The Black Curse

Lord Belial are still active? Well, is this really necessary? Don't get me wrong, they never became disloyal to the spirit of more or less extreme metal, but they also mostly failed in order to produce an outstanding work. Seen from this perspective, "The Black Curse" marks a pretty typical work of the Swedes. The vast majority of the songs passes by without leaving a lasting impression. Yet there is at least one exception.

"Ascension of Lilith" combines all the trademarks Lord Belial want to stand for. Memorable guitar lines, powerful drumming, expressive vocal lines, demonic background vocals and an intense overall picture. Although the track crosses the seven-minutes-mark and does not lack different layers or tempos, it keeps its traceability from the beginning to the end without being boring in any way. Thus, the band delivers a little gem of melodic yet punchy black metal. Too bad that this remains an isolated case. Lord Belial seem to suffer from compositional deficiencies, because so many parts of the other songs remain relatively faceless. The good, transparent and vigorous production - including a powerful bass guitar - tries to showcase the greatness of the material, but you cannot make a racehorse out of a hamster. Okay, this comparison might be slightly unfair. Yet it is true (in my humble opinion): Lord Belial regularly fail to transform their talent into great songs and thus one listens to an ambitious album of habitual underperformers. Indeed, sometimes it seems as if the band wants simply too much. "Unorthodox Catharsis", to give but one example, starts promisingly with respect to its hammering beginning. A nasty and ominous intermezzo convinces as well, but a few pretty mild sections cause a loss of strength. At the end of the day, the song sounds pretty okay, but that's not enough in order to withstand the competition.

With the mix of a black metal frame and some tradition-conscious heavy metal sections, the band is caught between two stools. I don't want to say that the album suffers from a lack of coherence, but I know definitely more homogeneous outputs. And there is another thing that annoys me. The drumming sounds pretty sterile, especially during the fast parts. Each and every rapid sequence seems to be offered in the identical velocity. Flops like "Inexorable Retribution" make the picture complete. The band needs an expert that connects the different parts of their songs skilfully, because this is exactly where the only songwriter Thomas Backelin shows significant weaknesses. Not to mention a few really lame sections every now and then.

However, perhaps there is a hungry target group that appreciates precisely the mix of narrative sections, mild melodies, double bass carpets, a couple of robust riffs that are accompanied by a pumping bass ("Devilish Enlightenment") and robotic snare hammering. I have heard that there even exist some dudes who like Manowar, but I am sure that's a vicious lie. Either way, my advice for Lord Belial is to focus on more logical, but not predictable song patterns or to call it a day.

I always considered Enter The Moonlight Gate as the one and only masterpiece of Lord Belial. It still is a timeless piece of art, but frankly, it doesn’t represent the style Lord Belial is known for: melodic black metal, which started off with The Unholy Crusade. This was a great album as well, but in my opinion things went downhill after this. Except for The Black Crusade, which is an outstanding album.

The guitar work is awesome: it's fierce, inspired, variated. This is Chuck Shuldiner gone black. Check the riffing on Trumpets, Inexorable or Lilith, or the solos on Sworn or Catharsis. Granted, Dimmu Borgir influences are obvious, but Lord Belial makes up by adding an extra layer of technicality and speed.

There is, however, one major issue with this album, and that is the sound of the drums. They have been digitally polished to an extent that the difference between the toms and the snares is almost inaudible. Especially when the pace goes up, you'll find it hard to hear the difference. At the same time, in some tracks this creates for a unique sound effect, a sort of galloping drum roll, that can be heared in both the opening 'Pazuzu' as the closing 'Soul Gate'.

Fans of technical black metal, check this one out!

One of the closing acts at this year's Wacken Open Air was a band I had intended to watch, but come the time of their performance my legs would not allow it. That band was Swedish Black Metallers Lord Belial who are here with their 8th album "The Black Curse" and like many in the BM world are not a band I'm not overly familiar with. For those in a similar position to myself and as such to introduce LB, I picked up hints of a veritable who's who of Black Metal in the course of "The Black Curse" including Marduk, Dissection, Emperor, Anaal Nathrakh and Aura Noir. That should get your attention.

