Cthuluminati - Tentecula

Cthuluminati are one of those bands to approach with certain expectations, but also to expect the unexpected. While this four piece touts itself as Progressive Blackened Stoner Doom, the expectation that this is going to be dense and minimalistic with a wintery cold edge would be a far cry from the result. Similar to their debut back in 2019, the effort entitled “Tentecula” is psychedelic and heavy but not in the 70s prog way one might get from hearing Green Lung. It is nightmarish but not nightmarish in the way one might get from hearing Aevangelist. It is hypnotic though and sucks one in the whole way through, delivering entrancing tunes that feel tribal and yet modern minus the usual tropes of overused synth or flutes or throat singing. It is unsettling, like watching The Void or From Beyond but also fun and engaging, titillating the horror aspects but loading it with the bouncy, more inviting sounds as well such as the synth and guitar passages on a track like ‘The Illusion of Control.’ Like those who enjoy bands such as Arcturus who are not exactly meant for the ‘straightforward metalhead,’ Cthuluminati is a warped, all over the place listen but worth digging into even if you have to force ears open like the eyes in a Clockwork Orange.

While the album is a direct homage to Cthulu  and H.P. Lovecraft lore, it doesn’t do it too much in a direct shove it all down your throat kind of way. Sure the tracks titles might deserve a chuckle like ‘Cthrl’ but from the ritualistic spoken passages from Desi Hisgen that sound anywhere from folk tinged to almost radio casted spewing among the 80s styled synth and heavy, grim guitar passages to enhance the stoner effect before the hypnotic tones are switched to almost a Melodic Black Metal styled riff passages and snarled vocals, like the speaker has indeed let Cthulu come forth and spew some words before delving back to normal Stoner Doom styled singing. The most pleasant thing about all this track is the production- normally Sludge/ Stoner Doom is known for distortion and just heavy reverb soaked passages- but Cthuluimnati really try to deliver a full sounding experience, especially when it comes to jazzed up solos from Rami Wohl. The drums from Seth van de loo are tapping and percussive but airy and light without being that thunderous heavy Rotting Christ approach. And the bass from Stefan Strausz is pretty audible, especially when it is just him and the spacey synths going at it. ‘Squid Pro Quo’ is a little more heavy and delves more into the Blackened Sludge side of things with harsher vocals, but is not without surprises like the looping bouncing synth/ guitar effects and foreign language spoken samples. It is a stark contrast between soft and heavy but overall does not break atmosphere and leans more towards the maddening versus inviting.

Most of the tracks on this album are long (as expected from the Sludge/ Doom genre) but also like many albums there is respite. Thing is these respites are either useless filler or nice pallet cleansers to get one refreshed before delving into to heaviness again. ‘Transformation’ thankfully is a smooth, catchy slow number loaded with clean vocals and feels more like a psychedelic touch versus looming Blackened Sludge wave. Despite the beginning sounding like an exhausted fart, the acoustic guitar is quite pleasant to hear and a change up for Cthuluminati with the layered cleans that again, sound hypnotic and inviting versus terrifying. Of course this is all short lived as ‘The Illusion of Control’ delivers the most Blackened track on the album which is loaded with majestic solos, lumbering bass notes, and a much darker but not all over the place tone to the whole track. Spacey yet direct, those who felt that the earlier sermons from “Tentecula” were too out there will find themselves rooted again with this particular track, despite how long it is. Even when it switches between soft and heavy, it feels like it has a bit of  Tool progressive edge to it while being still unsettling.

The closing ‘Mantra’ is going to be hit or miss with its rather repetitive sections, especially regarding the vocals. Not quite as heavy as some of the others and delving more into the Tribal Atmospheric Sludge territory, the vocals are a bit buried in their spoken/ throat groaned/ hypnotic singing tones, leaving the guitars to really be the star of the track especially as they build with the tension of the other instruments, and with the bounce between Sludge and Prog, make this sound like a more stripped down Opeth track but while not as beautiful in composition it still hits hard emotionally after the aggressive opening. Like most of the album, it closes on a balanced note that brings in Death and Black Metal influences and then changes on a dime to the more Sludge Progressive that is the backbone of the whole release. “Tentecula” as a whole is a sound in a genre that has a lot of imitators, but Cthuluminti take the best of the genre and throw it in a tasteful, artfully thoughtful direction that will attract those who like the ‘weird’ side of Metal. Your average Cannibal Corpse fan will probably raise their eyebrows a bit or feel it doesn’t quite slap enough, but for those who like the works of Ihsahn, Dream Theater or even Deathspell Omega for their epic touches and twists and turns to meld genres will appreciate the labyrinth of sound that is created and delve deep into the madness that is Cthulu gripping from the Cthuluminati.

4 / 5 STARS