Fatal Visions

by Inculter

Hailing from the west coast of Norway, INCULTER first burst onto the scene with the Stygian Deluge 7″ EP in 2013: It sold out within two week from Edged Circle Productions, and the cassette version was gone within a day. From there, the still-very-young band were voted “Band of the Week” by Darkthrone’s tastemaking Fenriz.

Carrying forward that momentum, in early 2015, Inculter released their highly anticipated debut album, Persisting Devolution, again through ECP. Still not even in their 20s yet, right from the very first second, the power-trio unleashed an iron-fisted attack and refused to relent, punishing the listener with cranky-yet-catchy thrash metal that draws influence from a wide swath of ancient thrash darkness. Whether it’s the nascent violence of the early Bay Area sound or the bestial blitz of mid ’80s Germany, from the ultra-OTT of Canada’s old speed/thrash scene to the weird ‘n’ unhinged musings of contemporaneous Eastern Europe, Inculter covered nearly every base with the magick ‘n’ mastery of true veterans.

Not surprisingly, Persisting Devolution reaped worldwide acclaim and led to the band being invited as direct support for such legendary acts as Mayhem and Kvelertak for sold-out events. Inculter continued to master their craft on the live front, prolifically playing before all and sundry, and thus setting the stage for their second full-length strike. Ominously titled Fatal Visions, that album is at last upon us!

Staying true to their sound whilst pushing their own limits, here on Fatal Visions do Inculter exhibit more finesse and flair, more magick and mastery. If Persisting Devolution leaned more on the raw side – understandably so, given the band’s youth at the time – then the self-produced Fatal Visions sees the now-quartet getting to the heart of their sound and, with mastering by Enslaved’s Herbrand Larsen, leaving a more powerful and timeless document for the ages.

That expansion to a four-piece is immediately felt; the attack is tighter and more urgent, the dual-riff interplay dazzling with darkness and ever-twisting memorability. Indeed, these Fatal Visions cut quickly and sharply, their locked-in slash ‘n’ surge sounding almost criminally accomplished. No more red-eyed and bleeding-raw belligerence here: rather, a spiked landscape of classic heavy metal majesty rendered wild and wondrous. If anything, one could say Inculter are taking cues from cult-institution forebears Aura Noir but accelerating up the evolutionary chain far quicker…or simply that Fatal Visions is THE Now Sound of Inculter.

The future is so far in the past, Inculter have prophesied the present with Fatal Visions. Completed by stunning artwork from R.K. Valbo (Obliteration, Deathhammer), this is another bold step toward total dominance.

  • "And for this reason I recommend you to check out Fatal Visions, this an extreme metal album. That breathes the rusted air of old school metal, and conjures some evil riffs and blazing solos. This is a galloping thrash metal of fine quality brought to the utmost level of riffing madness!"
    8,8/10 - grimmgent.com
  • "Fatal Visions is one of the standout albums to emerge from within the confines of black/thrash in recent years, and should stand as an example of what can still be achieved without straying into foreign soundscapes or resorting to awkward fusions."
    toiletovhell.com
  • "This is modern thrash that sounds like classic thrash, and it’s the strongest record of its kind that I’ve heard in several years."
    4/5 - angrymetalguy.com
  • "‘Fatal Visions’ should immediately appeal to both classic late 80’s thrash fans and old school death metal heads but still sound ‘current’ (read: nuanced, dynamic) enough to inspire Aura Noir obsessed black/thrash kids and Obliteration fans to jump on something a shred more ‘classic thrash’ in spirit without losing that freakishly dark Norwegian energy. Because this is exactly the kind of record I personally grab and hold onto, I have to give ‘Fatal Visions’ my highest recommendation."
    5/5 - grizzlybutts.com
  • "It’s been quite some time as I have heard thrash metal this potent and unstoppable. (...) Welcome back thrash metal. You have been missed."
    4,5/5 - themetalwanderlust.com
  • "...sounded like something from the glory days of Death Metal back in the early 1990s. There is little question that INCULTER is more than ready to carry on the tradition themselves. (...) I highly recommend it to anyone else who has a good ear for high quality Metal music."
    8/10 - metal-temple.com
  • "Fatal Visions takes the band higher still. Inculter’s previous releases were eye-opening; this one really is eye-popping. (...) Thrash addicts will eat it up, and even the more jaded and hard-to-impress thrashers among you should give it a serious listen."
    nocleansinging.com
  • "If you are looking for fast, in-yer-face and old-school sounding thrash metal as it was meant to sound back in the eighties, then there's plenty of it on these leather jackets and sneakers wearing Norwegians' new album. Fuckin' thrash or be fuckin' thrashed!"
    4/5 - metalcrypt.com
  • "Inculter's Fatal Visions is a raging inferno of death and destruction that doesn't let up for a second during 8 pulverizing anthems. Dust off your leather jacket and jeans, put on your old snickers and let's hit that pit and be wild again. With Fatal Visions Inculter emerges as a leader of black/thrash and delivers one of the standout albums of the year, period."
    9/10 - metalbite.com
  • "If you play this fucker loud, your annoying neighbors might in fact flee the building and never return. There is hardly an ounce of fat to the album and it never really loses momentum, which is why this is the perfect album to invest in if you want to get your hands on a raw, blistering record that contains nothing but pulverizing and nasty neck-breaking anthems."
    ramzine.co.uk
Inculter 2023 Origin: Norway / Formed in: 2012 / Genre: Thrash Metal

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