The sound on "The Black Curse" can be largely described as the bastard offspring of copulation between the vitriol of Marduk and the fucking brilliant drumsound of Mayhem's über-kvlt-classic "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas". Chuck in some Nathrakh-ian lead riffs and freezing Dissection melodies for good measure and you've got one rather rotten child on your hands. "Antichrist Reborn" and "Ascension Of Lilith", like much else here, are Black/Thrash ala Aura Noir and while minus some of the crustiness and smell of alcohol of those Norwegians, the intricate lead riffs sourced from the aforementioned Nathrakh add a technically accomplished dimension to the Lord Belial arsenal. Clearly knowing who buttered the metaphorical bread for the bands in the style of Lord Belial, Dissection are effectively paid homage to in "Soul Gate", "Trumpets Of Doom" and "Pazuzu - Lord Of Fevers And Plague", the cold dissonant guitar melodies of Jon Nodtveidt never ceasing to sound great. Perhaps ill-advised given the style of the rest of the album, "Trumpets Of Doom", feels like an ugly duckling with it's Dimmu Borgir/Emperor-y classical piano running alongside lead riffs in the chorus sections of the song, a subtle feature that nonetheless is effective in cutting back on the spite of the remainder of the song.

With a vocalist in Thomas Backelin who sounds much like Satyr of Satyricon, enough of the names in the 'A League' of Black Metal have been ticked to push Lord Belial further than from where came 16 years into their career. Much of the BM world these days offers no challenge to furthering it's well-defined boundaries, an impediment it will need to overcome in the near future, but Lord Belial are not here to make up the numbers and "The Black Curse" is a Black Metal album guaranteed to get the odd spin, nestled amongst the legends that came before it.

Originally written for Rockfreaks.net

I don’t think anything can match the disappointment of hearing a group trying to push their genre towards new frontiers while they screw it all up; even better, when this particular faction leaves a few slices of identities past on the table during these transformations. Hey Lord Belial, why test your luck? Black metal not working so hot anymore, or do y’all think the only way up is over the top? Regardless, “The Black Curse” surpasses a norm in unacceptable layered in melody like modern Gothenburg, only granted beside crystal-clean production and questionable notions many would not expect, yet in a negative light. Needless to say, Lord Belial’s gamble doesn’t pay off, and it’s obvious they could have done better overall.

Now Lord Belial isn’t what I’d label masterful black metal, and “The Black Curse” mimics fuel towards the fire, if you will. The group reflects their modernization gimmicks mainly upon super-clean production, which appropriately steals raw riffs into enchanted slices, dirty drumming traded for triggered percussion, and vocals screeching over all. Even worse, most of the riffs are generic chops made of tremolo picking and boring notions that feature melody above everything else. Also, this record’s cuts seem stuck on predictable alterations; makes for a good game if you’re bored. I actually nailed a change during “Inexorable Retribution” without any previous listens. Anyway, Lord Belial has declined a bit with these selling points, and now they appear to be following other feeble acts like…Dimmu Borgir, maybe? Highlights? “Trumpet of Doom,” without a doubt. Anything else? Sorry, we’re closed.

Sometimes though, it seems Lord Belial wants nothing more than that place in Valhalla, and what happens when those nice thoughts begin tickling your brain? Well, semi-disaster, in Lord Belial’s case. Do we honestly need vocal chants during “Antichrist Reborn,” or have substance stripped down from random piano interludes? No, we don’t. In fact, it seems these instances run “The Black Curse” from the shadows, always popping up right as the band turns around on positive perimeters, just so those annoyances can punch us all in the nose until bleeding inaugurates. Lord Belial should have just established a nice agenda; instead, our gentlemen went too far with unneeded philosophies.

Isn’t that a real haymaker? I mean Lord Belial actually makes a decent attempt at rewriting the unsacred rules of black metal, but with an unpardonable price: their credibility. Ninety percent of “The Black Curse” could benefit from a little reduction in ground-breaking material; still, Lord Belial decided limits were delusional measures not ever infecting them…and now your record is boring! Fundamentally speaking, “The Black Curse” has its good spots, but also those generic qualities that only subtract enjoyment from the release, until we’re stuck with black metal not driving anywhere. Check it out if you like the band, or avoid; it’s really your call.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

Sweden’s Lord Belial strike again, this time with their new album ‘The Black Curse’. Following their full-length last year, ‘Revelation – The 7th Seal’, the band’s new offering submits more melodic black metal blasphemy and unhinged hatred.

