Review by Felix on June 12, 2019.

Dear fellows, I know it's a shame, here comes another candidate for the shittiest cover in the history of thrash metal. Guess it makes no sense to lose a single word about this so-called artwork. The title of the album also falls victim to stereotypes and so I am almost forced to concentrate on the musical content. But the next surprise is not long in coming, the output has a ridiculous playtime. I do not really know why this work is listed as a full-length, because the so-called album clocks in at 25 minutes. 

However, despite all these negative signs, one thing is for sure. The trio from California does not lack energy, passion or aggressiveness. Their compositions do not reflect the mature facet of thrash which is appreciated by Testament and comparable formations. A list in the booklet with the headline "Much Hate to the following “provides insight into the attitude of the band members. They mention "posers, emo kids and nu metal fags" as well as "people who think Metallica and Megadeth are gods" or "people who prefer Pantera over Razor" and so on... This indicates a good mentality and, even better, they are able to express this mindset in an adequate manner. Their stormy approach offers a dense and violent dose of juvenile thrash. I am sure that they are familiar with albums such as "Darkness Descends" or "The Force", even though they blame Onslaught, probably in view of the later outputs, as an emo band... Either way, a certain dose of stubbornness has never been a fault in character. And exactly this feature is the cause why the album sounds very monolithic, because the three-piece knows only one direction. One could blame them for a monotonous execution, but here we have to remind ourselves of the short running time. It is not easy to bore the listener as long as you come to an end in less than half an hour. Thus, the permanent full-force-approach can be noted on the credit side. Especially the "Reign in Blood" influenced solos contribute to the scorching overall impression.

I do not want to pick out single songs, because they all originate from the same womb. Either you like, or you hate them all, there is not much in between. The riffing is rather brute than sharp, the vocalist makes good use of his rather limited pitch, the drummer does a more than solid job and the bass guitar is consequently neglected. Indeed, there is more substance than I thought in view of the "highly original" song titles. The sound engineers also knew their trade. Evil in the Night scores with a compact and dense sound, although the bass is missing as mentioned above. In short, this output can give you a nice slap in the face without revolutionizing the glorious sub-genre. But I guess it's obvious and absolutely okay that the three tradition-conscious maniacs did not have the intention to add new stylistic ideas to thrash metal. It's just a feast of brutal old school thrash and it sounds good.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Ryan on March 1, 2014.

I often respect a band that knows what it wants and knows how to get it, and the odds are increased when said band has an original vision. In the case of Culted, we are talking about music stamped with a big warning label of “not for everyone.” The riffs are abysmally slow, the rhythms are stripped to the marrow, and the vocals conjure images of a chain smoker gargling razor blades. Melodies are scarce, nervous, and unsettling; the only thing resembling a guitar solo is maelstrom of tremolo picking. There is unpleasant, and then there is downright hideous.

Oblique to All Paths is Culted’s second album, and the first release that I’ve encountered from them. The band is one of those “through the mail” projects, except it’s really done through high speed file trading now, where members living on different continents can send .flac packages to each other in under an hour. Curiously, most of the band’s members have a history in black metal, but it seems they’re now gravitating towards sludge. The result is an album you’d more expect to hear coming from Brooklyn than Winnipeg or Gothenburg.

Marriages of black metal to sludge have become an occasional yet recognizable phenomenon over the past decade. Culted, however, are hacking the vegetation towards virgin territory. They exhibit a slowness and depravity verging on funeral doom, but those unpalatable riffs are mixed with an inedible guitar tone, drenched in reverb and chorus. My copy of this album did not come with lyrics, but the song titles assure me they are thoroughly misanthropic and obsessed with death. I’m uncertain why this exact concoction exists, but I’m glad it does.

Despite this album’s clear strong points, it feels slightly under-realized. There are a few moments where the album falters, particularly on the droning stretches of the final two tracks. The aesthetics can become muddled between a forgotten dungeon and a rotting landfill, and these slight inconsistencies keep them from achieving the true greatness of a Batillus or Evoken. Still the potential is clear. I respect this band, I might even come to love them, but there is no way anyone will ever confuse their music with fun. I assume that’s exactly what they’re aiming for, and I tip my cap to them.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 8.5
Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 9
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.2 out of 10