Church of Cthulhu is a Romanian Stoner/Doom Metal trio with long tracks. The new album “Get Outta My Swamp!” was released on October 24, 2023 and contains nine tracks including an epic over 14 minutes long. The album opens with a short country-sounding track ‘Lucky to Be Alive’, which takes us through the listening experience. The following “I Lost My Axe” opens with a distorted guitar and a monolithic rhythm section that moves slowly. The bass lines are deep and penetrating, giving body to the sound, on which an aggressive vocal is inserted that moves the sound towards Sludge territories. The riffs are well constructed and overall the track flows pleasantly, immersing the listener in the sounds of the band, skilled in mixing Stoner and Doom Metal with a personal and modern touch. A hypnotic bass line opens “Be Gone!” characterised by dark, heavy guitar riffs and slow but gnanitic drumming. The vocals, as in the previous track, add an aggressive touch, alternating with lysergic, scratchy guitar solos. The track flows alternating between sung and instrumental parts, until the finale where it ends with a tempo change and good solo guitar work. “Reefer for Your Thoughts” opens with a positive acoustic guitar melody, a track in which Mihnea Ferezan participates as a guest. An acoustic ballad with guitar interludes and enriched by tempo changes, it is entirely instrumental and mellows out the more heavy tracks on the album. Heavy, deep guitar riffs open “Trip to Las Vegas,” returning to the classic blend of stoner and doom characteristic of the band’s sound. The vocals are aggressive and restless, the drumming powerful, and the bass and guitar dialogue well in melodies enriched by the band’s expertly modulated effects. We come to the title track “Get Outta My Swamp!” which is over 14 minutes long. An epic that explores all the sonic nuances that make up the band’s style, always with that dark touch and aggressive vocals. Between Psychedelia, Stoner and Doom, with that Dark atmosphere that characterises the band’s sound. A long acid trip during which vocal parts alternate with instrumental parts with the chitrarra always in evidence. “Hollow and Betrayed” opens with a deep, hypnotic riff, which is later joined by heavy, pachydermic drumming. The intensity increases as the minutes pass and the central theme of the song evolves, adding power through the vocals. In the second part, a long instrumental section highlights interweaving guitar and a deep, enveloping bass. Another softer track “Cowabunga!” featuring second guest Dragos Coman, shows the more Psychedelic Rock side. With continuous tempo changes and mixing different genres and styles, it alternates between passages with dilated sounds and others with accelerations. The guitar offers acidic solo inserts, leading us through this almost nine-minute trip. The album ends with “Lucky to Be Dead,” another short 1-minute passage that echoes the country sounds of the opener.
Tracklist
01. Lucky to Be Alive (01:27)
02. I Lost My Axe (04:36)
03. Be Gone! (06:29)
04. Reefer for Your Thoughts (feat. Mihnea Ferezan) (07:35)
05. Trip to Las Vegas (05:28)
06. Get Outta My Swamp! (14:38)
07. Hollow and Betrayed (09:36)
08. Cowabunga! (feat. Dragos Coman) (08:54)
09. Lucky to Be Dead (01:08)
Lineup
Ciprian / Guitars and Vocals
Mishu / Bass and Backing Vocals
Ovidiu / Drums