‘Pazuzu – Lord of Fevers and Plague’ is a dirty opening number with black ‘n’ roll influences which infuses the music with a reckless edge. Conversely, melodic guitar passages equip the track, varying the tone. Accenting the music is a good employment of guitar solos, particularly on ‘Inexorable Retribution’ and more harrowingly on ‘Primordial Incantation’ where the guitar howls as if lamenting in anguish.

‘Trumpets of Doom’ features a delicate and fragile guitar in its introduction which adds a welcomed extra dimension. The use of keyboards on this track is commendable and corroborates the guitars’ messages successfully. As if to signify a return to the origin, the closing hymn ‘Soul Gate’ has a prevalent black ‘n’ roll sound, ending the album on a fine note.

Lord Belial’s magnitude of credibility has certainly outlived the conventional melodic black metal band’s. ‘The Black Curse’ is testimony to the band’s fresh musical ideas. However, there are a few moments on this release where stagnation is evident. Fortunately there is nothing disabling, ensuring a pleasant listen.

Originally written for: www.soundshock.net

WOW!

This is definitely the major breakthrough for LORD BELIAL! They showed on “Revelation – The 7th Seal” that they hade something great going on but I could never imagine that it would be this crushing!

Starting off with the crushing “Pazuzu – Lord Of Fevers And Plaugues” they set the limit for the whole album at once. Featuring a lot of fast blastbeats and nicely placed double bass this song is the most straight on song. “Trumpets Of Doom” comes along leaving a trail of destruction and darkness behind it. With a beautiful piano passage in the middle and vocals that reeks of evilness this song goes down as one of the best songs ever created by the band.

The use of keyboards has increased since the last album and it fits like a glove on the bands music, “Sworn” and “Inexorable Retribution” continues with the same epic feeling that “Trumpets Of Doom” left behind. “The Black Curse” is probably the fastest record I have heard with LORD BELIAL due to the fast blastbeats and double bass featured in every song. The speed is by no means in the reach of DARK FUNERAL or MARDUK but LORD BELIAL were never meant to play that fast, this pick of speed fits them perfectly.

“Antichrist Reborn” is a blasphemic track with a beautiful chorus and some wonderful melodies that gets you in the grip of evil and refuses to let go until the song is over. Beautiful melodies are a steady theme through the whole album and you can really here that the band has improved their songwriting quiet a bit. “Primordial Incantation” and “Devilish Enlightenment” goes on in the same spirit leaving you speechless. “Devilish Enlightenment” having a chorus out of this world, making you want to shout ”Devilish Enlightenment!!!” all over the room.

The vocals performed by Thomas Backelin are extremely well executed, more evil than ever and with a feeling of 100% commitment making him one of the best vocalists in black metal. Definitely not in the reach of Namtar of MASSEMORD or Hreidmarr of ANOREXIA NERVOSA but they are untouchable!

When we reach “Ascension Of Lilith” we also reach the longest song on the album and also one of the best! With a true epic feeling and guitar melodies that leaves you blind it spellbinds you till the end of the song. The whole album is longer then their previous albums. With it’s 52 minutes it is almost 10 minutes longer then both “Revelation” and “Nocturnal Beast” and 5 minutes longer then “The Seal Of Belial” and when the songs are as good as this a longer playtime is welcomed into open arms!

With two tracks to go this album is already their best in their career and more amazing stuff is to come! “Unorthodox Catharsis” and”Soulgate” finish this album in the best manner there is. “Soulgate” featuring one of the most straight one choruses on the record and some of the best guitar work as well.

To make conclusion out of all this we have the best record ever performed by LORD BELIAL and probably one of the best BM records that will be released this year! Amazing and recommended to all fans of black metal and extreme metal of all kinds!