A band reaches regional success and breaks up before they can attain a larger fanbase on a national level. A majority of that band forms a new outfit and begins making music that's pretty damn similar to their last band's sound. That's a typical story that holds no surprises if you're familiar with either the metallic hardcore or post-hardcore communities. Cult Leader rose from the ashes of Gaza, a politically focused hardcore band loaded with filth and fury in equal measures. If Useless Animal is indication, Cult Leader may lead you to believe they're following in the same path as Gaza. However, there a few key differences that set them apart from their past.

Cult Leader doesn't seem as mired in the political philosophies Gaza held dear, choosing to focus on more personal and human centered matters. Openers "Useless Animal" and "Gutter Gods" do not ease you into this EP. They start at 60 miles per hour and only pick up speed from there. Both tracks are reminiscent on the type of technical hardcore label mates Converge release when they're at their most thrashing and confrontational. Blurred, intense, and serviceable. A potent and reliable formula.

The B-side is where things take a sharp left turn and Cult Leader cut the ropes that tied them to their past in Gaza. "You Are Not My Blood," a cover of Mark Kozelek and Desertshore's slow burn of a song, changes the pace considerably. Cult Leader maintains the moodiness of the original and inserts some low bass rumble to liven up the track. It's a great display of how a band can remain just as intense and engrossing while slowing things down to snail's deliberate crawl. The track has the precise drawl of a Young Widows track and the haunted pace of early Chelsea Wolfe.

With a full length on the way, one can only hope the band can strike the perfect balance between the two modes displayed on this EP and put forth a remarkable album.