Album Review: The Lowest – Cult (Hasiok Records)

The Lowest is a Polish hardcore band, founded in Warsaw in 2012. They released three full length albums and one EP. The band played more than 250 concerts in 20 countries, becoming one of the most active Polish groups. Their sound is an unique mixture of hardcore, metal, punk and sludge. Following the success of their 2018 album, Doomed, they released their newest record – Cult.

Cult is a hybrid of heavy, gloomy hardcore riffs combined with catchy melodies and punk energy. A 10 track concept album with lyrics touching different aspects of religiosity, from the primeval atavistic cults to the 20th century sects. The Cult LP will be released in July, by Hasiok Records but the album is already available on streaming services.

Going for gloomy atmosphere with the intro of Alpha, it’s the welcoming drum beat of Ceremony that really gets Cult going. Building in force until the guitars slam down and the vocals start to bear even more weight down upon the mind. What sounds more post-lite at first transforms into a wild and uncouth hardcore style track. Generating intense energy, titanic riffs and just the right amount of melody in the chorus. It’s a huge and enjoyable start for The Lowest.

Follower and Immaculate are shorter and more direct tracks, although they certainly aren’t lacking in power. The rawness of the vocals playing off the angry beat well, in particular the latter of the two.

Having already blasted away brain cells with the force of their punk-infused energy, The Lowest are far from done. Seven Seals is chaotic but The Lowest harness it to create a miserable sounding yet impressively compelling.

Every track just adds more fuel to the fire that is the high quality of this ruthless release. It’s burning high and bright already but with the doom/hardcore-brutality of Death to the World (those riffs are weighted in gold) and 144 000’s unrivalled intensity, it erupts in a geyser of flames.

In case you can’t tell, Cult is an album of ferocity and noise but one that doesn’t sound messy. The Lows have crafted an exceptionally strong release capped off with Silver City and Omega. The former seeing The Lowest somehow push themselves to even greater heights and to even lower depths. While the latter is nearly 8 minutes long and filled to bursting point with slow gloom-doom like riffing, haunting atmospherics and the constant threat that at any stage, The Lowest are going to erupt. It never quite does but it’s fine as the rhythmic cold of the track eats away.

A super finish to a phenomenal album.

The Lowest – Cult Full Track Listing:

1. Alpha
2. Ceremony
3. Follower
4. Immaculate
5. Seven Seals
6. Death to the World
7. Revelation
8. 144 000
9. Silver City
10. Omega

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Hasiok Records