The words of a godless man
Is anybody listening?
While vultures tear it all apart
The bones are bleached and glistening
Marc Skah and David White’s MATO re-emerge with their cover of C.O.T.A., conjuring a raw, ritualistic essence handled with care. Originally released in December 2023 by Death Cult on DEATH CULT – 8323, the song carries the legacy of a name that once signified a brief, powerful period between Southern Death Cult and The Cult, a time when their music communicated through symbols, breath, and shared focus. C.O.T.A., often interpreted as ‘Communion of the Animals,’ flows through repetition and restraint, driven by a beat that acts like a second heartbeat and a vocal style that is at eye level—more communal than dominant.
The lyrics to C.A.T.O. frame a world stripped of authority and overseen by appetite rather than mercy. The voice speaks without divine cover, unheard amid scavengers and spectacle, in a landscape where time no longer turns and survival replaces renewal. Artificial light cuts through encroaching wildness, signaling a damaged modernity with no clean refuge. The repeated call to hold fast is instruction, not comfort, while the closing appeals widen care to the weak, the innocent, and the outcast: solidarity without hierarchy, attention as endurance.
MATO’s version hones the song’s ritualistic feel, making the rhythm palpable and enabling the texture to fluctuate deliberately with controlled timing. This echoes the animist roots long linked to Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy: MATO retains that core while blending their darkwave and post-punk influences into the framework. The outcome feels seamless and ongoing, rather than commemorative—a traditional idea revisited and reexamined. This context is significant: their interpretation of C.O.T.A. naturally aligns with a song focused on collective belief expressed through gathering.
Listen below:
Founded in Germany in 2010, MATO has consistently framed its work around perception, interior exchange, and the connective potential of sound. All releases are independently produced by Skah and White, and since 2012 the project has also encompassed a spiritual collaboration described as an ongoing musical journey.
The release also tees up what’s next: a new full-length album, The Bird, is expected in Summer 2026.
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The post Marc Skah and David White’s MATO Release Cover of Death Cult’s “C.O.T.A.” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.
