“Born in the depths of the whiskey caverns, surfaced to feed and destroy…give us your gasoline, give us your soul!” Any band who hypes themselves with such pomp better have the chops to back it up. And just who would have the audacity to proudly boast such zealous self promotion? The band in question is King Humungus. Hailing from Kamloops, British Columbia, based off their name alone, you’d think they were another by the numbers hipster stoner/doom band. In reality, they’re four leather clad maniacs with a penchant for all things fast and evil.
One listen to their debut full length, Return of the Cult, and I thought to myself, “This sounds familiar.” Yes, there are distinct similarities between King Humungus and the masked horde known as Midnight. But while Midnight has gone on to incorporate elements of 80s traditional metal into their sound, King Humungus provides a throwback to their 2000s demo/EP days. In other words, if you’re looking for anything remotely clean or polished, this is NOT the album for you.
Return of the Cult is fueled by a punk rock attitude which lies at the root of King Humungus’ sound. The chunky Discharge-esque riffs lead the way, while black metal tremolo picking and speed metal solos serve as added flourish. Not to mention, there’s enough d-beats to last your local crust punk into 2021. My favorite songs are the badass “Shiny & Chrome”, the neck-snapping “Kill the Demon” (the fastest of the bunch), and “Black Metal Mayhem”, which lives up to its name with some sinister first wave of black metal riffing. Conveniently, with the exception of the hook laden “Firestorm Destroyer” and ferocious closer “Nuclear Newborn”, every track is less than 4 minutes. Besides, a couple minutes is all a credible metalpunk band needs to pack a punch.
It’s one thing to attempt this raw, ancient style. It’s another thing to do so with such conviction. King Humungus lives up to both their hype and name with a humungus, gasoline drenched, whiskey drunk rager of an album in Return of the Cult. Heed their call and raise your studded fist triumphantly to the sky. It’s only a matter of time before you join their cult.
8 out of 10
Label: Independent
Genre: Black/Speed Metal/Punk
For fans of: Midnight, Bewitcher, Inepsy