Cultist Unleash Raw Heaviness With Slow Suicide

By Phil Hawkins

Facedown Records newcomers, Cultist, combine deathcore-style threads and dark metalcore vibes along with a raw heaviness that has become expected of the Facedown Records Family on their label debut Slow Suicide.

Hailing from Southern California’s Inland Empire the framework of the band is undeniably west coast beatdown hardcore with a mix of plenty of east coast influence, which gives a significant weight to their overall sound that is amplified by their lyrical gravity.

Slow Suicide blasts in to existence with the eponymous track and wastes no time in grabbing the listener by the audible jugular with a stylistic presence that demands attention. It is dark, heavy and absolutely brutal. Combined with guttural growls and breakdowns the album flows fluidly from track to track. “Preacher III” is just as raw as its predecessor and pulls no punches as it rips from start to finish. “Memento Mori” is a highlight as the band manages to squeeze in a very noticeable record scratching just shy of the one minute mark. Some might find it out of place, but it adds a bit of mystique to track and album as a whole. “Hell Of My Design” rounds out the first half of the album and is a barn burner that goes full force from start to finish without letting up.

“I Fear Your Silence” shifts gears ever so slightly as it starts off with an almost ambiguous guitar tone that creates an aesthetic that is steeping with doom and broodiness. “Suffering By My Own Hand” kicks off with with a downright nasty low bass tone that carries throughout the track and just adds to the overall heaviness of the album. “Let Me Feel Everything” (which was the album’s lead single released back in 2022) almost gets lost toward the end of the album, but has solid footing as it blends with the rest of the album in a beautifully intricate way. The album concludes with “Last Breath of a Dying god” that seems to start right in the middle of an epic breakdown and manages to keep that vibe well into the first half of the track before slightly shifting things out of that mode only to shift back before the track concludes. Overall, it feels like one massive breakdown without being to slow or redundant in nature capping of the album in grand form.

Slow Suicide is a no holds barred audible onslaught that will keep your face in a constant state of “stank” from beginning to end. It relishes in the dark and brooding tones while mixing breakdown elements that somehow progressively makes the album heavier as it charges forward.

Slow Suicide is available now via Facedown Records on all major streaming and digital platforms or you can purchase physical copies here.

Cultist will be joining Convictions and Confessions of a Traitor for a string of dates in August on the Aggressive Worship Tour. You can find dates and purchase tickets here.