Track By Tracks: Cthuluminati - Tentacula (2025)

The Dark Descent of Tentacula

Tentacula is a Faustian concept album about Thomas, an illusionist who granted his power through a most nefarious deal and his mission to expose the ancient deity Tentacula.

So, let’s go track by track. What’s the story behind each song?

1. Cthrl:

This one sets the tone. Tentacula doesn’t just take control physically—it infiltrates society, pulling strings through news reporters, police, anyone who can make Thomas’s life a living hell. He wants to expose the grotesque machinery behind the soul trade, but how do you take down an entity that’s already manipulating the world around you? The track’s chaotic shifts mirror that suffocating paranoia.

2. Squid Pro Quo:

Deals with the devil don’t come cheap. This is where Thomas makes his bargain with Tentacula, trading something deeply personal for supernatural abilities. The first half wrestles with the weight of the exchange, while the second half explodes into the raw euphoria and terrifying potential of wielding power beyond mortal comprehension. The music doesn’t just tell the story—it becomes the experience.

3. Abysmal Quatrain:

Grief with a side of rationalization. Thomas has to live with what he’s done, but rather than drown in guilt, he convinces himself it is mercy. His mother had been drowning in her own misery for years, drinking herself into oblivion after losing her husband and youngest child. She was a shadow of herself, the worst version of the woman she once was. Maybe this was a release. Maybe. But grief is a twisted thing, and self-justification can only get you so far before the abyss stares back.

4. Transformation:

Power changes you. And not in the “hey, I got a promotion” way. More in the “oh shit, I don’t recognize myself anymore” way. Thomas’s newfound abilities begin to reshape his psyche, eroding his moral compass piece by piece. He’s still trying to be the hero of his own story, but the line between savior and monster is blurring at an alarming rate.

5. The Illusion of Control:

Here’s where we rewind a bit—to the moment before the sacrifice. Thomas’s inner turmoil takes center stage. Did he really have a choice? Was this really his decision? Or was he just following a script, playing a role he was doomed to inhabit from the start? This track is all about that internal war, the struggle that precedes an irreversible act. The false hope that maybe, just maybe, another path exists.

6. Mantra:

The final confrontation. Thomas sets his plan into motion to expose Tentacula and bring down the soul trade. But this isn’t a straightforward battle—it’s an intellectual and psychological duel. A battle of wits, of manipulation, of who can outmaneuver the other. Thomas vs. Tentacula, man vs. godlike entity. The stakes? The truth. The cost? Well… that’s always up for debate.

This isn’t just a story about a man making a bad choice—it’s about the slow unraveling of everything he thought was real, about the gradual corruption of his own identity. Every track is another step down the spiral until by the end, you’re left wondering if Thomas was ever really in control. And that’s the beauty of it—just like Tentacula’s grip, the descent is subtle. Until it’s too late.

So buckle up! Don’t trust anything you hear. And most importantly—ask yourself: if you were in Thomas’s shoes… Would you have done any different?