Bone Cult – Death Electronica (2020)
If you are looking for a new heavy obsession, Bone Cult has the answer with their first full-length album Death Electronica. This duo established themselves in Nottingham and have released three outstanding EPs. They have also had slots at Dot to Dot Festival, Boomtown Festival and more.
The band describes their sound as death electronica and take inspiration from a wide range of artists including The Prodigy, Slipknot and Daft Punk. The combination of these influences and their own unique sound hits you with something completely new. Guitars, drums and technology breach new musical territory for the band and that is clear in this album.
The distortion of Death Electronica starts with ‘Realise’. The opening is reminiscent of The Prodigy, but the rest of the song takes you on a different journey. The combination of digital vocals and heavy guitar pounds the beat into you. This sound continues into ‘Tyrant’ where the bass picks up and drives home the new sound.
The guitar assault continues in ‘Cruel’, but this track has a very different dynamic to the ones before. There are moments when the song is stripped back only to climb back to the heavy sound of the album. The rotation between heavy and soft moments makes this track one of the most interesting and one you can easily listen to on repeat.
The fourth track ‘Feed on You’ has a moodier feel without detracting from the overall sound of the album. The softer opening leads into a faster sound with digitisation and guitar galore. The music provides an ideal backdrop for the vocals that carry you through the transitions. There are a lot of layers to this song making the frenetic flow shine.
‘Grief Club’ is a little different to the rest of the album with a cleaner guitar. The deep vibes from the rest of the album continue to create a mesmerising beat. There are some great catches that keep you listening while the beat makes you want to move with it.
The sixth track ‘Fragments’ shines a brighter light on the electronic aspect of Bone Cult. There is a lot of digital bass and warped guitars. This distorted sound then leads into rather melodic vocals taking your ears on a rollercoaster of sounds.
The warped tones continue with ‘Something Vile’. The guitars transition from distortion to whining and interchange with the vocals for an interesting track. The drive behind this track is the fast-paced drums and whining bass. This beat continues into ‘Fever to Stay’.
The eighth track has less going on than the others and a faster pace. The beat, speed and melodic chords give this song a dreamy feel diverting from the rest of the album. It is easy to relax into this song and let the notes flow through.
The dreamy feel leaves when you hit ‘Miracle’. This track has a more sinister feel to it, particularly the opening. The hard drumbeat makes the heart race and adds more than pace to the song.
The fast pace of ‘Miracle’ is a sharp contrast to ‘Mansion’ that rounds off the album with a chilled vibe. The heavy guitar and bass give way to easy vocals and softer tones. ‘Mansion’ gently puts you down after the rest of Death Electronica pumped you up. The slower pace and soft notes end a captivating album on a high note.
Death Electronica is a great first full-length album from Bone Cult. You can hear the influence from The Prodigy and Daft Punk in many of the songs, but the unique sound of the band really shines through. The deep bass and heavy guitar are great throughout, but the change in pace in ‘Fever to Stay’ and ‘Mansion’ show that the band is more than what first meets the eye.
Find out more about Bone Cult on their Facebook, Spotify, Twitter and website.
