Local Review: Cult Leader – Lightless Walk
Local Music Reviews
Cult Leader
Lightless Walk
Deathwish Inc. Records
Street: 10.16
Cult Leader = Converge + Coalesce
When taking musical risks meets earnest, raw vulnerability, the result is a game-changing album like Lightless Walk. This album is so massive yet so succinct. The songwriting is surgical. No wasted filler, no leaned-on gimmicks—instead, it is a thoughtful hybrid of heavy music with every stitch carefully considered. With pacing between two-minute shredders and longer dirges, the album as a whole has a narrative feel that is highly satisfying on a full listen-through.
Each track exhibits razor-sharp hooks, but the demonic violence of “Sympathetic” and gut-punching desolation of “How Deep It Runs” take the awards for favorite children. “Lightless Walk” and “A Good Life” display the Nick Cave–esque clean vocals of Anthony Lucero, adding a spice to both that feels like some dusty Western apocalypse. Cult Leader’s music taps into a very distinct brand of despair—something insane and rage-fueled and rooted in a deep place. Their energy is dominating. Lightless Walk is a dark addiction. –Megan Kennedy