Devil's Paradise

Do you ever wake up in the morning and think “You know what the world is missing? A band that’s like…Beherit…but… psychedelic, and their name needs to be generated by a black metal version of one of those random name generator things you see on Facebook…” Well, look no further, because Canada’s Black Death Cult have got it covered with their debut LP ‘Devil’s Paradise’.

Like, ok, facetiousness of this opening gambit aside, that’s exactly what you get on this album. Black Death Cult take the otherworldly rituals of early Beherit, add an array of organ tones and retro horror clichés, and pretty much run with this formula throughout. There are some doom metal leanings here and there, which, with the addition of a church organ evoke a Skepticism vibe, but beyond that, this is ritualistic black metal with a strong stoner vibe to it. But of course, the real question is, does it work on any discernible metric?

The guitar tone is muddy, suited more for doom metal than it is black metal, but that is entirely appropriate given the clammy, restrictive atmosphere BDP are going for here. Drums are fat and bass heavy, with no decay on the snare, thus preventing them from hampering the murk of the guitars with an overly invasive clarity. They stick to a basic bludgeon that celebrates the all-encompassing guitar tone more than anything too showy. Vocals range from guttural death growls to the trademark whispered style of Holocausto, and even some artificial, alien tones on ‘The Gate of Nanna’ tribute track ‘Nightside of the Pyramids’.

Keyboards do offer more besides just organ tones and supressed psychedelia however. There is a consistent attempt to create an unsettling, idiosyncratic vibe through ambient interludes and supressed synth tones that lurk behind the guitars. But the dominant presence is of course the organ, which works through fairly typical tritones and ‘spooky’ chord progressions that gives the whole thing a comical, Hammer Horror vibe which I’m not sure was intended or not.

With all that in mind then, it’s important to give credit where it’s due. ‘Devil’s Paradise’ is not a one-dimensional gimmick album. It’s a well made if limited piece of occult black metal that does a good job of create an immersive vibe. And – by virtue of actually writing riffs and nurturing some themes to fruition – it is allowed to develop into engaging metal on some of the longer tracks. Does the psychedelic gimmick hold it back? Yes and no. And by that I of course mean yes. In one sense, the constant organ is a needless distraction as it largely follows the guitars and brings little of any musical value to the field other than timbre. But this timbre is precisely the problem because it changes the overall impact of the music from legitimately creepy and layered ritualistic black metal to entertaining and hammy homage to old school horror films.

I actually want to take this album seriously. But one gets the impression Black Death Cult are not as interested in any lofty artistic statement as much as they are throwing out quirky Beherit knockoff riffs and cracking in-jokes that will have a very short shelf life. So, to sum up a confusing writeup for a confusing album, we could look at ‘Devil’s Paradise’ as two albums playing in succession. One is a tedious circus of retro references mashed in with the aesthetics of arcane black metal; the other is a flawed but honest and multi-faceted attemot at ritualistic black metal that shows much promise. Sadly the melding of the two competing statements relegates the finished whole from artistry to entertainment, and I fear it will dramatically shorten the lifespan of this album’s appeal beyond the recent present.

Originally published at Hate Meditations