Cult Of Osiris – “One” [Album Review]

Cult of Osiris is a new digital black metal label, based in Leeds, UK. With an enterprising international approach, this young label has released its first anthology, One (buy it here), to showcase the talents of up-and-coming underground acts by placing them alongside more well-known and established extreme metal bands, including Wolfheart (whom we recently featured here) and the legendary Enslaved.

One embarks a journey through black metal’s varied landscapes, from the desperate urgency of Svneatr, to Unreqvited’s comforting misery, and the swirling atmospheric mystery of Abigail Williams. There are piano solos from Uten Håp, and mysticism from China’s Winter Dynasty. There’s also plenty of heaviness, including Finland’s Wolfheart with a stand-out track, “Breakwater”, from their recent album.

A major coup for Cult Of Osiris is the inclusion of legendary Norwegian progressive black metal band Enslaved. “Sacred Horse”, taken from their 2017 album E, demonstrates the sheer possibilities of the genre with its avant-garde keyboard passages and tempo changes. But, crucially, the big draw does not overshadow the rest of the album; Cult of Osiris have succeeded in demonstrating that new bands from the black metal underground can hold their own against established players. Several bands – Black Sigil, Uten Håp, Apothecary, ForbiHavet and Void Ritual – provided exclusive songs for this compilation. A well-balanced programme ends with “Ghost”, a haunting, hypnotic track from one-woman ambient metal project ForbiHavet.

Serving as a tribute to the days of mixtapes, One provides a neat introduction not only to the label’s sound but to black metal in general. Cult Of Osiris are currently working with Entardecer, Order of the Wolf, ForbiHavet, Uten Håp, Apothecary and Verulf Tyrant, and the label’s energy suggests that the future for this wintry music is far from bleak.

Starting with Black Sigil’s “Helioren”, stream the full album here.

One Track Listing:

01. Black Sigil – “Helioren”
02. Svneatr – “The Whisper”
03. Abigail Williams – “Akasha”
04. Unreqvited – “Anhedonia”
05. Apothecary – “Murmurs”
06. Wolfheart – “Breakwater”
07. Void Ritual – “A Glorification Of Fire”
08. Uten Håp – “Inert”
09. Winter Dynasty – “Oh Mighty China”
10. Enslaved – “Sacred Horse”
11. Unholy Baptism – “Nihil”
12. Wintercrown – “Frost Winter (Demo)”
13. ForbiHavet – “Ghost”

Run Time: 82:57
Release Date: January 14, 2019
Record Label: Cult Of Osiris (All songs written and performed by the artists. Copyright is owned by the bands and labels.)