Written by Nick Spooner
It's no extraordinary revelation to say that the music industry is in a right old pickle now thanks to the pandemic. Who knows when we'll get to see live music again, but in the meantime there's still plenty we can do to support artists out there doing what they can to still make it work. And to that end, we're introducing a new feature as part of a Room Thirteen reboot which is about giving artists a leg-up. There's no real protocol to this; if we think something is great then every fortnight, we'll sling it up here and encourage you to check it out and give support where you can.
We've not actually done the maths on this yet but, from a quick rummage around the old collective Room Thirteen cranium, Iceland must be right up there these days in terms of the number of great bands per capita. And if you're into frenetic technical death metal with some genuine surprises tossed in, then you should get on Reykjavik's Cult of Lilith immediately. Founded in 2015, the band released their first full-length album, Mara (an Icelandic word meaning 'nightmare'), on Metal Blade at the start of September 2020 to high praise online and in print. And it's easy to see why. In terms of accomplished debut records, this one is really something to behold. Mara rattles along at a terrific pace with plenty of twists and turns, and played with a degree of technicality that will have the listener grasping at the nearest sturdy object for support. Sometimes a criticism levelled at this type of music is that, whilst impressive, there's little in the way of identity or specific aspects for the listener to grasp onto.
Such is their dedication to meddling with the death metal formula, it's hard to see such an accusation sticking to Cult of Lilith. Harpsicords, huge grandiose vocal lines and a remarkable flamenco section towards the end of the track Profeto Paloma all speak to a band willing to throw a ton of stuff at the wall in order to see what sticks (which virtually all of it does).
Cult of Lilith is: Mario Infantes (Vocals), Daniel Por Hannesson (Guitar), Kristjan Johann Juliusson (Guitar), Samuel Orn Boovarsson (Bass) and Kjartan Haroarson (Drums).
Give them some love:
Bandcamp: https://cultoflilith.bandcamp.com/album/mara
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cultoflilithband/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultoflilith/?hl=en