Sunday, 1 April 2018

Iona Death Cult - Aid To Worship (Album Review)


Release date: March 28th 2018. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Aid To Worship – Tracklisting

1.The Apathy Of Ghosts 04:57
2.Slumlord 07:51
3.Whores And Thieves 05:31
4.Kafka 09:01
5.Mother Gaia 09:15
6.Inverted World 09:31

Members

Bass,Vocals:Stephen O'Connor
Guitars:Edward Brophy
Drums:Adam Cichocki

Review

Irish Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metallers – Iona Death Cult – new album, Aid To Worship, has a very raw and uncompromising sound throughout. it’s not the best produced sound but at least the band keep everything raw and honest. Iona Death Cult play a high amount of different sounds within the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal genres and sometimes the band’s overall sound can become lost along the way.

However with that being said, Iona Death Cult, do excel at creating epic murky riffs that take influence from High On Fire and Sleep at times. The standout tracks on the album are: The Apathy Of Ghosts, Slumlord, Kafka and Mother Gaia.

Iona Death Cult have Adam Cichocki in their ranks on drums. Adam used to play for Progressive Doom/Stoners – OBIAT – who released 3 brilliant albums from 2002 and 2009. I was a huge fan of Adam’s work on OBIAT and it’s good to see him back behind the drums and creating maximum carnage.

Iona Death Cult have a different sound from OBIAT but they do have a similar way of experimenting with their sound and creating different strands of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal. The psychedelic elements can be very dark and twisted at times though they allow Iona Death Cult to create their own sound. The vocals from Stephen range from harsh growls to a more post-punk style sound. However Stephen does put in a commanding performance whenever his vocals appear.

If you want a complex sounding album that thrives on creating dark moments of Psychedelic Sludge/Doom and Stoner Metal well Iona Death Cult have that area covered. Aid To Worship is one of those albums that deserves to be heard by a huge audience. Hopefully the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal community will oblige and give Iona Death Cult as much love they possibly can.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Iona Death Cult for the promo. Aid To Worship is available to buy now.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp