodic doom metal, Cult Of Scarecrow does add
several ingredients to the usual doom metal sound to keep things interesting.
For instance, they use plenty of keyboard tunes to either add dark ambience or
to put a Deep Purple like orchestral touch to the mix. Every song also features
technical guitar solos, catchy choruses and finally there’s much variety in the
overall pacing of the songs. But what stands out the most for me in Cult of
Scarecrow’s style is the atmosphere they pull off. I can best describe their
style as the kind of music that you would hear in some unholy cathedral wherein
six priests are chanting and playing threatening yet also very inviting devilish
tunes while performing blood splattering, hellish rites. Black magic straight
from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis! Bound in human flesh and inked in human blood!
Aside from
the excellent demon summoning atmosphere, I also have to give big props to front
priest Filip De Wilde. Unlike many other doom metal vocalists, Filip sings
cleanly and his vocals have a calm and meditative yet also a strict and
commanding quality to them. But above all else, his voice is seductive, almost
to the point of hypnotizing. Particularly in the opening track, “The Hour of
Bloodrun,” his chants are really mesmerizing. His delivery of the chorus line “we
close our eyes” did send some shivers down my spine and that doesn’t happen
often. So all things considered, Cult of Scarecrow’s sound is a true seduction towards
the infernal void and I’m already looking forward to my next trip to this
nightmarish realm!
[SHREDDING VISION]
The front
cover features a glowing sun and a longhorn’s skull sitting on some rocks. What
I love about the cover art is its ambiguity. On the one hand, it could be a
scene from a spaghetti western, with the sun rising above the desert. On the
other hand, that same sun could be the yellow mushroom cloud from a nuclear
explosion, destroying all life it touches. And I believe it’s the latter that
the band is communicating, since Cult of Scarecrow’s material deals with
contemporary human issues like depression, drug and alcohol abuse, relentless
and destructive greed and the resulting destruction of all life of earth. Have
a nice day!
[SHARPEST SHREDS & BLUNTEST BLADES]
My top
choice goes to the epic opening tune “The Hour of Bloodrun.” The crunchy just
highly melodic guitar riffs, the dark operatic keyboards, the harmonious drum
beats and the hypnotizing vocals, it’s all here in full force! Hell, even the
opening samples of rattlesnakes and screaming pigs add in building up the dark ritualistic
atmosphere. Where’s a virgin blood sacrifice when you need one?
While Cult of
Scarecrow’s title track has its highlights (mainly the very effective use of
keyboards) this particular song did take a while to get going. Personally, I
would’ve cut out the minute-long opening sample of wind blows and shrieking
crows as well as shortening the slow and brooding two minute section that comes
right after that. Aside from that 3-minute intro, this song’s remaining 5-minutes
are pretty damn good.
[SHREDDER’S
SCORECARD]
8
Necronomicons out of 10. Although doom metal is one of my least favorite
subgenres I’m more than pleased with the fun and engaging additions and twists
that Cult of Scarecrow have pulled off with their first release. The EP oozes
with atmosphere and its nightmarish darkness will keep you engaged all the way
to the end! Even if doom metal isn’t quite your thing, this still is one Cult
well worth joining. Here’s the music video for “Last Words from Black Birds."