Some styles just never get old. Or, rather, some styles of metal are so good that it’s always exciting to hear a new band give it their best shot. Old-school death metal, of the Floridian variety, is no exception. For those readers who like what bands like Gruesome are doing, Russia’s Cist should be at the top of your priority list.
Camo Pants records, a new label out of Scotland, will be releasing Cist’s The Frozen Casket on cassette and digital download on March 16, 2018. As you can tell from “Antisceptic” below, the band has taken the science of scorching vocals, gritty guitars ripping out excellent riffs, and a brutal yet precise rhythm section, and turned it into an art. It doesn’t hurt that the production fits the style perfectly, allowing the band’s concoction of Death, Obituary and perhaps some Persecution Mania-era Sodom to play exactly as intended.
Some may bridle at the idea of keeping old styles going, rather than trying to push metal’s boundaries and explore new territory. But honestly, there’s so many bands and so much music being made that there’s room for both approaches to thrive. After all, plenty of newer classical and jazz players write compositions “in the style of” or “as a variation” of a famous musician from ages past. I don’t see why metal can’t be the same way, especially when we get something like this.
