Moose Cult - Book of the Machines

I’m not sure what a Moose Cult is.  Is this a cult of moose that gather in their black masses?  Or is it a group of humans who are obsessed with Moose?  Or maybe it is a new kick ass doom band?

Well, it may be one of the first two but it’s definitely the last one.  Born out of the pandemic after writing a lot of riffs, Jonny Moose (oh ok, that’s where the name comes from) joined forces with members of Monsterworks, Thūn, Smokescreen and Bull Elephant to release Moose Cult’s sophomore album, “Book of the Machines.”  

I’m not familiar with any of these bands except for the excellent Bull Elephant but that is enough of a pedigree to warrant me checking out this album, though I haven’t had time to dive into their debut just yet.  

“Book of the Machines,” is quite the dynamic album!  It embraces a death/doom sound but also incorporates more traditional doom elements as well.  It’s melodic when it needs to be, bulldozer heavy at other times.  There are a ton of layers and depths to these songs, making it fit into the prog category as well.   Thankfully, the songwriting is focused so instead of all these influences making it sound disjointed, it sounds very natural—the songs flow to and from each other pretty well.

From my limited understanding, the lyrical themes of the album are inspired by the Samuel Butler novel, “Erewhon.”  I am unfamiliar with either but apparently it is “one of the first examples to ponder machine intelligence and self-replication.”  

That sounds above my pay grade and beyond my brain power but I do recognize the subject matter’s potency, considering the rapid advancement of AI in our current world.  It’s definitely scary to think about and “Book of the Machines,” is often a scary album with dark corners and trepidation around every turn.  It’s a bleak album, fully embraced in all aspects. 

I am impressed by how well the instruments compliment each other.  In the beginning of the first song, “Erewhon,” ominous sounds fill the void before giving birth to clean instruments.  The drums build up from there as the song marches every forward with growing tension. 

When the bass hits, the sound grows encompassing, opening the floodgates for the death/doom to arrive with a furious growl.  Both the low growls and blackened highs are very effective.  The band isn’t afraid to throw in some curveballs, such as the song’s sudden uptick in tempo and groove.  But wait, there’s more!  The mid section is more ambient/minimalist but still contains wonderfully melodic lead guitar.  This is a very clever, progressive passage that expertly flows right back into more extreme fields. 

Of course, the band is just as engaging when it streamlines its sound for a more direct approach, as they do in “Curse of Creation.”  The song is immediate, bringing out sweltering riffs and brutal growls.  The drums are hard but crisp and potent, a driving force from which the rest of the band launches their attack.  But this isn’t the type of album to rest on its laurels.  Around the two minute mark, the song takes a different path.  Melodic bass leads the way with a blanket of riffs just before a very impressive and beautiful guitar solo glides through.  But the carnage returns with harrowing screams while the music keeps up its melodic and atmospheric slow.  Once again, it’s impressive how this band can use different styles and emotions to their advantage yet keep its core sound intact.

The halfway point of the album is an interesting little song called “Gateway to Evolving Thought.”  The first part of the song is clean instrumentation with an unique folk style vibe.,  I really like the drums and bass here, both are very engaging.  The song briefly comes to a boiling rage before settling down again, ending with a smattering of lead guitar.  This song is different from what came before or what arrives afterwards but I commend the band for pulling off such an unique vision that still manages to fit into the album. 

The final song is the title track and it brings with it a faster tempo that brings out their extreme metal side, this time very much leaning towards the blackened end of the spectrum.  The vocals are insane and the riffs are apocalyptic.  

Moose Cult’s “Book of the Machines,” is an album that came seemingly out of nowhere but I'll be damned if it isn’t one impressive surprise.  Any fan of heavy, thought provoking music that isn’t afraid to show variety within its compositions will definitely want to check this one out.