Skaphos – Cult of Uzura Review

The term cacophony applies well to this album “Cult of Uzura,” not only for the unusual musical structures, but also for the use of unrelenting vocals. Skaphos built their music using lots of dissonances and, let’s say, very simple guitar structures that repeated ad nauseam to function as cacophony. Note my dear child of the night that Metal music has been incorporating dissonances for some time in order to create this ambient of cacophony. In fact, this is a ‘tamed’ cacophony because to write a song using only cacophonies would be unbearable. Metal music has its origins in pop music, therefore, it is built to be heard, not the other way around. Skaphos had that in mind when writing “Cult of Uzura.”

Skaphos‘ trick is to blend their dissonances with some Death Metal usual structures in order to write palatable music, yet, to musically shock. Well, palatable is such a variable term that many fans from other musical genres would not agree. Add to that an insane drumming that kids with tempos and speeds up all the time. That’s to be observed with “The Servant” whose drumming is accelerated all the time abusing of the use of the double bass. With “The Alchemist,” my dear child of the night might have the impression the band is on a raildroad because the guitars sound as a locomotive. Add to that the insane drumming that actually seems to be kidding with the tempo all the time. No, Skaphos‘ music is not easy to the ears of the layman as they work bordering the concept of cacophony.

Even the most usual track as “The Offering,” my dear child of the night might find some tricks as the guitar squeaks and a more proficient drumming. With “Diluvian Sentence” it seems drummer Nathan Faure’s task here is to double the tempo or else. It’s interesting to realize that Skaphos are not labeled as a Technical Death Metal band, however, from where I am standing, what they do here can be accounted as if. In tittle track “Cult of Uzura“ there is a guitar lick that is so simple that I thought the band was kidding with the song. Well, as a matter of fact, they are. The lick is repeated so many times that it annoys the fan and that’s what I believe was the original intent.

The music in “Cult of Uzura” is not easy. It kind of defies the fan with all the unusual sonancies and wicked structures Skaphos built, but, in fact, these are exactly what might attract the fan to the band. If you ask me, in essence, a true Technical Death Metal band.

Skaphos “Cult of Uzura” will be released on May 09th via Transcending Obscurity Records.

Track Listing:

1. Cult of Uzura 
2. One Eyed Terror 
3. Mad Man and the Sea 
4. Hypoxia 
5. Abyssal Tower 
6. Echoes of the Drowned 
7. Of Shores and Dripping Souls 
8. Skaphism 
9. The Servant 
10. The Alchemist 
11. The Offering 
12. Diluvian Sentence 
13. All Shall Be Now Itself the Sea 

Watch “Cult of Uzura” official music video here: