Review: Culak – Dreamforge

Style: Djent (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Vildhjarta, Meshuggah
Review by: Zach
Country: US-TX
Release date: 26 August, 2023

Vildhjarta understood what made djent as a genre effective, and threw all of that out the window. They broke down djent to its bare essentials and alchemized it back to life worse than the Elric’s did to their mother. It came out darkly twisted, just on the verge of breaking down completely. Songs were held together by riffs that barely made sense and the short respites of clean guitar you’d get would do nothing but increase the atmosphere of insurmountable dread. The Masstaden duology has more in line with Stravinsky and Shostakovich than Periphery. This is precisely why they’re in a league of their own in the genre, and why even after ten years of silence between albums, they have a loyal fanbase. 

Christian Culak has clearly been listening to a lot of Vildhjarta. 

Let me back up here. Culak has been releasing music since 2013. In that time, he has released a grand total of SIXTEEN albums. Say what you want about the man, and I’ve got plenty to say, but he sure is dedicated to his craft. If you’re familiar with the name, you probably remember my review of his 2022 album. Which was, to put it bluntly, bad. Christian himself even linked it in the press release he sent us for this album. He stated that production flaws are heavily examined in between albums and are taken to heart. So, congrats Christian. This album sounds better, much better, than Holy Tempest. 

However, there was never anything addressing the main issue I had with Holy Tempest. Quite frankly, the exact same issues I have with this album. You can clean up production all you want, you can invest in the best software to do so, but nothing along those lines fixes songwriting flaws–glaring ones at that. Instead of honing any kind of songwriting skill he has, Culak thinks of himself some kind of King Gizzard, in both release quantity and genre switch ups. Last time I covered Culak, he took on progressive black metal, this time he takes on THALL. 

What do you know? It’s an amalgam of forgettable riffs that sure sound like Vildhjarta but without any of the chaos or creativity. The production value has increased, and songs are still imaginatively bankrupt. Everything either sounds painfully simple or it’s nearly knocking off something from Masstaden. Open string chugs are not a riff. Weirdly timed one-note staccato is not a riff. There is not a single new or exciting idea here. Even the second riff of ‘The Veiled Architect’ sounds like ‘den helige anden’ but Vildy at least know when it’s time to transition into chaos. 

‘The Veiled Architect’ also highlights yet another flaw. Christian, I commend you for trying to do mixed vocals. Your growls are actually pretty good on the album. But for the love of THALL, find a vocal coach for your cleans. Spend a bit of time honing your craft, learn from someone who’s better than you. It’s the only way we improve as artists. The cleans are, frankly, horrendous and would be better off dropped from the whole album.

Culak, you are clearly a talented guy with five billion influences. But nothing you’ve written that I’ve listened to so far sounds like your own. I give you credit for putting so much out, but why don’t we pump the brakes for a year or two? Better yet, condense some of those ideas down into a style you can call your own.  Learn a bit of songwriting craft from your favorites. Learn what makes them great, but stop lifting riffs from others. And if you do, veil them in your own style. 

Recommended tracks: none
You may also like: The Dark Atom
Final verdict: 2/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Independent
Culak is:
– Christian Culak (everythnig)