Lucifer Hominum Salvator

Cuban Metal scene is a scene that I have never heard of before and I didn’t even know that it exists. With Skjult, it is the first time that I get in touch with the scene from Cuba and I was very curious to listen to their music. So, Skjult is an one – man Black Metal band from Cuba, formed by Conspirator in 2015 and since then, he has released four full length albums and one split. The album that I have in my possession is their third full length album, called ‘Lucifer Hominum Salvator’ and it was released in 17^th of March of 2020 both as a digital album and in CD format, limited to 500 copies, by Satanath Records. The album contains eight tracks, two of which are instrumental ones, with an overall duration of about forty seven minutes.

To be honest, I was expecting that a band from Cuba would have an element, at least a tiny thing that would make their music to stand out from other scenes from the rest of the world. To my disappointment, the music that you will find in this album is typical Scandinavian Black Metal, mainly influenced by the ’90ies. Apart from that, the music is well played and quite interesting. The riffs are dark and violent, other times fast, destructive and chaotic, while other times they are medium and slow tempo more atmospheric ones but violent and hateful as before. The atmosphere is really dark, in the slower parts it is quite drowning and thick while in the faster ones, it is more chaotic and violent, while there are some moments that you get a space feeling. The duration of the tracks is between five and seven minutes and generally the structure of the songs is good so they don’t become tedious or boring.

All the instruments and vocals, as also compositions and lyrics, are all done and performed by Conspirator, the man behind Skjult. The guitar is the main instrument, performing the riffs with accuracy and passion. The drums are also performed very professionally, with stability and power, they have interesting lines which add the appropriate variation to the compositions. The bass is inaudible and this is something that I really missed in their songs. The vocals are harsh, a little deeper than the usual ones, Black Metal vocals with nice expression, delivering the feeling of the lyrics and the compositions very well. The production has delivered a thick, dark and quite fuzzy in some parts, sound. The mixture has highlighted the guitars and managed to deliver a balanced sound between all the instruments and the vocals apart from the bass. The lyrics are included in the booklet of the cd and they speak in a metaphorical way about Lucifer, darkness and evil and their connection with cosmos.

In conclusion, I will mention again that I would expect something different by Skjult than again a typical Scandinavian Black Metal release. Apart from that, there is a very talented musician that can compose and execute his favorite style perfectly. So, ‘Lucifer Hominum Salvator’ is an interesting album which shows that the band has potential. The tracks that I liked most are ‘The Sight’, ‘Sacred Flames’ and ‘Lucifer Hominum Salvator’. I think if you overlook the lack of authenticity and give the album a chance, you will discover a nice release of the Scandinavian Black Metal sound.