Reviving a musical passage confined to the history books by dragging it into the present, This Sect possess an undisputable post-punk and indie influence with a definite whiff of the eighties when it comes to their sound, but one that is given a slightly modern edge considering the grooving rhythm of former single ‘Bookburner’. The giveaway, however, to such references can be heard in the shimmering and echoing effects of the guitars that is reminiscent of such 80s innovators The Chameleons and Bauhaus, as well as paying their respects to such record labels as Dischord with the aforementioned post-punk sound. With this being a debut album and one that has taken considerable time to fully realise, the benefits of such a lengthy gestation period are revealed in the tight musicianship which creates moments of genuine tension as well as providing a sense of holding the ship together. For lead vocalist Gøran Karlsvik, the title of This Sect’s debut long player seems to literally plague his very being, with his vocal giving the impression of pulling the songs along but with considerable suffering involved due to the immense weight of the lyrical contents contained within. Such indications can be identified from the layered guitars and melodic bursts of ‘Lines On A Trail’ where there appears no exit from troubled times, to the (some might say) actions of a philistine with the tortured ‘Bookburner’ and major clue that is ‘Detox The Soul’. As brief as ‘Shake The Curse’ stands, This Sect manage to cram a succession of deeply intense emotions that are often cryptic in nature, with an equally forceful brew of raucous guitars and additional synth that harks back to a period in music that is sadly missed and thus rendering ‘Shake The Curse’ utterly essential.