Radikální ateismus - Tvůrcům nadčlověka

I was pretty surprised when this band wound up on Deathgasm for their second release; it's not as though the first one was particularly high profile, nor did it have a delivery which suggested the band was seeking greater recognition. But one way or another a copy made its way over to the offices of Deathgasm, and now Kult Ofenzivy is receiving the sort of attention and praise that was previously only found in the deepest of underground black metal. For any of those afraid that the move to a relatively large metal label might have tempered the band's sound, it shouldn't be an even remote concern: Kult Ofenzivy's style is just as hard-bitten and minimal as ever, and I don't think there's anything one could do to these guys to have them play nicer music.

Truth be told, this is essentially a retread of the first album with much improved production: a much broader and fuller sound with a more substantial guitar tone makes this a lot more listenable than the first release, which only has mediocre sound in retrospect. Aside from this, Kult Ofenzivy's established style continues with perhaps a hint more technicality. For those that haven't heard the band's debut, Kult Ofenzivy's style of black metal is minimal, lightly melodic, and very dark, much in the vein of 'Transilvanian Hunger' with a certain Czech edge to the riffing. A dark, almost Attila-derived vocal performance plumbs the low end of the music while the harrowing tremolo riffs and near constant thrash beats form a hypnotic cadence under the vocals, and the generally droning quality of the music is really only broken up by occasional drum fills. Kult Ofenzivy for the most part operates at one tempo, one rhythm, and one melodic form. This is not an album packed with variation.

Despite the fact that these tracks all sound basically the same, Kult Ofenzivy is still one of the best bands in this style I've heard. Understanding that the riffing of 'Transilvanian Hunger' didn't just rely on sheer repetition but also careful structuring, Kult Ofenzivy actually advances the style through subtle shifts in drumwork and delicate riff changes that are at once melodic and somewhat dissonant- the weird, undulating flow of 'Dobře Vědět Jak Naložit Se Svými Zdary', with its uneasy, wavering chords is a good example of how the band sounds on this release. While the first album sounds a bit more like a typical underground minimalist black metal band, there's a certain subtlety to the songs on this album that is hard to explain precisely, even though structurally this falls into the same ABABCA structures that defined the previous album and 'Transilvanian Hunger'. That Kult Ofenzivy makes something so dark and creative without having to turn to gimmicks or songwriting novelties is a pretty big accomplishment.

Anyone who liked the first one will enjoy this, but as I think only about six people in the world heard the first one, I think I'll recommend this to anyone who likes fairly raw, minimal black metal in the old Norwegian or Czech traditions. It's hard to be disappointed by this one, and I'm eager to hear where the band goes on from here.