Cult of the Damned Recording Studio, England, UK, a group consisting of Blah Records founders Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon and Reklews. Having introduced themselves over a decade ago with their self-titled debut EP, the sequel will follow in the form of their full-length debut album Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate, while second effort The Church Of (produced primarily by Nobodies Home) is even more raw in sound. However, almost 4 years have passed since the Cultgangrapsh!t incident and they are reforming to release Simeone.
“Ext. Car Park – Night” was the perfect lead single to mark Cult’s comeback, with everyone spitting hardcore verses over a five-minute beat, while B-Movie Millionaire’s “Deet” featured King Grubb and Stinkin’ Slumrok angrily talking about their arterial chaos. Tony Broke gets his own solo song “Medicine Man” in hopes of teasing Broke’s follow-up “F$£k” and talks about needing more money on “Capital £” featuring Sly Moon, Sniff and Super Sag Bros.
By the end of its first half, “Creekin'” ominously reunites the B-movie millionaires with Sly Moon so they can admit that something feels off about both of them, while “Covenant” takes on a more somber boom-beat vibe, suggesting that people might actually learn a thing or two from them if they’d just shut up. “Sapnin” continues the second part of the album with some extravagant, dusty shit, talking about like their money, women and dirty beats.
“& And Then Some” takes a jazzier route, reminding everyone of the reputation they’ve built over the past 11 years and warning any rivals who want to turn on them in a fight to back off, but “Next” grits its teeth about looking out the window and plotting out the next stages of their plans, and “Ghetto Law” spends its final minutes expressing views straight from the book rather than the Bible.
I’m not quite sure if we’ll get Cultgangrapsh!t 2 at some point in the future, but regardless, Cult of the Damned are finally back four years after Milkavelli was ousted for cheating fans with an album that I think rivals Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Synsse Crew Gridicate respectively. Spectacular Diagnostics have produced something that’s stylistically more on the boom-heavy side than their last, with some jazzy undertones, and they sound ecstatic about this new era in their career.
Score: 8/10
