BE'LAKOR - Of Breath and Bone

[lorenzo_kolony]

New review online @ The Age of Metal webzine!

"In recent years Australia has been fast becoming a leading power in the metal community. Melodic Death metallers Be’lakor is one such band leading their home country in metal and this year released their newest opus called Of Breath and Bone. Now this album actually was released a year prior but a USA release was not possible until now. With that being said Of Breath and Bone may be Be’lakor’s finest album to date. They took everything that made their last album Stone’s Reach an impressive piece of work and improved on it tenfold.

One of the more interesting things about Be’lakor is their sound which melds melodic death metal with a progressive touch. In Of Breath and Bone we see Be’lakor refining their sound that was made present in their debut The Frail Tide and their sophomore release Stone’s Reach. The album starts with Abeyance and blast its way through to the listener’s ear. For people who think that the band is all fast riffage and double bass will realise right away that Be’lakor is not all that. One thing you will notice is that every song on average is more than 6 minutes long. It is because of this that they are able to stretch out their songs giving space for acoustic passages, strings and a plethora of interesting riffs. Another thing about Be’lakor is that for being an Australian band they have a very Scandinavian feel to them. Much of their sound can be compared to bands like Insomnium or In Mourning or even Opeth. Songs like In Parting or The Dream and the Waking, while also being some of the longest songs on the album, show them at their very best melding the heaviness with acoustic passages. Vocally, they are a bit different choosing death grunts exclusively unlike their contemporaries who would occasionally use cleans to demonstrate contrast of the heavy and light. Instead, Be’lakor uses their instrumentals to contrast the heavy from the might sections of the songs without the need for any clean vocals.

Be’lakor’s Of Breath and Bone is an album that best exemplifies their already mature sound and time will tell what sort of new tricks they will throw in for future albums. Fans of melodic death metal won’t want to miss hearing this album and this band." [Elsthon]

Link:
http://theageofmetal.com/2013/04/belakor-of-breath-and-bone-2013/

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

'Of Breath and Bone' reviewed by MetalTitans.com

"Forming back in 2004, I wondered if by chance they watched the game Warhammer, and seeing the character called “BE’LAKOR” with him being the dark master, if that’s how they came up with the band name. Cool name. Despite the young age of its members, BE’LAKOR is considered to be the leading melodic death metal band in all of Australia. That’s awe-inspiring. With the release of Stone’s Reach, and popularity it acquired, this led to the band performing at international festivals, such as Summer Breeze, they also played European shows, and across the continent they did some solo appearances. In 2010 they won 1st place for Stone’s Reach, best Melodeath / Gothenburg metal album.

Having distinguished themselves from their previous albums, the bands excellent 3rd album “Of Breath and Bone” further demonstrate their metal prowess. Close to an hour of choice, harmonious death metal. First though let me explain, this album was previously released by Kolony Records across Europe in mid 2012 to large media praise, and now, it’s becoming available to North American fans on June 4th, bringing their music to a whole new horde of metallers.

The album is mixed and mastered by renowned engineer Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (Opeth, Soilwork, Paradise Lost, Amon Amarth). Image on the album cover originally painted by Gabriel Ferrier. The artwork was selected by BE’LAKOR and prepared by Costin Chioreanu at Twilight 13 Media (Mayhem, Aura Noir, Absu, Darkthrone).

The vocals remind me a little of Amon Amarth’s, nothing wrong with those types of vocals, after all they are catchy, melodic and growling. This all combined with the pounding guitar riffs, thundering bass, blasting drums, and the keyboards giving it that melodic sound, makes for great listening. All in all a well put together album. One I recommend." [YouFO]

Link:
http://www.metaltitans.com/belakor-of-breath-and-bone/

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

'Of Breath and Bone' reviewed 9/10 @ Blabbermouth.net!!

"One of the most touted bands of the metal underground is Australia's BE'LAKOR. 2009's "Stone's Reach" made as many insiders' Best Of lists as THE OCEAN's "Pelagial" likely will this year. Of course, it's almost a given BE'LAKOR's third release "Of Breath and Bone" will be in the running as well. If you're unfamiliar with the name, BE'LAKOR is a progressive death metal horde who've studied the chops and frames of OPETH, INSOMNIUM and to certain latitudes, AMON AMARTH. While hardly coming off like any of these acts in a direct sense, what has to be said about BE'LAKOR is they are near-perfect understudies who can enthrall and luxuriate every space available to them in their commonly long arrangements. George Kosmas' demonic grumbles are about as extreme as BE'LAKOR gets. The band rockets in spurts, but detail, opulence and fluid transitions are principally the band's focus. "Of Breath and Bone" breaks no new ground for BE'LAKOR, but it sustains the band's near-mystic prowess for captivation. They may hail from down under, but BE'LAKOR comes off like they've spent their vacations literally chilling in the Scandinavian permafrost. The Flemish and Baroque art pieces flooding the packaging for "Of Breath and Bone" lends impeccable nuance to its dark, old world majesty. Upon a first sweep of the liner notes, starting off with the uneasy prospect on the cover that Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf might've actually been in cahoots, you know you're in for a cerebral treat. For death metal, BE'LAKOR's delicate techniques and expressive wonderment makes them almost tame, but never make the mistake of assuming virtuosity compromises this band. The instrumental interlude "To Stir the Sea" with its synthetic flutes and gorgeous acoustic weaves summons the subliminal sound of crashing tides in the listener's mind. This sets up a sprinkle of piano overtop the steady and eloquent crunch of "In Parting". In TESTAMENT's realm, a thrash opus would follow an interceding guitar instrumental, but BE'LAKOR shows that slow and sure is just as powerful. Soon, "In Parting" accelerates beyond its climbing decorativeness, much as BE'LAKOR does earlier in the album on "Abeyance" and "Remnants". While the entire album is sprawled with extensive structuring, the rear section of "In Parting" is a widespread sequence of nine minute mini-epics running through "In Parting" and "To Dream and the Waking", then concluding with "By Moon and Star". There is so much happening in these three compositions they could sustain themselves as a separate release. Bursting at double hammer only in doses, they're still emotive and articulate, demanding a dedicated investment of the listener's attention. Keyboardist Steve Merry, who gets drowned in the earlier tracks, is practically showcased towards the end. His moody piano laces overtop and underneath the ceaseless fret breezes summoned by Shaun Sykes, George Kosmas and John Richardson. Jimmy Vanden Broeck is the unsung hero of the band, as he is nearly accountable by himself for keeping BE'LAKOR on track through their unending signature swaps. Vanden Broeck is called upon to deliver a mostly tempered roll throughout BE'LAKOR's diligent movements while being reflexive enough to step on the gas for a bar and then immediately brake back down. Vanden Broeck is just as incremental to the sophisticated configuring of this album as the Gothic guitar lines and supplemental instrumentation. As nasty as George Kosmas' spew can be, there's still a presiding refinement to BE'LAKOR's craft that his malice is all but exorcised. Another impressive outing for a band that might as well be considered architects more than mere musicians. If you're already a fan, "Of Breath and Bone" is happily status quo. If you're just stepping up to BE'LAKOR, the experience will be comparable to witnessing the genesis of a dark horse character in a comic book series rise to prominence." [Ray Van Horn, Jr.]

Link:
http://www.blabbermouth.net/cdreviews/of-breath-and-bone/