Fun is one thing that metal doesn’t embrace nearly as often as it should. I completely understand that this is a genre that’s largely dominated by a serious attitude without much wiggle room when it comes to being able to make sounds as uncompromising as what we see throughout extreme metal, but that’s where a little bit of imagination can make a wild difference in the right hands. We’ve seen plenty try to bring such concepts to life, yet it is only on rare occasions that we see a band implement it in such a way that doesn’t feel forced and blends with everything else that the band is trying to accomplish. Throughout their third album, Cultic pulls it off to great effect to make for a truly intoxicating album.

Having already made their claim known in the underground since their 2019 debut album as a band that isn’t afraid to have a good time while ensuring their listeners aren’t given so much as a moment of reprieve in the fantastical brand of extreme metal, it demands to be made clear that the quality of Cultic hasn’t been in question for quite some time. Their personal brand of extreme metal around an irrefutable core of doom is something that has seen great expansion across their discography, yet it’s with everything summoned throughout “Lore” that Cultic takes the next big step forward and enabling their creations to become something far more. Experimental, heavy, and furious in its compositions, there’s little that one can do to deny all that Cultic has concocted in this especially potent brew of eighteen tracks that trudge across a run time of nearly fifty-three minutes. However, what sets “Lore” apart from the crowd is how captivating it is for practically everything that’s brought to the table from the addicting fun that Cultic is clearly having to its crunchy riffs to the dark fantasy backdrop that’s all effortlessly blended together in such a form that is nigh on compelling, urging you to several spins again and again as the exquisite magic of “Lore” enchants your mind, body, and soul to make this an experience that as satisfying as it is unapologetically effective.

At some point, ambition can lead to one’s downfall if everything isn’t taken into account nor is everything given the respect that each individual factor deserves. Cultic could have absolutely had a great album in theory, but it’s in pulling from their experience and allowing their cohesiveness as a unit to shine through to make for a damn good time, “Lore” moves past being good in theory and delivers on practically every given level. From top to bottom and beginning to end, Cultic’s conquest throughout this creation is an undeniable victory.

LISTEN to “Lore” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Cultic on Facebook here.

FOLLOW Cultic on Instagram here.