The is the debut EP from the Costarican band CULTO NEGRO. This band features member and ex – members of other local bands such as CORPSE GARDEN, PAGANUS DOCTRINA and DEMENCIA. With such line-up encompassing Crossover, Death and Black Metal bands, one would expect something totally different than what CULTO NEGRO is all about: blackened Speed / Thrash Metal with some Punk and D-Beat influences, such as AURA NOIR, early WITCHERY, HELLHAMMER and some THE EXPLOITED mixed in. The music itself is intense, relentless, frantic and delivered with rawness and aggression. Perfect examples of this can be heard in songs such as ‘El Alma Sellada’ and ‘T.H.S.’. The songwriting is not bringing anything new to the table, but its straight forward approach is spot on and the the whole atmosphere is so thick it could be cut with a knife. My fave song is ‘La Electrica Dependencia’. Words cannot describe the intensity of this song. It instantly reminded me of early SLAYER. The other songs are equally good, but this one has that "thing" that just hit me upon first listening. The vocal performance of D.N. is great, combining manic yells with deep grunts and everything in between. Vorago and AntiChristopher, drums and bass respectively, deliver a complex, yet solid and tight base for Juan C and Alejandro C’s riffing. In my humble opinion, the guitar department could use some improvement. The riffs are excellent and style-defining, but some of them lack attitude and the leads are somewhat uninteresting. All in all, CULTO NEGRO has managed to add their own twist to a somewhat overdone and redundant genre of Metal. I look forward to their next material. And so should you. Amazing stuff! Contact them right away here: www.facebook.com/cultonegrocr. And get their CD / EP from their label here: www.satanath.com/sodp