Siechtum

Belmez... a unique one man black metal project from the dude who used to be in Eminenz. Everything about this album is dark. The cover art is beautiful. The atmosphere created in each song just represents pure darkness.

Belmez makes two types of songs... fast ones and slow ones. The fast ones usually contain nicely programmed blast beats and tremolo picking or power chords on the guitar with a 2nd guitar coming in constantly playing leads. The slower tracks are where Belmez really shines. These tracks are more thought out and are beautiful as well as they are memorable. Take Und Süss Setzt Ein Das Leiden... for example. It's the 2nd track and in my opinion the best one on this album. The drums are slow and are programmed perfectly to fit this tune. One guitar is playing doomy power chords while the other is endlessly playing leads. That's right! The other guitar is basically soloing for 6 minutes in the background. And throughout the track you hear this eerie wind in the background. It's perfect. Dark and amazing.

The endless soloing is what makes this album so unique. You hardly ever hear black metal bands soloing or playing leads (other than Countess of course). It's not necessary in black metal. The leads that Belmez play aren't technical and are pretty simple and are all improv is what I'm guessing. They just work perfectly to create this dark atmosphere. It's hard to explain unless you hear it. Hort Des Sterbens for example has such a gloomy, eerie sounding lead throughout. And it's the leads that make the songs memorable. If it weren't for the unique leads that attribute to the total darkness of the album, this would be a pretty generic black metal effort with nothing special in it.

Unfortunately the fast tracks are nothing special really. They're not bad but nothing great as the slower ones. Belmez starts off with some cool drumming and Morella has unique leads throughout. Belmez should stick with doomy black metal. The slow, agonizing songs just resemble pure fucking darkness with beautiful dark leads played throughout.

This release isn't mind boggling but in a genre where so many bands just copy off one another trying to produce the rawest most Satanic noise you've ever heard of in your life, this release stands apart from the rest. It shows there are still creative individuals around trying to make unique music. Get this if you want to hear some very dark atmospheric black metal done right with very dark leads constantly played throughout...

Second full-length of this dark german one man band. For Belmez, “Siechtum” isn’t a turning point ; it’s a logical follow-up to his first full-length. So no big changes, just the same patterns : drum-machine, never-ending solo on every song, and windy atmospheres.
The overall feeling of “Siechtum” makes me think about Master’s Hammer “The jilemnice occultist”. Belmez doesn’t play orchestral black metal. However, Belmez is as strange as Master’s Hammer. Belmez isn’t for trendy. You’ll never hear something sounding like Belmez. Totally fucked up darkness!!!! Really!!!
I like Belmez because he creates awfully dark atmospheres. I think it’s one of the most misundertood underground band of the mid 90’s. Belmez, on “Siechtum” as on “Berserker”, doesn’t play catchy songs. Don’t expect to headbang when listening to Siechtum.
Maybe you’ll hate the use of the drum machine. However, don’t be silly!!! Belmez offers one of the best drum programming I ever heard for a metal band.
Nevertheless, I’ll never recommend this album. Personally, Belmez is my kind of stuff ; but you have to be mentally ill (which maybe I am!!!!) to appreciate Belmez. So as I don’t want to insult anybody, don’t get this! "Siechtum" is definitely not for everyone.
The good points of "Siechtum" : the artworks, the darkness and the strangeness of Belmez.
The bad point : the never-ending solos!!!!