By now you should already know to expect something evocative and otherworldly and with significant emotional depth from Cult of Fire, a band with a discography of unusually rich thematic content in the context of black metal. Their fifth full-length album The One, Who is Made of Smoke is described in the promo material as “the band’s most personal and profound release to date,” a statement that is easy to agree wholeheartedly with, especially if you are familiar with the band’s history and commitment to their art as a whole.
Guided by founding member Vladimír Pavelka’s artistic vision, Cult of Fire is no stranger to ambitious conceptual themes. Their 2013 sophomore album मृत्यु का तापसी अनुध्यान (“Ascetic Meditation of Death”) focused on Hindu mythology and Goddess Kali and grabbed my attention with its unique marriage of trance-inducing atmosphere and ferocious black metal enriched with Hammond organ and sitar. I remember being particularly impressed by the way the band eschewed hackneyed black metal tropes and conjured a palpable sense of spiritual trance (those lucky enough to have witnessed Cult of Fire in a live setting know what I mean), and in an age of rampant lazy cultural appropriation also appeared to convey genuine reverence for Hinduism, which was confirmed by Pavelka’s thoughtful commentary in interviews. Around the same time, they released Čtvrtá Symfonie Ohně, an instrumental EP dedicated to Czech composer Bedřich Smetana and rivers Vltava and Váh, before continuing their exploration of Hinduism and Buddhism, culminating in the simultaneous release of two albums, Moksha and Nirvana, in 2020. In parallel, Pavelka conducted meticulous research and applied his anthropological lens on funerary traditions of different cultures and religions, which resulted in the release of the two-part The History of Death & Burial Rituals under the Death Karma side project moniker. To add further to this thematically rich and varied discography, Pavelka released a sincerely personal and unexpectedly beautiful solo album Spomienky, which recalled his childhood memories of holidays in the small Slovak village where his grandparents lived.
The One, Who is Made of Smoke is inspired by, and dedicated to, Mahavidya Goddess Dhumavati, who was rejected and cursed by Shiva to take the form of a widow. The album tells the story of a woman who has to endure ostracization and the loss of her companion, which leads her to devote herself to Dhumavati and embark on a spiritual journey. And that sense of loss is tangible and painful, captured in the field recordings and mournful melodies of the album’s opening track (“Loss”) and the subsequent “Mourning.” The latter’s midpoint hints at an emotional turning point to come with a soaring guitar melody that reappears at the end of the song, only to be consumed by the wailing anguish and incandescent rage of “Anger” (featuring the guest vocals of Anhalas and Natalie Koskinen that meld into the song’s all-consuming blaze). And then the aforementioned watershed moment of catharsis and rebirth teased during “Mourning” finally arrives in full force when “Dhoom” kicks into high gear with bursts of blast beats, dramatic stings and the beautifully layered vocals of Vojtěch Holub and Natalie Koskinen. This marks a significant sea change in the tone of the album, as surprisingly uplifting melodies and textures enter the fray and take charge, indicative of the breakthrough achieved by the narrative’s widow in her spiritual journey to accept and transcend her loss and find spiritual connection, heralded by the triumphant leads and manifest optimism of “Blessing.” While all this has been impressive and captivating in the way it has illustrated the widow’s journey with vivid colours and memorable musical turns, it almost pales in comparison with the breathtakingly incredible “Joy” and its eponymous jubilance and deliverance that reaches ecstatic heights. Long-time collaborator Zdeněk Šikýř delivers a rich Hammond foundation for chanted vocals, which Pavelka’s sharp injection of shredding propels the song into an emotional blast wave driven by his frenetic lead melody and Peter Heteš’s drumming, when suddenly everything decelerates and almost stops, until Heteš provides a powerful bedrock and beautiful juxtaposition for the almost weightless, ringing notes Pavelka evokes. And good luck trying to stop those earworm guitar melodies from playing in your head on repeat. Overall, “Joy” is one of the most infectious and exultant metal songs you will hear this year. After the excellence of “Joy,” “There is More to Lose” has the almost unfair mission to end the album on a high note, which it wisely does by not competing with “Joy,” instead opting to close the album with a foreboding outro that leaves the listener ravenous for whatever the band decides to release next.
It is hard to overstate the majestic devotion of Cult of Fire to music, religion and mythology. The way they combine all that with their tantric black metal into something awe-inspiring and trance-inducing is nothing short of immaculate and thoroughly impressive, and The One, Who is Made of Smoke is proof of their ever-evolving brilliance and mastery in molding the malleable essence, shapes, tones and textures of black metal into something that is unique.
— Zyklonius
The One, Who is Made of Smoke will be available March 26 on Beyond Eyes Production.
For more information on Cult of Fire, visit their Facebook page and official website.