Cult of the Fox - The Sea Beneath the Sand

Sweden’s Cult of the Fox plays a traditional style of heavy metal that seems to be all the rage these days by way of Finland and Sweden. Bands overseas like Armour, Enforcer, and Steelwing are paving the way for the modern era of metal, as are bands like Spellcaster and Volture from the U.S. and it’s a nice change of pace because if I hear anymore black metal spitting out the same old jargon I’ll open a vein! Well, here is The Sea Beneath the Sand for our consideration….

Musically the band is tight, providing a decent musical carnival of sound rife with galloping guitar riffs straight out of the book of metal chords and clean vocalization that is the standard for this genre. Through the tracks a very sincere NWOBHM presence is felt, though that might be part-and-parcel with any band trying this not-yet-antiquated style. One of the drawbacks here is the pedestrian lyrics, which are so very typically ‘metal’; you know the type, about holding high the flag, forging swords, battling for the good of rock…all of that. These small annoyances can be overlooked if the music is good, and it is for the most part. Some might argue that this music is so rehashed and recycled that it’s hard to muck it up, and you might be right. There are some terribly trite bands out there doing this type of music to a lower level of resonance, so while Cult of the Fox isn’t necessarily a standout from the rest of the guard it is entertaining enough to be enjoyed. That said, don’t throw out your Enforcer CD’s just yet.

While there are very fluid moments of clarity and precision here, there are also a few moments of ho-hum within. Some of the music follows a too-familiar pattern that is as mundane as it is predictable. “Out of Order” is Manowar on about four as opposed their mantra of ‘playing on ten’. It’s actually so much a Manowar type song that if Manowar had done this I’d have accused them of being past their prime…which I accuse them of anyway, but that’s neither here nor there. While there’s good guitar parts that are mildly head-bang worthy, the whole of The Sea Beneath the Sand just falls a bit flat simply due to it not being catchy enough to fill the occasional void.

I truly wish I could rate this higher, but I simply find it to be more faulty than memorable. While talented, Cult of the Fox seems to lose something in translation between the music and the actual performance. I’m sure it might look great on paper and sound great in rehearsal rooms simply because many bands all over the world warm up to tunes like this; they just don’t put them out and compete with other bands more advanced, both lyrically and musically.

Better luck next time, guys.         

Release Date: 2011
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING

1.  I’m Working on That
2.  Letters of Fire and Sword
3.  Out of Order
4.  The Sea Beneath the Sand

Total playing time:  18:59

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Chris

February 28, 2011