Review by Felix on October 28, 2021.

After two more or less raw outputs, Chastain decided to appear less harsh on The Voice Of The Cult. They did not shock the audience with a radically new strategy, but I could not see that the sheer fury of previous tracks such as 'One Day To Live' or 'The 7th Of Never' returned. No need to panic, the stylistic refinement was rather a matter of nuances. This means that the typical features of the band were still present

First of all I have to mention Leather's unique vocals. Once again, this incarnation of female power contributes a lot to the success of the album. Due to her raw approach, she appears as a natural force. Leather expresses pure dedication, and her voluminous voice would even make an Avantasia album bearable. From my point of view, this is the ultimate award. However, this lady was and still is a real weapon and I don't think that there are many better female singers in the history of heavy metal. (And yes, I am familiar with the warbling of Doro and some other female specialists.)

Apart from Leather's performance, Chastain himself also gives his best. He avoids egocentric guitar escapades, but he also has found a way to be the second force that shapes the overall impression of the output. His sharp riffs, melodic interludes and slightly technical excursions leave their mark. Everything is meticulously composed, but one thing is unfortunately true as well. There are no outstanding songs. They are decent, they are mostly good, but they do not have the power to drive you crazy. A certain lack of spectacular moments does not affect the quality of the album massively, but it is sad that the extraordinary touch is missing.

Be that as it may, the band has found a good balance between melody and aggression. No doubt, back in the eighties, posers fell on their knees and begged for mercy when being confronted with this album. But despite some trace elements of thrash metal, the album cannot be compared with pure releases of the sub-genre that was defined by albums like "Bonded By Blood". Edgy and hearty power metal, that's the name of the game. Don't think of this kind of power metal with these ridiculous choruses, the nerve-shattering keyboards and the monotonous background choirs. The Voice Of The Cult is produced by a band that does not lack of integrity. Even the semi-ballad at the end of the B side has more power than a lot of songs of today's power metal clowns. But as a matter of course, the best songs have a heavier approach. The dynamic 'Live Hard' shines with a good flow, the melancholic yet powerful 'Chains Of Love' can rely on its flattening guitar work during the verses and the trenchant yet smooth 'Share Yourself With Me' sets the perfect frame for Leather's passionate singing. 'Soldiers Of The Flame' has brilliant verses and its short instrumental part after the second chorus adds a slightly weird touch. Finally, 'Evil For Evil' surprises with drilling guitars after a rather mediocre warm-up period at the beginning.

With regard to these songs, The Voice Of The Cult was (and still is) a more than decent album, albeit the band did not make full use of its potential. The top position of The 7th Of Never remained untouched. Nonetheless, The Voice Of The Cult is worth its money.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Felix on August 26, 2024.

Does anybody know exactly where the border runs between melodic and genuine black metal? The guys of Aeba seem to be wanderers between these two worlds. They are not afraid of offering desperate melody lines that are accompanied by a cautious rhythm section. But they do also not eschew extreme sections which deliver a radical and fast-paced approach. "The Angel of Genocide", for instance, combines both ultra rabid and significantly softer elements skilfully. In addition, this piece does not lack of substance, inter alia due to the slightly harmonious guitar solo and the well accentuated synthesizers. In view of the large number of tempo changes, the song does not show any tedious parts. Instead, it offers an appropriate amount of more or less surprising twists and turns. Consequently this track explains the essence of Aeba´s art in a very good way.

The album shines with a dense and mighty sound. Everything is well balanced. For example, the throaty growling and the infamous nagging of the vocalists are neither dominating nor sidelined. Due to the powerful appearance of the songs, they create an atmosphere of inevitable devastation. The dark horde from the north of Germany knows the quintessence of black metal and the band members are able to implement this knowledge in a more than solid manner.

When subtracting the dramatic intro and a short keyboard interlude, the songs have an average length of significantly more than six minutes. It would have been no mistake to shorten one or two pieces. They lack a bit of directness and accuracy. Thus, these tunes appear slightly overcomplicated so that they cannot keep up with the remaining tracks. Of course, it is not easy to manage complexity and to match your own ambitions. But in general, the musicians construct the songs carefully. The best tune of the album is called "As Wolf Among Sheep". It impresses with its steadily growing intensity and the gloomy melodies as well. The fragile keyboard line collides with the harsh malevolence of the vocals and the vehemence of the other instruments - and the result sounds simply fantastic. But songs such as the furious "Storm of Vengeance" are almost on a par with the aforementioned highlight. In any case, the Germans cannot be blamed for delivering useless fillers so that it is a matter of personal preference which track you like most.

If you want to look for the fly in the ointment, I have to admit that the album lacks a tiny bit of completely outstanding moments and of utterly brilliant parts, apart from "As Wolf Among Sheeps", of course. Some of the songs are okay without forcing you to press the repeat button. The band uses the normal tools of the genre in order to impress the listener. During these tunes, really unique ideas do not show up. Nevertheless, the indisputable high quality of the entire album cannot be denied. From this perspective, it is a pity that Aeba has split up. But if you like to work as a black metal archaeologist from time to time, you should try to dig out "Shemhamforash - Des Hasses Antlitz". It will be worth the effort.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10