Scott's Song by Song #71: Blossom Cult - Home

 

Welcome to issue #71 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong).For more information about this series, click here: 

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Today I’ll be diving into the upcoming debut from German Alt-Prog-Metal Band Blossom Cult, called “Home”, which releases on May 1, 2026.  The band released 2 EP’s previously, 2020’s “Closure” and 2021’s “Prequel”, but this is their first full length album.  The band’s line-up is as follows:

Janos Romualdo Krusenbaum: Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards

Max Trockenberg: Guitars, Backing Vocals

Elias Bauer: Keyboards, Backing Vocals

Maurice Hoch: Bass

Peter Robers: Drums

There are some special guests involved along the way as well:

Created in collaboration with renowned guest musicians such as Leo Margarit (PAIN OF SALVATION), Andreas Kübler (AUDIOGAZER), Peter Voronov, and Zach Ansley.

This album comes courtesy of Anne Claire and Bad Dog Promotions.  As always, I receive no additional compensation and can “call it like I hear it”.  Also, as is my usual method, this is a cold listen. This band is new to my ears, so I am not sure what to expect, but there’s only one way to find out!  Let’s dive in:

Track 1 - Red Pill (I) (0:51)

The track fades in with ominous rhythmic string sounds and a spoken voice in German.  The intensity builds in a crescendo that leads to…

Track 2 - Wake Up (4:31)

This one begins with rapid fire double-bass drum 16th notes joined in unison by the rest of the band; a very metal intro, indeed.  As the riff proceeds, however, a beautiful piano part joins in on the top, giving the track a new, more elegant feel.   At around 40 seconds, most of the instruments drop out and the vocals enter, now in English.  He begins in a low register, but jumps an octave before harmonies begin.  The pre-chorus has a bit of scream vocals, but nothing TOO crazy.  There are numerous rhythm changes as the song proceeds. I like the breakdown and build-up that starts around 2:40. The drums are great!  I love the stacked-harmonies.  The song mellows with 30 seconds remaining, taken over by classical guitars.  A sound effect puts the final punctuation on this very strong track.

Track 3 - Death to the Gatekeepers (2:55)

A dramatic opening synth chord brings in a chunky guitar-led riff. On the second go-around a Gothic choir sound joins in, taking us to the first verse.  This is heavy metal indeed, but not death-metal.  There are occasional aggressive vocal sounds, but the song is very melodic.  I must issue an F-bomb alert, so use discretion as to who you play this track around..  Occasionally, they remind me of I Prevail, on whom I wrote a spotlight in late 2025 (use the “Labels” tab to find that article if you wish).  The arrangements are dense, but the individual instruments cut through clearly; in other words it's not muddy despite all that is going on.  I like it, even though it is a bit more aggressive than I usually choose to listen to.  At around 2:30, however, the piano takes over with a jazzy riff that is a very unexpected turn.  Some syncopated, staccato accents take us to the final, sustained chord.  Well-done!  I like the twist at the end.

Track 4 - Open Arms (3:59)

Something tells me that this isn’t a cover of the classic Journey power ballad.  It is not, lol.  We begin with a rock guitar riff that has an effect that makes it sound like it is on a well-loved LP.    Bass and drums soon join in.  The band comes together after the 20 second point.  I get a grunge feel on this one, mixed with metal. At around 2:30 there is a quieter part, with possible mellotron accompaniment. Even in their relatively short songs, there is plenty to interest prog fans, especially those on the heavier end of the spectrum.  The mellotron type tone returns at the end to close out the track.  Cool song!

Track 5 - Paint the Sky (3:28)

This starts with a fairly clean guitar part playing arpeggios with harmonics thrown in; very nice!  This one actually has more of a ballad feel, with some odd meters.  The chorus comes in heavier, but maybe not as heavy as some other parts of the album, thus far.  The hook is actually kind of radio friendly.  I love the bridge starting at 2:30.  Krusenbaum shows his range as a vocalist here.  His voice is slightly raspy, which fits the music nicely, but uses control as the music crescendos to a big scream at 3:05. The instruments drop way down afterward, but there is a pulse to it as it reaches the close of the song.  Excellent track, probably my favorite, so far. This should be a featured single, IMHO.

Track 6 - Black Pill (II) (1:04)

This is the second of the three “Pill” tracks (after the opening) which appear to come before each group of 4 songs on the album. More German spoken words appear here with a very subtle keyboard accompaniment.  The piano gradually becomes more prominent as it continues.  Perhaps someone from the band can tell us what is being said in German?

