The howls, the riffs, the ritual devotion.
Ah, melodic black metal. Absolutely feral. Absolutely perfect.
There’s very little music that hits quite the same—apart from Type O Negative, obviously, but that’s a whole different kind of religious experience.
Recently, I found myself pulled deeper into the melodic black rabbit hole, and that’s where UADA came in—from Portland, cloaked in fog and fury, dragging my soul in with them.
The Cult, the Fire, the Founder
UADA formed in 2014, summoned into being by Jake Superchi—vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and current sole remaining founding member. Man’s built different.
They’ve released four albums to date, their most recent being Crepuscule Natura (2023), but for this review we’re going back to the one that pulled me into their vortex: Cult of a Dying Sun (2018).
Why this one? Easy—the opener The Purging Fire was my gateway drug. And oh, what a first hit.
That First Scream at 0:39? Ruined Me
The Purging Fire wastes no time. That melodic riff? Instant earworm.
Then Superchi lets out his first scream at 0:39 and suddenly I’m ascending. It’s guttural, it’s raw, it’s like being ripped through a portal made of obsidian and frostbite.
Add in those glorious blast beats and I was a goner. Hooked. Marked. Claimed.
Is It Too Long? No. Shut Up.
Sure, some people think this album drags. It clocks in at 55 minutes across 7 tracks, and apparently that’s too much for the short attention span brigade.
Personally? I didn’t feel the length. I was in it. Even the instrumental track The Wanderer—yeah, sometimes I skip it, but that ambient darkness has its place. It's a palate cleanser soaked in doom. Plus, the guitar work is beautiful and brooding in just the right way.
Vocals That Haunt, Howl, and Hollow You Out
Jake Superchi’s vocals are the real highlight for me. The man doesn’t just scream—he sculpts emotions out of distortion. Death growls? Check. Classic black metal shrieks? Check. That weirdly beautiful hollow howl? Inject it into my spine. Controlled, varied, intense—he uses his voice like a scalpel wrapped in a wolf pelt.
(Yes, I’m fangirling. No, I won’t stop.)
If I make it to Wacken in 2024, you better believe I’ll be there, front row, probably weeping into my beer.
Repetition, Riffs, and Ritual
This album hits that sweet spot between ferocity and flow. The riffs are repetitive—yes—but that’s part of the charm. It’s hypnotic. Trance-inducing. In the way waves are—relentless, rhythmic, and ready to pull you under.
Every song builds and breaks with purpose. The melodies drop out, then return like old ghosts. And I, for one, am here for the haunting.
Favourite Tracks, Goosebumps Guaranteed
Aside from the ambient interlude The Wanderer, the track that really stands out to me is Sphere (Imprisonment). It kicks off more aggressively than the others — the blast beats are phenomenal, and Superchi absolutely goes feral with his vocals. But what really gets me is the shift toward the end. It becomes unexpectedly melodic, even uplifting, and when the piano sets in? Goosebumps. Every time.
My personal favourites on this album are the opener The Purging Fire, the title track Cult of a Dying Sun, and Blood Sand Ash. That last one has this beautifully strummed intro that instantly reminds me of Bathory—there’s a distinctly pagan feel woven through the whole thing, and I love that. It’s like a blackened forest ritual disguised as a song.
I’m In Too Deep (And That’s Exactly Where I Want to Be)
Cult of a Dying Sun isn’t just another melodic black metal album. It’s one of those records that lingers—heavy, haunting, and beautifully bleak. From the first scream to the final fading note, it pulls you under and doesn’t let go.
It’s aggressive and atmospheric in equal measure—the kind of album that sticks to your skin. That stays with you, looping in your head on quiet walks and dark drives.
This won’t be the last UADA release to land in the Keepers section.