Rough Edge: Occult CD Reviews

OCCULT

"Elegy for the Weak" (Candlelight USA / Karmageddon; 2004)

I gotta admit I did not have high expectations for “Elegy For The Weak.” I guess the ol’ stereotype warning bells went off ringing in my head as I have usually come to expect bands with names like Occult to be more akin to the primitive black metal style.

“Elegy For The Weak” is Occult’s fifth full-length disc although it appears it is the first to have worldwide distribution. Occult have long been playing in the thrash metal style most reminiscent of early Slayer and Kreator and “Elegy For The Weak” is clear proof of that. Yet this is another classic case of serendipity at work. I had recently gone on a Slayer listening binge; consequently my ears were primed for Occult’s brand of traditional thrash and I liked them upon my first listen a whole lot more than I might have under normal circumstances.

The riffs and songs do suffer just a bit from one-dimensionality. However, repeated listens easily eliminated this problem as I was soon able to discern the riffs and the songs from each other. The good thing is that stylistically the band is extremely consistent, but the bad thing is I had to work a little to hard for my listening enjoyment for this genre.

“Elegy For The Weak” is a solid effort that will earn repeat spins in my rotation when I’m in the mood for good old fashioned thrash. Kudos for Candlelight for picking another good band that deserves worldwide attention.

“Elegy For The Weak” was produced by Occult; engineered and mastered by Andy Classen.

Occult: Maurice Swinkels on vocals, Richard Ebisch on guitars, Twan Fleuren on bass, and Erik Flueren on drums.

For more information visit http://www.occult.nu.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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