Review by Felix on January 17, 2024.

Ladies and gentlemen, fasten seat belts, we’re taking off. The space warriors Armory invite us to another adventurous flight. Okay, sometimes speed metal is a slightly dubious pleasure due to nerve-shattering lead vocalist who love high-pitched screams that can make sensitive creatures cry immediately. Aggravating the situation, the guitar lines sound quite happy from time to time. Dudes, if I want to have fun I am going to the cinema. Metal is a serious matter, at least in my homeland where laughing is more or less forbidden.

But Armory are nearly immune against the ugly components of their subgenre. The excellent artork of Mercurion does not promise too much dynamic. The Swedes always keep a close eye on the energetic appearance of their songs. A few strange sounds are not forbidden (in the middle of the powerful 'Deep Space Encounter'), but usually the band walks on the tradional paths of speed metal and traditional metal in general. The songs are not difficult to decode. Nevertheless, they are no musical fast food. Armory dish up a solid number of riffs per song and these riffs, as well as the leads and lines, show a cool understanding of the metallic arts. Accompanied by the somewhat boyish yet passionate vocals, the guitars guarantee a dense, coherent and intensive scenario. Despite some melodic parts, for example at the almost solemn beginning of 'Wormhole Escape', the quintet never neglects the necessary heaviness. And who has said that melodies or solemnity are a bad thing?

The production does not lack robustness and resilience. But the galactic dimension are obviously not totally free from dirty particles. Therefore tranparency is not written in big letters here. However, the marginally blurred appearance of the sound does not prevent a significant impact of the material. And so the guys celebrate some really cool moments with some vibrant riffs. Of course, they do not put new aspects to the subgenre, but a dreamy passage in 'Music From The Spheres' almost builds a bridge to the seventies and some of the slower parts tend towards power metal. Yes, my dear friends who like classic combos like Liege Lord or Savage Grace, this album can be very interesting for you. Okay, the two long tracks at its end are no masterpieces of compactness and the short instrumental 'Transneptunic Flight' does not add a lot to the intensity of the output. But it is also true that every song of the album does not only shine with substance and ambition, but also with power and atmosphere. The latter is not exclusively, but also created by some keyboard sounds, nevertheless it is beyond doubt that the guitars have the dominating part here.

What is left to say? I like the fact that the muscular opener kicks off the album without warm-up period, I appreciate that the band is aware of the importance of some catchy lines from time to time and I enjoy the old school feeling that the material transports. Maybe this is not the soundtrack for my final “Journey to Infinity” (I prefer “Whisky Funeral”, Darkthrone), but Armory send a really strong 'Message From The Stars'. The eighties are long gone, but their spirit seems to be still alive. The spaceship of the Swedes flies through a classic cosmos and I am happy that I was able to sneak on board as a blind passenger.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Alex on May 5, 2019.

It was the artwork that tugged at my attention before I could sit and enjoy the journey ahead; looking like a scene straight out of a horror film, I could not turn a blind eye to this one. Finland’s Grave Violator exhumes a sleazy and violent body of desecration and twisted occult tales on Back to the Cult. Being their debut full-length album, Back to the Cult gives the listener clear insight into what Grave Violator are about. It's the kind of album that brings to mind the mid-80s thrash metal scene in terms of sound and production. This stretch of effort also gives off a nostalgic feeling of watching old low budget horror and gore movies of the 80s, a period in time that saw metal and fiction merge like hand and glove. This offering does justice to that moment in time, all the while using a first wave black metal vocal style to give the music a somewhat terrifying and sickening appeal. 

For a black/thrash metal fusion, Back to the Cult achieves what I have found many bands to be lacking in; that being, keeping the listener in a tireless state of headbanging enjoyment. Grave Violator manages to execute this trick by maintaining a sense of urgency and debauchery through the steady pacing of the drumming, whilst in turn being helped by guitar riffs that seem to be chasing you through the record frantically. You are given this feeling from the beginning of Back to the Cult once hearing "Baptized in Filthy Semen". A song that appears to have a very dirty, ghoulish and hasty (in a good way) instrumental and vocal styling. Not only is the music racing in tone, but its lyrics (from what is clearly pronounced) comes across as having an urge driven by evil possession. This momentum is kept as the following song "Knife Fighter" builds on the vile nature of the recordings by using the same fast-paced vigor of the drumming and guitars that go well with the disgusting and sanguinary lyrics; and the vocals being disgorged, sound ravenous and do a great job of conveying the feeling of being pursued by a deranged murderer. Stop hoping for a breath, you won't get it yet, definitely not with songs such as "Ritual Humiliation", "Forced Flesh" and "Deliverance" that disinter perhaps the catchiest, aggressive and best guitar work on Back to the Cult. 

The instrumentation on "Accusations" has a very Lucio Fulci-esque horror-flick vibe, as though it could have been used as an interlude for Zombie (1979) or City of the Living Dead (1980). This ominous break from the fast-restless thrashing, gritty vocals and lyricism is great, as it showcases horror movie-esque qualities. Like the period of calm before something horrifying emerges from the shadows of the night to restart its session of haunting whomever is unfortunate. This group of musicians know well what to do and how to effectively implement it. Plus given the run-time of the record being just around 33 minutes you feel as though you've partaken in the viewing of a short horror showing as a pretext for a larger bigger budget film. 

And just as aggressive the music begins so does it come to an end. The same level of commitment and skill is showcased on the 3 final tracks succeeding "Accusations", in so strengthening my theory of possessing horror movie qualities. "Feed the Dead" is good but should have been placed higher up in the track-listing as to give the closing spotlight to the final track. Hence said; "Chamber of Demons" being 7 minutes long does a fine job of amalgamating the music on the record by providing a climaxing atmosphere; as if approaching the end of a horror tale eagerly and suspense fully awaiting the final outcome of the events. It displays the need for thoughtful instrumentation; given the way in which the guitars are played, in feeding a sense of impending terror as every action henceforth could determine one's fate. 

For a debut album Back to the Cult is a good effort that insists on poking at the nostalgia of the listener. It's a promising album that compels one to remain attentive for what Grave Violator has to offer in the future.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10