Review by Maverick on January 26, 2024.

A Hill To Die Upon is a really interesting figure in the Christian extreme metal scene, for starters -- a similarity is said to exist between them and the secular blackened death metal beasts Behemoth. However, I don't think that comparing this band to Behemoth does any justice, since it removes the originality and creative of this band. Believe me, this album is full of creativity, and complexity that converges into a masterpiece which no one in the metal scene (Christian or secular) should ignore. There are four aspects of this album that make me say this:

First, the lyrics in this album is plainly amazing. You have badass lyrics that are intricately written, and fit in with the sinister blackened death instrumentals. A very badass excerpt from the first track (Darkness That Can Be Felt) might reveal to you the absolute genius that this band articulate in their song,

"To anoint my head with vermillion
Mark of the joyful slave
For I have the right
High atop the mountain,
Where the World Prince was slain
I see the lone God
holding the hexagram
I am the black space between the stars
I am the darkness that can be felt."

Those lyrics mind-raped me, it was so complex, so intelligently written, I have a hard time criticizing that. The Chant of Mighty Offspring has some more kick-ass lyrics, "Here I am! Blessed of the left hand; Guardian of the secrets of the forest; Grant me shining eyes and silent ways." This sets the band in a light which is mysterious, mystical, and very sinister. Yes, for a Christian band, that deserves some credit.

Second, the instrumentals were very interesting. "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down" makes an entrance which sounds very sinister, similar to Behemoth in some aspects, there was a factor there that I couldn't place my finger on. It set a sort of dark atmosphere, that immersed me in a sort of seriousness, you know? "Shit is about to go down!" And I am very glad that it did! Brilliant, the drumming was all spot-on, blastbeats, and very excellently played double bass. This album also managed to offer some typical death metal guitar solos which was worth mentioning. Another thing about the instrumentals which set a very morbid tone was "Nehushtan," which was an acoustic guitar instrumental. Very well played, and it was sort of a teaser for the next songs, and it kept me hooked.

Third, the vocals on this album was without a doubt similar to Behemoth, but it was slightly better. There was a masculine badass voice in this album, Adam Cook is a beast. He gave forth the impression that he is the slayer coming to reap the devil, holy shit. Some badass lyrics that he articulates was in the track "Heka Primus (Ordo Norma Mysterium)" where he articulates "Reveal to me the secrets of the Sun!" With that masculine voice, you might as well say the devil would shit his pants.

Fourth, the way all of these factors come together is what excites me the most. Here is an badass intricate album, if you don't know what to listen to, give this band a chance. This album is completely epic, and it also justifies the rest of the Christian metal scene. This is not some Behemoth rip-off, this is a real deal metal band that means business -- they will crush any demon in their sight. Definitely something I would listen to again, the only flaw however is the length. This was too short for my liking ... I would have loved a 3 hour album, that's how great this was.

Rating: 9.9 out of 10

Review by Maverick on January 26, 2024.

A Hill To Die Upon is a really interesting figure in the Christian extreme metal scene, for starters -- a similarity is said to exist between them and the secular blackened death metal beasts Behemoth. However, I don't think that comparing this band to Behemoth does any justice, since it removes the originality and creative of this band. Believe me, this album is full of creativity, and complexity that converges into a masterpiece which no one in the metal scene (Christian or secular) should ignore. There are four aspects of this album that make me say this:

First, the lyrics in this album is plainly amazing. You have badass lyrics that are intricately written, and fit in with the sinister blackened death instrumentals. A very badass excerpt from the first track (Darkness That Can Be Felt) might reveal to you the absolute genius that this band articulate in their song,

"To anoint my head with vermillion
Mark of the joyful slave
For I have the right
High atop the mountain,
Where the World Prince was slain
I see the lone God
holding the hexagram
I am the black space between the stars
I am the darkness that can be felt."

Those lyrics mind-raped me, it was so complex, so intelligently written, I have a hard time criticizing that. The Chant of Mighty Offspring has some more kick-ass lyrics, "Here I am! Blessed of the left hand; Guardian of the secrets of the forest; Grant me shining eyes and silent ways." This sets the band in a light which is mysterious, mystical, and very sinister. Yes, for a Christian band, that deserves some credit.

Second, the instrumentals were very interesting. "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down" makes an entrance which sounds very sinister, similar to Behemoth in some aspects, there was a factor there that I couldn't place my finger on. It set a sort of dark atmosphere, that immersed me in a sort of seriousness, you know? "Shit is about to go down!" And I am very glad that it did! Brilliant, the drumming was all spot-on, blastbeats, and very excellently played double bass. This album also managed to offer some typical death metal guitar solos which was worth mentioning. Another thing about the instrumentals which set a very morbid tone was "Nehushtan," which was an acoustic guitar instrumental. Very well played, and it was sort of a teaser for the next songs, and it kept me hooked.

Third, the vocals on this album was without a doubt similar to Behemoth, but it was slightly better. There was a masculine badass voice in this album, Adam Cook is a beast. He gave forth the impression that he is the slayer coming to reap the devil, holy shit. Some badass lyrics that he articulates was in the track "Heka Primus (Ordo Norma Mysterium)" where he articulates "Reveal to me the secrets of the Sun!" With that masculine voice, you might as well say the devil would shit his pants.

