Skaphos emerges from the depths for a third album.
In 2025, the band freshly signed to Transcending Obscurity Records and comprising Stephan Petitjean (guitar/vocals, La Ballade des Rats), Jeremy Tronyo (guitar/vocals), Theo Langlois (bass/vocals, Acte Profane, La Ballade des Rats) and Nathan Faure (drums, ex-Warside) unveil Cult of Uzura, illustrated by Paolo Girardi (ACOD, Cryptopsy, Firespawn, Forgotten Tomb, Grima, Inquisition, Night in Gales, Profanatica… ).
Cult of Uzura opens the cavern doors with an ominous sound, followed by mystical choirs and occult riffs, then massive vocal parts that complete the dark, oppressive picture. The moment’s respite afforded by the break allows us to breathe before the final wave that leads us into One Eyed Terror’s dissonance, where violence resurfaces in the rhythmics, but also in the morbid howls that create a contrast with the more majestic keys. Mad Man and the Sea follows, imposing its darkness and powerful vociferations that sometimes even become terrifying as they become high-pitched, then Hypoxia comes in to trample us with Old School tones and jerky patterns. Filthy death metal often takes over, while Abyssal Tower floods us with hypnotic leads before letting real fury crush us with imposing patterns geared towards overt brutality. Echoes of the Drowned first frightens us with anguished growls, then plunges us back into its dark, compact ocean of clashing harmonics, before finally reaching a moment of gentleness with Of Shores and Dripping Souls, which takes on the role of a soothing interlude where the guitars take on a clear sound. The quietude only lasts for a while, and eventually gives way to Skaphism, where tortured screams and oppressive riffs develop and complement each other under a devastating drum beat, before The Servant unleashes its tornado of riffs and screams, ranging from cavernous growls to plaintive moans. The Alchemist‘s slow ponderous pace alternates between rage and torpor, with more frenetic passages and a percussive finale, followed by The Offering‘s welcoming chorus. The band will of course return to violence in due course, tinging it with more melodic elements before Diluvian Sentence takes its place and tramples us underfoot with catchy but also very dark patterns. The final track, All Shall Be Now Itself the Sea, takes on even more pessimistic tones, with the clean vocals confirming the macabre tones coupled with the usual surge, before finally abandoning us in the gentleness of a reassuring outro.
With its occult and disquieting themes, Skaphos is the perfect candidate to combine Black and Death Metal in a very violent way, making Cult of Uzura even more powerful than its predecessors.
90/100