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CULTFINDER
Hell’s Teeth EP

Eldritch Lunar Miasma (2014)
Rating: 7/10

This new chunk of thrashing black metal, or black thrash metal if you wish, comes via the murky, frozen wastes of… er… Farnborough, in the UK! Cultfinder may not be known among many extreme metal fans, but Hell’s Teeth is their second EP, and follows on from 2012’s Black Thrashing Terror. This seven-track affair showcases the talents of the trio, consisting of members Rob Belial (vocals, guitar), Necroskull (bass) and Wilbeherit (drums).

The music on offer is best described as scratchy, with rasping vocals of witchy menace, scathing guitars, and drums which are at times a little lost in the mix, and tend to come across as rather tepid.

Even so, this is still a competent affair and a marked improvement on the debut EP, with three tracks on here being reworkings of numbers which originally appeared on the band’s 2011 demo. The trio of tracks in question are ‘All Conquering Death’, ‘The Scourging Angel’ and ‘The Devil’s Whore’. However, all tracks are delivered with satanic aplomb, providing catchy riffs with a doom-laden hint and effective speed which brings to mind the likes of Nifelheim and Bathory.

It’s the sort of lo-fi record that boasts a demo type quality, but has a strong foetid air which adds to the pitch black atmosphere. After the 60-second intro ‘Heathen Visions’, we are clawed at by the racy rhythms of ‘All Conquering Death’ with its wretched vocals and buzzing guitar sound. The drums are mostly rapid and don’t really add any weight to the record. I’m unsure if that’s intentional or not, but with the slower tracks on the record the band seem more effective.

The trouble is the faster segments seem to prevail time and time again, meaning that the instruments rarely have time to breath as separate entities as the trio attempt to create a suffocating fog of blasphemous noise. Even so, despite the flaws there are some good numbers present, with ‘The Devil’s Whore’ maintaining a solid grip on the ears and featuring some catchy hooks. A galloping drum introduces us to the molten pace of ‘Morbid Breed’, meanwhile, which is akin to old Kreator most certainly in its vocal sneer.

The press release for this EP is perfect in summing up the cacophony that Cultfinder are responsible for, stating that Hell’s Teeth is “A short, sharp hammer-smash to the senses…”. When one slaps on the likes of ‘All Conquering Death’ and ‘Morbid Breed’, that’s actually what it feels like. Although some of the tracks on here run for over four minutes, it feels like they are delivered as a swift stab to the arteries, particularly on my favourite punked-up slice of black thrash – ‘Drink To The Devil’, with its dirty infectious riff. This is also the track where Wilbeherit finds his identity, and the mid-tempo arrangements allow his drumming to come to the fore.

Although residing in some wretched dungeon in England, Cultfinder could do with a touch more meat in the production department. Overall though, this is still a toxic little record that will no doubt tattoo itself onto your psyche.

Neil Arnold

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