Album Reviews

Following the dissolution of Gaza, three members of that band joined forces with Sam Richards to start a new project called Cult Leader. If they wanted to do something new and avoid being compared to Gaza, then these guys failed because “Nothing For Us Here” could just as well have been released under the Gaza moniker. But hey, that’s okay because Gaza’s brand of sludgy hardcore was a particularly potent one.

With Sam Richards in the fold on bass, Gaza’s Anthony Lucero put down his bass and took over the mic stand. His guttural howl is slightly disturbing, like listening to ten exorcisms taking place at the same time. Meanwhile the rest of the band provides an equally devastating soundtrack. “God’s Lonely Children” is a short, chaotic intro that sets the stage for the slightly longer yet equally chaotic “Flightless Birds” and the doom-laden “Mongrel”. The next two songs – “The Indoctrinators Deathbed” and “Skin Crawler” – come with a more thrashy vibe while closing track “Driftwood” is yet again a more doomy, gloomy piece that channels some slowcore influences. If this track is an example of things to come, then the next Cult Leader will definitely be something to look forward to!