ALBUM REVIEW: We Are The Dragon – Cvlt Ov The Svn
Dark occult music is an interesting subgenre, as it aims to combine elements of goth rock and stoner metal, as well as embodying the aesthetics of shock rock. In the midst of that, Finnish band CVLT OV THE SVN, seeming afraid of the letter u, enter the fray with their debut album, We Are The Dragon. Their aim is to make a unique sound that’s different and their own with their first record out of the gate, especially with influences from films like The Exorcist and bands like TYPE O NEGATIVE. As a first full-length for the band, how do they do with these 12 tracks?
They certainly made a unique sound with this album, but it’s not necessarily the best thing. But to discuss the positives on this album, the music and instrumentation are fantastic. Perfectly dark and mysterious, but also interesting and able to capture the listener’s attention to continue listening.
Out of the gate with the title track as the album opener, the heavy and chunky riffs help invite the listener into the band’s world of dark occult. There’s obvious influence from TYPE O NEGATIVE, as mentioned before, but there’s also the influence from occult/psychedelic rock band, COVEN, especially with the dark sounds that help weave the songs. This is easily heard on songs like My Venom, Don’t Be Tender Love Me Cruel, Dancing With The Devil, The Murderer, and The Pit, to name a few.
Speaking of The Murderer, the lyrics on We Are The Dragon are excellent. For example, in that song, they weave a fantastic story and create a great epic within the song. The same is true for other songs, like I’m Gonna Find Out, Luna In The Sky Forever, Whore Of Babylon, and Another Infidelity. Overall, all of the elements to make a fantastic album.
Unfortunately, the album is let down by the vocals. It sounds like the vocalist is trying to avoid singing, but doesn’t have the power to make some harsh and gritty screams, so it’s stuck between the two in this awkward overlap that is very off-putting for the listener. For example, in the song Hellbound, whilst the music takes on an excellent thrash like sound, the vocals sound like Dave Mustaine if he held his nose, adding to the strange and confusing choice for the vocals. This unique choice drags the album down and can turn people off listening to more than one track, which is a shame because as stated, the instrumentation and lyrics are very well done.
Overall, We Are The Dragon is a mixed bag of elements, as there are areas of CVLT OV THE SVN that really work, and other areas that need a lot of improvement. As a first album, it’s not bad because the music is really well done with mixing all the elements whilst making it their own thing. However, the vocals are distracting and as stated, drags the album down with the confusing choice of sound. There’s a lot of improvement there for the band, and room for them all to grow, so there is hope with their next outing. But for the time being with this album, come for the music, stay for the lyrics, just mind the vocals.
Rating: 7/10
We Are The Dragon is out now via Napalm Records.
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