Kiss the Goat (Sic Transit Gloria Mundi)

It's a bit presumptuous, but it can be pretty safely argued that any album is as much a product of its time as it is of its place of origin. Hearing an album from the northern reached of Europe of the blackened variety during the mid 90s brings with it some obvious implications, but more so with regards to the when than the where. It's pretty well a given that with the close of the Norwegian 2nd wave circa 1994 that most early offerings thereafter would not stray too far from the established paradigm, and Lord Belial's 1995 debut "Kiss The Goat" brings little to no surprises to the table insofar as its era is concerned, though it is perhaps a little atypical for a Swedish offering and a bit more indicative of a Norwegian character.

This album is nestled pretty safely within the bleak and frosty landscapes of early Emperor and Satyricon when it comes to overall character and atmosphere. The guitar work is largely minimalist and of a shimmering quality, not all that dissimilar from the constancy and haziness of "In The Nightside Eclipse", though it is a lot less reliant upon keyboards and tends to utilize them more as an occasional melodic additive here and there (often times coming off as mildly folksy) and not really in a manner that provides a lot of atmospheric depth. Acoustic guitars are occasionally employed to give a few key areas a sense of nostalgic contrast to the generally hard edged and violent tendencies of the whole, particularly in the case of the contemplative, folksy instrumental interlude "The Art Of Dying".

Keeping all of that in perspective, there is also a fairly noticeable hint of Lord Belial's nation of birth Sweden to be found amid the familiar dark soundscapes. At times a pretty strong remnant of Sweden's rather prominent death metal scene chimes in from time to time, sometimes in an overt matter reminiscent of early Dismember and Entombed, and even occasionally channeling the melodic aesthetic of At The Gates such as during the slower middle section of "The Ancient Slumber". The mixture of these early 90s Swedish death elements doesn't quite amount to an overt hybrid after the model that Dissection was hitting at, but there are definitely times when the transitional black/death character of said band, along with that of the earliest Darkthrone and Immortal offerings shine through.

The notion that this album leans more in a death metal direction than otherwise are not without some basis, though is usually blown pretty well out of proportion. The dimensions of the album are a bit more rhythm section heavy than the typical 1991-1994 Norwegian take on the style, often times featuring prominent bass passages that are occasionally technical by comparison, and a drum sound that is louder and heavier than usual, almost to the point of sounding like a thrash drummer playing in a black metal band. The vocal lines of Thomas "Dark" Backelin are similarly caught between two worlds, sounding just as much like a mortified and high-pitched version of Chuck Schuldiner as that of a Norwegian screamer, though a heavy influence from Ihsahn is definitely there.

But for the tardiness of an album like this that generally keeps itself immersed in familiar territory, the songwriting and aesthetic character of this album is solid and in need of a larger audience. One would be hard pressed not to raise the horns in euphoria at the death/thrashing majesty of "Osculum Obscenum", which beautifully marries the riffing character of "Scream Bloody Gore" with the hazy blackness of Marduk. By contrast, one will definitely find a solid slab of mid-tempo melodic goodness in "In The Light Of The Fullmoon", one that definitely brings up some memories for those who enjoyed the obscured lines between melodic death and black metal that existed in the early 90s Swedish scene. Sometimes genre purity isn't the only criterion for a solid listening experience, though it tends to be the case in early black metal circles, but this is definitely a powerful and worthy exception.

This is a release from Lord Belial's pure Black Metal days. The latest work, in comparison to this, is slow and lacks the rage and depth. It's astonishing to see a band with such aggression go mellow but then, it's a natural cycle.

Coming back to the album, this is your typical mid-90's Black Metal album with an underground production, lots of double-bass and rhythm. But there's twist here. Lord Belial use a unique formula in this album. They've mixed the melodic elements of Black Metal with the raw elements in a near-perfect mix. For instance, the last riffs of "Grace of God" are slow, atmospheric and melodic compared to the rawness of the rest of the track.

This album was released with Lord Belial's first record label - the same one that wouldn't release "Purify Sweden". Lord Belial, as a result, don't have too many good things to say about them but ironically, this album's turned out to be one of their finest with tracks such as "In The Light Of The Fullmoon" with it's glorified pagan elements topped with melodic guitaring and some very poetic lyrics and "Hymn Of The Ancient Misanthropic Spirit Of The Forest", where the keyboard's used to perfection in the second riff and the unrelenting pace that is carried throughout the song, the exceptions being the keyboard-driven melodic interludes. However, Lord Belial have not been able to achieve this brilliance in all their tracks, that's what pulls the album down. Tracks such as "Osculum Obscenum" and "The Ancient Slumber" can become downright boring - and that's a pity since some other tracks are exceptionally good.

Overall, this album from one of Sweden's "unsung" Black Metal bands is definitely worth a listen. Some of its greatness deserves a lot more attention that it's got. It won't be very easy trrying to find this album 10 years after it's release, but if you're a Black Metal fan with a flare for rare stuff, this one is for you.