Fourth, the way all of these factors come together is what excites me the most. Here is an badass intricate album, if you don't know what to listen to, give this band a chance. This album is completely epic, and it also justifies the rest of the Christian metal scene. This is not some Behemoth rip-off, this is a real deal metal band that means business -- they will crush any demon in their sight. Definitely something I would listen to again, the only flaw however is the length. This was too short for my liking ... I would have loved a 3 hour album, that's how great this was.

Rating: 9.9 out of 10

Review by Carl on April 18, 2022.

Caveman Cult, you either love them to death or you loathe them for embodying about every clichë you can think of when it comes to the war metal genre. Me, I fall in firmly in the first category, but as a side note I should mention that to my feeling the genre has become stale and, I hesitate to say but still, boring. Ten to fifteen years ago, this stuff was a much-needed blast of putrid miasma in a scene that had become too nice, even artsy, for its own good. Now that we are a good 12 597 365 bands further on (no need to check these numbers, I counted them. Honest.), the hurricane has blown itself out, and I personally prefer to keep to the acts I am accustomed to, spare some scarce interesting newcomers.

This may sound weird about a band like Caveman Cult, but on their newest glob of bile and venom, they have refined their sound a bit. Well, that is to say, in comparison to their last full length Savage War Is Destiny, at least. Their debut was an utterly bonkers exercise in tuneless savagery (and I mean this in the nicest way possible, I loved that album!), only intended to beat the listener into sputtering pulp, while on this one just a teensy-weensy more care has gone into the production and material, so it seems. I can actually make out what's being played here. Don't worry, though, apart from the overall sound that has been given a tiny bit of breathing space, everything else has stayed pretty much the same. The riffs still sound as if your face is being put through a meat grinder and the drummer still blastbeats his way through the strangulating wall of distorted noise and vocal vomit, while vehemently name-checking their primary influences like Black Witchery, Revenge and Conqueror. Melody they still don't do (thank the goatlord) and the sole aim of the music is still frothing-at-the-mouth aggression and dementia. Just your average day in the Caveman Cult household, you know, wouldn't want it any other way, to be honest. This stuff rules!

Yet there is something I always have in the back of my head when listening to their stuff though, and that is the fact that I have this nagging feeling that there is a joke being played on me. This comes from the inclusion of a Torche member in their ranks, which makes me suspicious about their motives somewhat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not that guy who goes around deciding who is true and/or worthy enough to play so-and-so style of music, far from that, but I get this feeling sometimes that these guys formed the band to see how far they could take this until people caught on. The music of Caveman Cult is so over the top and, as stated in the first paragraph, checks off about all the trademarks you'd expect from the genre, that it makes me a bit suspicious. After all, the guys in Torche have quite a special sense of humor, don't they? On the other hand, they are on NWN Productions, whose owner Yosuke Konishi is no moron and knows what he involves himself into, and add to that the fact that their brand of remorseless grinding black/death metal is executed to the nines, I gladly give them the benefit of the doubt.

So there you have it: a short but sweet blast of furious black/death metal rage that sounds utterly impressive and scores about an 11 out of 10 in the intensity stakes. Those into savage war metal can grab on without hesitation, anyone else into groovier and/or melodic styles of metal don't have to waste time on it. If all choices in life were just this simple, eh?

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Alex on August 31, 2021.

Caveman Cult emergent at a time when this bestial black death thing was really starting to pick up momentum within the underground with their name rapidly becoming one of the modern monsters of the savage genre alongside Abysmal Lord, Weregoat and Crurifragium to name a few. Their debut album was a wild-one, it added to the fabric we know and love so much. Not with any goofy shit, but with the tried-and-true formula and a pinch of their own attitude. It’s been some time since then but now there back and you don't have to ponder what the fuck they're up to. Its Caveman Cult for fuck’s sake, it’s pretty much self-explanatory. Blood And Extinction brings the noise and barbarity in all its raging glory for a whopping 21 minutes of audial vitriol.

Blood And Extinction opens exactly how I would have predicted it to. Leading you into the deranged domain of bestiality with raw riffs and primitive drumming as it should, ideally matched with the vocal c-HARM of an uncivilized frontman with a production managing to capture the sonic blood-spill and mangling, this album will leave you feeling dirty and overpowered. Onwards down the tunnel of Damar inspired racketing to carvings such as Eternal Warfare, Plunder and Bondage and my favorite off the album 'Cannibal Feast'; Caveman Cult draw you back to a time when only the strong truly prevailed. No fucking dweebs, it was either kill or be killed, the titan cock fucks the pussy, the sharpest knife cuts the meat.

Just with the right amount of noise on a closing track like 'Bestial Carnage' and the riffing rigor inspired by the likes of Revenge, Blood Chalice and Diocletian, Caveman Cult conjure a primal force not to be toyed with on this 21-minute razor sharp riff-o-rama, vocal and drumming battle fatigue inflicted, mayhem mended recording. This is not for anyone, shouldn't have to say that, but some mainstream fucker will complain about the compositions and production. An axe made of stone and stick will strike down the wimp with unforgiving fury and brute force, a 'Violencia Arraigada' like splinters of glass marinated in boneless bloody beef; this is the album for the carnivores of the underground.

Slaughter and molest relentlessly, this visceral offering from Caveman Cult assert itself within the circle of bestiality, anointed with blood, fat and coronated in a cave forgotten by time.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10