Band:	Cult Of Fire
Album:	Čtvrtá Symfonie Ohně
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	December 2014

01. Vltava
02. Váh

Cult Of Fire are one of those bands. What do I mean by this exactly? Essentially, that they're a band that's never been content with being grounded in one particular style. Of course, this is no new feat, but given the fact that these Czechs are still only 4 years old, it's quite impressive. Their debut EP and Triumvirate were raw, atmospheric-tinged black metal, the recent one with the Hindi title was drenched in Eastern influences, and now 2014's Čtvrtá Symfonie Ohně EP is a sort of neoclassical ode to Czechoslovakia, and perhaps the band's fullest embrace of their culture yet.

Being the history nerd I am, bands celebrating their native culture is a very attractive feature of an album. Here, Cult Of Fire are paying their respects to 19th century composer Bedrich Smetana, often held as the "father" of Czech music. As one could imagine then, this EP, though only a brief 13 minutes, is an excellent tribute to him. The music here is oozing with classical influence, and "Vltava" is in fact actually a cover of sorts of the Smetana piece of the same name. Of course, the track picks up eventually with some black metal intensity, but if you're a classical music enthusiast, you'll be able to tell that even when it does, it still maintains a general chord progression typical of the genre.

Vocals are strangely absent from Čtvrtá Symfonie Ohně, a fact that may disappoint some, but in some way, due to the fact that the music here does almost feel like its own little symphony of sorts, the presence of vocals would almost feel inappropriate. It's nice to know that Cult Of Fire can go instrumental and still retain their potency, and were they to do a full album sitting more in this style, I for one would be highly interested in it.

With Čtvrtá Symfonie Ohně, this little-known Czech band offers us a powerful reminder of what some may often be tempted to forget: that classical music has had a massive influence on the metal genre, and black metal especially. I remember watching a metal documentary years back where some music commentator quipped that "if Richard Wagner were alive today, he'd be in Black Sabbath," and when listening to this EP, it's easy to understand why such claims are made. Though this EP is a little too short for its own good, with it Cult Of Fire cement their status as a band capable of redefining themselves, which is indeed a very attractive quality. I am very curious to see where these guys go in the future from here, and I'm certain that were Smetana alive today to hear this EP, he'd be very proud of their work.