SKJULT - CUBA

SKJULT – PROGENIES OV LIGHT – SATANATH  
That the solo act is based in Cuba may explain how the band professes to the music of Satan, black metal, yet has an album called Progenies Ov Light. The slower track before last is called Dawn of An Era Ov Light. The lyrics, which are included, betray no weakness to a fabled Jesus or whatever/whomever. So, how is the music? It is triumphantly fabulous. The music is not perfect because it suffers a drum machine and the man, in his haste to blast, maim and kill, foregoes any guitar solos, but everything else is as fine as can be.
The album begins with a patented Dissection riff and the song Into The Void. The sheer face ripping velocity, barbarism and ferocity does not let up until the mid-paced Dawn of An Era… which is a testament to the man named Conspirator. The music is influenced by Dissection, Watain and old Mayhem. The vocals curdle one’s blood and yield to no one. The quality of these speedy riffs put most bands to shame easily. It is just that few can withstand the power of the band’s assault. This is stuff for the purists.
Skjult betrays no ethnic, Cuban or Caribbean stupidity nor takes a backseat to bands from more established countries in terms of music or production. As such, Satanath has a winner on its hand. As for the paradoxical monicker: well, no one is complaining about Marduk so never mind. – Ali “The Metallian”

SKJULT - LUCIFER HOMINUM SALVATOR - SATANATH RECORDS  
Conspirator is a busy man and Lucifer Hominum Salvator is one of the many releases by the Cuban where he handles every instrument and vocals. Lawless God is immediate in its impression of what Skjult is about. This sounds like no frills black metal. This characterization extends into the lyrics where the man talks about infinite darkness and the destroyer of the world. The album is on the longer side at over 46 minutes - the full songs average at around six minutes - and it allows Skjult to embrace some mid-paced riffs while screaming out the words. It also means that some songs could perhaps be shorter. Under The Serpent's Banner sounds like it would be a traditional black metal song and the lyrics and indeed the song itself go a long way in confirming it. Sometimes faster sometime again mid-paced and with themes like flames and spells on the way to a black temple the album fulfills many hallmarks of the genre. The Sight has a heavier or more impactful riffing start and subsequently settles into a Dissection type sounding song as it gains pace moving forward. The Way Back To The Source is a six-minute long instrumental with an acoustic start and even more of a Dissection feel. The length almost forces some repetitiveness but gains points for avoiding unnecessary atmospheric or melodic pitfalls. This is followed by the two minutes long The Fall which is labeled as an interlude. It is dark, foreboding and horror like. A Star Down Below is an ode to the father of sin also known as the angelic Lucifer. The song spends most of its six minutes with a simple black metal riff that yoyos between slower and faster sections. Sacred Flames feels heavier and faster. There is some variation in the vocals as well and the lyrics double down on the satanic theme. The title track closes the album covering basically every black metal theme or cliché with mentions of the eternal fall, Abel, serpent, left hand, horned god, promethean fire and even more. – Anna Tergel