There are some very good reasons why Cult Leader — who are basically three-quarters of Gaza — decided to put their former band to rest. But instead of standing still, Michael Mason, Casey Hansen, and Anthony Lucero decided to soldier on with this new project. They recruited bassist Sam Richards so Lucero could focus solely on vocals and put together this excellent new EP, which was originally meant as just as demo but is now seeing release to the public at large.

Basically, Cult Leader take the musical blueprint of their former band and give it a good kick in the pants. This is a phoenix-like rebirth that burns with passion and fire. If you liked their last band’s combination of metal, hardcore, and noise rock, then you are going to love this one.

“God’s Lonely Children” opens with a minute-and-a-half of feedback and noise, where Lucero’s newfound commanding voice rants over the proceedings. He has some seriously brutal pipes. Next track, “Flightless Birds” thrashes and bashes into many different directions, while “Mongrel” merges intense noise rock with a doom lurch to form a deadly hybrid. “The Indoctrinator’s Deathbed” and “Skin Crawler” take whiplash turns between the fast and more measured sludge-like grooves. “Driftwood”, which is the longest track on the album, closes out the proceedings with six-minutes of noisy, emotional, mid-paced hardcore. It is a great way to go out.

Gaza is dead, long live Cult Leader.

(Deathwish, Inc., 59 Park Street, Second Floor, Beverly, MA 01915)