Review by Alex on November 6, 2018.

Cultes Des Ghoules approaches the altar again, this time to confess the many crimes they have carried out on their latest criminal season of sorcery. If you thought Henbane was a masterpiece then I don't know what words of praise you will be able to justly attach to Sinister, or Treading the Darker Paths. This is a total nightmare occurring within the shadows of the occult. Currently this "sinister" Cultes Des Ghoules release joins my top albums of the year which is a very small list of exceptional 2018 releases. Listen to the sounds of the serpents as they hiss from the tunnels below. Being able to cement your status within the underground and keep relevance 13 years later is not an easy task. Some bands release a few demos an ep and then suddenly leave because of life matters or to perform duties in other bands, thus causing the project to fade with time. Whilst others struggle to find their place whilst putting out releases as fast as Mcdonald's prepares a burger. Cultes Des Ghoules has remained active and relevant by releasing albums that have evolved in time, with each new entry being added to their collection of prominent transgressions, showcasing greater musical understanding and improvement without sacrificing their foundation.

This contaminating touch of evil opens with some kind of chanting over a repeating guitar chord backed by a single drum flow. Like a vile tale of terror it closes with what sounds like a proclamation. Strangely enough, 'The Woods of Power' opens up similarly to that of something I've heard before by a popular band (I don't want to mention the name but I think most will recognize it once heard) then changes its tempo (and there's much of that happening on this record). More vocal tuning if you will are inserted with humming and agonized screams. Then comes Cultes Des Ghoules clawing from the grave with 2nd wave black metal drumming that fades into first wave bestial war metal snare pounding. The vocals here sound wretched now, like a witch (the one with the pointed hat, crooked nose and pimpled-out face) and don't have any specific line of flow, its words pelted hatefully and hysterically from a necromancer that is pissed-off his only wand broke, plus he forgot to collect a frog from the lake 10 miles away to add to the cauldron of spells (that's a shitty day). Suddenly one of the most egregious riffs jumps out of the boiling kettle to play with the unexpected change in drumming. That riff is superb, the way it pounces on you without warning keeps you hanging on the edge of every note in anticipation of more surprises (and there are plenty more, but I won't reveal them). 'Day of Joy' continues along the same path (guess who got an new favorite wand and a box of tadpoles for Samhain); the madness is elevated, thrash metal/punk drumming intertwine with each other to initiate the celebration; more tempo changes ride the ferocious HM2 pedal effects in the background, the bass receives brief moments within the spotlight amidst the frenzied barking and rambunctious clashing of vocals, drums and guitars. Approaching the end, 'Day of Joy' wanes into the groove of doom metal bringing a calm closure to the excitement of the jamboree. The remaining tracks continue the momentum flawlessly, they occupied any gaps I thought may have needed representation. 'Where the Rainbow Ends' is the peak of lunacy and pandemonium expressed on Sinister, or Treading the Darker Paths; by the title of the track all I can say is expect a grandeur denouement.

For a record that has so much going on musically, much credit must be bestowed upon those responsible for the mixing and mastering of Sinister, or Treading the Darker Paths, every instrument can be heard clearly and there are no clumsy sections on any particular entry where you experience disharmony or sudden drowning and popping in sound; balance is given much emphasis on Sinister, or Treading the Darker Paths where the production is concerned and one would expect no-less coming from legends such as Cultes Des Ghoules. The artwork is a pleasing piece, I saw the t-shirt representation on sale at Hells Headbangers and immediately felt as though I needed it. Currently Sinister, or Treading the Darker Paths poses a threat to the records in my top 10 of 2018 and is gaining positions with every listen. This practice by Cultes Des Ghoules is arguably their best, they are certainly one of the bands that has the best interest of the underground at heart.

The pleasures of evil/sins pouring from the cauldron:

• 'The Woods of Power'
• 'Day of Joy'
• 'Where the Rainbow Ends'

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Elijah on January 14, 2020.

I never realized how much I fucking hated the vocals on this album but 'Rhizome' has been stuck in my head lately so I decided to give this album another listen after not having listened to Disavowed for a long time. I can say 'Rhizome' is definitely a great ass song, but the vocals just make it less good as it can be.....

Let me get this immediately clear and straight, the vocals on this album ARE ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE AND SO FUCKING ANNOYING. Jesus, I can't even enjoy a damn song the way I want to because these vocals are constantly raping your ears, it never stops and it's extremely unpleasant. This actually made my head hurt, I pushed myself to listen to this entire album all the way through and when it ended I felt an immediate sense of relief. "Ah, no more pain and suffering. I can finally move on to another album now."...... That isn't good, lol. It really sucks that such a promising album is ruined by the overdone vocals. This next sentence may sound weird, but make sure you read it carefully, so you see what I mean. The vocal work isn't bad, he isn't a bad vocalist, it's just the fact that they sound exactly the same throughout the entire album. Every single song. Irritating. Ear-aching. Ugh. That's why I gave this album a -2.5, the vocals RUIN IT.

Aside from the only issue on the album, the music is actually very good. This is your average "halfway underground - halfway known" type of brutal death sound, similar to Pyaemia. The drums are easily the best aspect of the album. They have a good sound that's common in a lot of brutal death released in the 1995-2005 space, and he does a damn good job at playing too. His blasts are consistent, never fails to keep up with time and tempo, and fills in every empty gap he needs to. One of my favorite things about the drumming on this album is that (Mainly on 'Rhizome' I'm talking about), at the end of every measure of his blasting he continues to the next measure with a swift and sudden ride cymbal pause with two snare hits, and it's pretty damn satisfying. If you listened to this you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. He does this pretty much on every song throughout the album and it's a great way to continue on to a next measure. The drum work is no doubt the best aspect of this album for sure; it has consistency, flow, and a solid sound.

The guitars are alright, nothing amazing at all in my opinion but it's definitely enjoyable and it'll for sure get you moving. It's hyper and filled with energy like any other brutal death band. Decent guitars but they're missing something - it's not as solid as I'd like it to be, kind of a loose and leafy type sounding guitar if that makes any sense. But overall the guitars are good, the songwriting makes up for the guitars not sounding as good as they could be though.

The issue that this album has is that it has cool and catchy songs, but they're ruined by the vocals. Big time.

It's weird how I like Disgorge's "Parallels of Infinite Torture" but I don't really like Perceptive Deception even though they have similar vocals. I don’t know, "Parallels..." just does it right, it fits on that album unlike this one where it doesn't.

This is pretty much just a decent album. This would be more than decent if it weren't for the excruciatingly repetitive vocal work. It's pretty sad that such a promising album is completely ruined by crappy ear-raping vocals. Disavowed is very cool, but this album is nowhere near a favorite of mine at all. Although I do very much enjoy 'Rhizome', that's for sure one of my favorite brutal death metal songs (and same goes for others too) for obvious reasons. But this album as a whole doesn't do it for me. Last time I listened to this album was during July 2019, you'll never see me listening to this on the average at all. The band's second album Stagnated Existence is way better, WAY better. Go listen to that album instead, it's good in all aspects and the vocals are 10× better than they are on here.

-2.5 for the painful vocals
+7.5 for the musical work

Rating: 7.5 out of 10