The curious thing about death metal is that it’s a very diverse style in an already spectacularly diverse sound that is metal as a whole, but when it comes to any single piece of death metal there’s only a relative amount of diversity to be had. Normally, it just comes in the form of different ways to approach the desired sound with a different riff or some crazy work of technicality. It’s not often enough that a band can actually make each track take on a life of its own without exception or failure with each being able to stand on their own with extreme pride. Without fumbling one bit, Cult of Lilith has achieved that without issue.

There’s so much being thrown at your face when listening to just the first track that your imagination truly runs wild just thinking about the entire album being like that, but “Mara” holds so much more. All of the elements that take place in that first song are shown again throughout the other seven tracks, but Cult of Lilith always keeps you guessing because they’re very spread out to the point where not every aspect shows up in every track which allows the band to evolve each and every one of them into something no less than spectacular. Quite literally every minute of “Mara” is something that’s unique in its own right as we’re constantly given a one of a kind display of death metal with a very progressive attitude seasoned flawlessly with baroque-like additions that transcend this debut full-length so something beyond just death metal. But, even then, Cult of Lilith will manage to sneak in another style into the mix simply because they feel like it, and there isn’t a single instance of it failing to deliver excellence in any capacity. It all quickly snowballs together to make “Mara” a real spectacle of death metal like none other in terms of raw content which helps Cult of Lilith fall into a surprising niche corner of death metal extremely early on in their time as a band. Very few other acts can boast a sound that comes even close to what has been done here, and I’ve little doubt that they are capable of paving the way for many other future acts to challenges themselves in very much the same way that Cult of Lilith has done here. It’s interesting, fascinating, brutal, unforgiving, intrinsic, and constantly evolving all wrapped into eight tracks, yet, even then, “Mara” still has plenty of secrets to unveil after multiple listens.

I was given so much more than what I was expecting when I took the first plunge into what this album has to offer, and now I’m sitting here wriggling at the very thought of what else this act can produce given this is but the second piece of material that they’ve produced in their so far short existence. “Mara” has so much to give to anyone who wants to find something interesting in today’s death metal climate that isn’t afraid to do whatever it wants, and it’s no stretch to say that Cult of Lilith has pulled everything off without a single hitch to be had in sight whatsoever.

 “Mara” releases on September 4th via Metal Blade!

PRE-ORDER “Mara” via multiple sources here.

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