Death/black metal band Skaphos scratch that itch where the combination of the two genres sounds devastating and the influences complement one another. Their rawness and aggression pierce any semblance of pretension that this style might have and the dissonant edge doesn’t hurt one bit either. The album is meaty and written well enough to warrant multiple listens. Please check it out if you haven’t yet! The full album stream can be found AT THIS LINK.
| PRESS – ► “this should be up there in loads of people’s album of the year lists, it’s that good” – Musipedia of Metal 10/10 https://musipediaofmetal. ► “a protean and esoteric form of black/death metal” – Toilet ov Hell https://toiletovhell.com/ ► “With its occult and disquieting themes, Skaphos is the perfect candidate to combine Black and Death Metal in a very violent way” – Acta infernalis 90/100 https://actainfernalis.com/ ► “there’s plenty of punishing riffs” – Extreme Metal Maniac https:// ► “a dark and interesting album, and solid through and through” – Metal Temple https://metal-temple.com/ ► “Expect head bashing, with an occasional groove thrown in there for good measure” – Flying Fiddlesticks https://flyingfiddlesticks. ► “there is something happening non-stop in the music of Skaphos” – White Room Reviews https://www.whiteroomreviews. ► “great sounding blackened death metal” – Bringer of Death 8/10 https://bringerofdeathzine. ► “defies the fan with all the unusual sonancies and wicked structures” – Metal Addicts https://metaladdicts.com/ ► “with the one goal of smashing your face in” – Metal Epidemic https://www.metalepidemic.com/ |
“Cult of Uzura” sees the dedicated French death/black metal band Skaphos fleshing out their sound on their third album – first on a label – to become more expressive and impactful than ever before. At this point, their proficiency is undeniable and their sound is a beautiful rendering of the two extreme styles, spiked with mean dissonance and steeped in an aura of mysticism. The execution remains ruthless and forceful despite showing subtlety in the emotive passages and deftness in the tempo changes. The gnarly death and black metal rawness is palpable even after having their disparate elements congealed on this album and the sound is more powerful than can be conceived for an album having this level of expression. In addition, the alternating contrast of chunky riffing with acerbic parts creates a lasting impression on the listener. This is a remarkable album in the death/black metal style that has actual substance along with the right aesthetics and sound.
For fans of: Mgla, Crypts of Despair, Obscureviolence, Behemoth, Dead Congregation, Saevus Finis, Shrine of Denial, Belphegor
| Line up – Stephan Petitjean – Guitar & vocals Jeremy Tronyo – Guitar & backing vocals Theo Langlois – Bass & backing vocals Nathan Faure – Drums Artwork by Paolo Girardi |
Track listing –
1. Cult of Uzura
2. One Eyed Terror
3. Mad Man and the Sea
4. Hypoxia
5. Abyssal Tower
6. Echoes of the Drowned
7. Of Shores and Dripping Souls
8. Skaphism
9. The Servant
10. The Alchemist
11. The Offering
12. Diluvian Sentence
13. All Shall Be Now Itself the Sea
Release date – May 9th, 2025