Band:	Cultes Des Ghoules
Album:	Coven, Or Evil Ways Instead Of Love
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	November 2016

Disc I
01. The Prophecy (Prologue) / Devell, The Devell He Is, I Swer God... (Scene I)
02. Mischief, Mischief, The Devilry Is At Toil... (Scene II)
03. Strange Day, See The Clash Of Heart And Reason... (Scene III)
04. Storm Is Coming, Come The Blessed Madness... (Scene IV)

Disc II
01. Satan, Father, Savior, Hear My Prayer... (Scene V)

What is black metal? I think we can all agree that it is this kind of music that is extreme, atmospheric, frightening and evil. Cultes Des Ghoules, with their latest album, are all the aforementioned... and then some. If you are familiar with the band, Coven, Or Evil Ways Instead Of Love maybe comes as a natural progression to Henbane, although I for one did not expect such a masterpiece. If you haven't heard of Cultes Des Ghoules before, prepare yourself for one of the darkest, most occult and ghoulish (pun intended) musical journeys you've ever experienced.

Coven, Or Evil Ways Instead Of Love consists of five songs or scenes, since the album is essentially a demonic theatrical play, narrating the events preceding the decision of a woman to break up with her fiancée and join Satan's coven as well as the unholy initiation ceremony itself. The play involves a bunch of characters that are expressed vocally by the band's singer, Mark Of The Devil, who is masterfully altering his voice in order to impersonate each and every role. His outstanding performance is only one of the elements that make this album special. Music-wise, the bass is heavy and prominent and the thick bass lines contribute to create a bleak, suffocating musical landscape. Add the haunting drums and you have a rhythm section that is providing the canvas for painting images of a mystic ritual with the use of slow or mid-paced and perfectly executed guitar riffs. Synth and cello passages are efficiently used to create a horror-inducing atmosphere even more vividly. The musicians' effort is enhanced by the production, which is as raw and dirty as it should be, but at the same time clear, so that the listener can fully enjoy the band's majestic performance. All the tracks are brilliant works of black art, my favourite being "Scene IV"; however, there is almost nothing in this album that sounds less than inspiring.

There is one problem though; this is not an easy-listening album to play in the background while you do other stuff. In order to appreciate it, you need to listen to it with full concentration and read its lyrics so that you delve into the storytelling. It clocks in at just under 1 hour and 38 minutes and this is probably the only flaw of this record. I personally can't stop playing it, but I understand that some people might find the duration off-putting, and this is the only reason it doesn't get a 10.

All in all, I think that the musicianship and attention to detail that this band has managed to display in Coven, Or Evil Ways Instead Of Love is nothing less than impressive. To return to the beginning of this review, for a black metal record it's as kvlt as it can get, even though there are very few blast beats and fast riffs in it. It is an album full of frightening ambience, pagan worship and freezing atmosphere, justifying its title to the fullest as there is absolutely no love here; only evil ways. Do yourself a favour and listen to this cult of ghouls.