Track 7 - No More Heroes (4:44) 

A dynamic rhythm provides the foundation.  As the song proceeds, sustained chords hold out over the top.  The vocals then enter in a low register over a different groove.  The opening rhythm returns in a somewhat Morse code manner. The second verse is in his normal range.  The choruses are halfway between singing and shouting. The bridge, however, has nice vocal harmonies.  The next section is quiet and the vocals are whispered, literally. There are occasional odd metered measures that keep the listener guessing. After another chorus, quiet sustained notes bring us to the end of the track. Pretty cool track, although I think some of the earlier ones were a bit more to my liking.

Track 8 - Hail to the I (3:52)

A kind of funky riff starts us off with some very cool ascending lines from the band.  I really like the groove of this one.  Mega-fast double-bass-drum parts between verses. This is a truly original sounding track!  I like the interplay between the keyboards and guitars  at around 2:30.  Then suddenly we have piano jazz for a moment, before returning to the rock riffs. Extremely cool and unique track!

Track 9 - Traitor (5:01)

A truly funky bass line starts us off here.  The drums & rhythm guitars lock in with it. There is a more relaxed segment, then we start really rocking.  That high note at 1:55–unreal! We even have a horn section here.  Lots of mood changes on this one.  About halfway through, the tempo slows down.  There is a big dynamic shift around 3:45.  The ending has a piano part that kind of winds down to a stop. A very adventurous piece of music.

Track 10 - Moon (3:39)

A piano part kicks this one off.  It sounds like there might be a cello playing along. The tempo is moderately slow.  The first verse starts off a bit subdued in the vocals. Things kick in at around 1:20, but the tempo remains the same.  There is either a string part or synth strings on this one.  A very well-done, slightly proggy, power ballad.

Track 11 - White Pill (III) (1:14)

More German words are being spoken, this time with a trumpet-like tune in the background.  The instrumentation builds, overtaking the spoken words. It leads straight into…

Track 12 - End of the Line (4:46)

Big moderately slow music opens this one.  Eventually an ostinato melody emerges.  The instruments drop down for the beginning of the first verse. Things get bigger again on the chorus.  The vocals are wonderful on this song. I believe one of the guests may be on this one. Yes, Leo Margarit & Andreas Kübler are on this track.  Nice harmonies around the 4 minute point. The song ends softly on the words “its love”.  Great track.

Track 13 - Further (5:28)

This one slowly fades in, and a piano emerges, playing simple chords.  The vocals soon follow.  This is another slower track, but it feels hopeful.  That is until the band kicks in rocking hard around 1:25.  The meters are shifting regularly, but mostly in 6-8.  This one has the first guitar and keyboard solos on the album; well done!  I love the riffs in this one!  A beautiful piano part brings it to its conclusion.  Strong track!

Track 14 - Waltz of the Beyond (4:46)

This commences with a bass drum beat, once again in a slower 6-8.  The rhythm tightens up in the second half of the first verse.  The chorus opens up and is big sounding.  There are little interesting bits here and there as the song proceeds.  There is another guitar solo on this one.  The music gets noticeably quieter at around 3:00 then explodes at 3:30.   There are some big sustained notes around the 4 minute mark.  Another guitar solo closes it out, along with the vocals.  I don’t know why it took them so long to start having them in the songs, as they are wonderful.  Great Track!

Track 15 - Home (2:12)

The closing track is the title track, yet one of the shorter ones on the album.  A fairly clean guitar part leads the vocals in at a moderate tempo. On the second verse there are terrific harmonies while the instrumentation remains minimal.  The vocals bow out and the instruments play the melody through to the end.  Nice track.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

As the album started, I was worried that there would be a lot of screaming, but that became much less so as the album proceeded.  I am not sure if there is a full story line here or not, but there do seem to be 3 sections of the album, demarcated by the “Pill” tracks.  I can deduce from the way that the album unfolds, that the beginning is far more angst-ridden than the later sections.  As such, I enjoyed the album more and more the deeper it got into it.  As I mentioned, I didn’t notice any lead guitar until way deep into the album, but when they did unleash it, it was well-done.  I am going to say that this is an album where your patience will be rewarded.  I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars or 90%. I look forward to big things from this band.

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Prog On!

Scott

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LINKS FOR LISTENING/PURCHASING:

There are music videos for two songs:

“Wake Up”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FxC2xiQEtU

“End of the Line”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xaxa-80uOlQ

It can be purchased on Bandcamp:

https://blossomcult.bandcamp.com/album/home