Be'lakor - Stone's Reach CD (KR006CD)
Tracks:
01. Venator
02. From Scythe To Sceptre
03. Outlive The Hand
04. Sun's Delusion
05. Held In Hollows
06. Husks
07. Aspect
08. Countless Skies
Length: 59:27 min
LIsten to 'From Scythe to Sceptre' here:
http://www.myspace.com/belakor
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Belakor/23084022229
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/belakor-490 (TIP!)
http://www.last.fm/music/Be'lakor
Review:
The Australian Melodic Death Metal formation BE'LAKOR was born in 2004 and put out its first release in 2007 under the title "The Frail Tide". It had six tracks, a playtime of almost 43 minutes and took the world by storm. Especially fans of bands like AMON AMARTH should have had quite an interesting listening experience, also because th production was very good for an unsigned band. But nowadays many bands that are unsigned tend to deliver solid works. Positive criticism from Europe grew and even in Australia the band acquired a large fanbase. Around the middle of 2008 BE'LAKOR even signed to the Dutch label Descent Productions (ex-home of GORATH, IKUINEN KAAMOS, MOURNERS LAMENT and more), but few months later both parties seperated and BE'LAKOR was free again. Until June 2009, the month in which their second release and first full album ("Stone's Reach", 20th of June), you could say that, came out. Prime Cuts Music saw the quality the band has to offer and added them to its roster.
As the release date drew closer, the Australians added a new song each time to their MySpace page. I was extremely anticipating this new album and hearing the new songs made me instantly crave for more. Everything sounded so much better ("The Frail Tide" already had quite a good production), and the compositions were typically BE'LAKOR. George's growling, the guitarwork, the drums... Each of the three songs sounded so great that receiving the album to review shortly after the actual release made my heart pound 100 beats faster. Ok, some exaggeration here. We're now a few months later and it's only now that I found the time to write something about "Stone's Reach". It's a one man's business after all.
The album has eight tracks, totalling a playtime of more than 60 minutes. Talk about value for money, even though one doesn't mean the other will be alright, too. But in terms of musical quality, I have no complaints. It all starts with "Venator" and its Jazzy beginning. The Metal outbreak comes in like a whirlwind as the pattern of pounding drums, raging melodic guitars and demonic growling. This reminds heavily of bands like AMON AMARTH and OPETH. At least, the few OPETH songs I've heard so far. Calm guitar and drum interventions bring tranquillity before the storm comes back. Due to the long playtime, lots of attention can be given to instrumental talk, and that's a very good move, something BE'LAKOR do with style. The variety on offer in this first song comprises several emotions, from happy and positive to sad and negative. "Venator" is easily one of the best songs the band has written so far. With its length of a good 8 minutes and a half you're in for a long ride and that's the case with most of the songs here.
"From Scythe To Sceptre" is next and takes on a direct start at midtempo, building up towards the verses. George's growling (reminiscent of AMON AMARTH and OPETH, for example) is of course as present as can be. Guitars play a key role here and offer a constant eargasm as George and Shaun provide the listener with great harmonies. The second part of the song is more vicious, a bit faster, fiercer, but the melodic aspect is far from forgotten. The piano forms a stop at some point before going with the flow as the music picks up here it left off. Meanwhile the accoustic guitar has also joined the fold. And that accoustic guitar demands full attention a bit later, even occupies the lead position. Electric guitars and keyboards don't agree and fight back. Sad but true and truth be told, the music does sound sad, even with or despite the heavier rhythm guitar. Only firm instrumental talk follows then, but George is allowed to throw in some deep growls, somewhat reminiscent of Karl willets from BOLT THROWER, one last time. Need it be said that this is another fantastic song?
"Outlive The Hand" is next, a bit longer (more than 8 and a half minutes) and personally speaking, one of the best songs on this album. It starts calm with chord plucking and atmospheric backing, building the tension, adding a bit of suspense. Or is it meditation? ;-) Keyboards come fading and *bam!* A grand thing awaits and the tension only increases. The next bang is the definitive one. As if a tank is rolling on on high speed! And in that context you can easily refer to BOLT THROWER, only BE'LAKOR play this piece faster and more melodic. The piano plays along, too, and not to fill the empty spots. This song is filled with changes in terms of rhythm, tempo, melody and with them come various moods. The result is quite simply breathtaking. At some point an (semi-)accoustic break offers rest. Sad symphonic leads come in, while the drums keep a slow and gentle beat going. The mood here is one of sadness, tristesse, sorrow and despair. Absolutely stunning how these Australians neatly mix it with the heavier stuff. And that heavier stuff enforces this mood through the guitars and growls. The piano plays another important role as it breaks this flow and forms the bridge to a more Death Metal influenced part: fast drums, dito riffing and with the piano providing the melody/leads. Quite original, if you ask me, and I have to say this combination works very well.
Time for something happier then. At least, "happy" seems more fitting after "Outlive The Hand". "Sun's Delusion" is a midtempo track, taking a direct start. As is common in BE'LAKOR's songs, melody is one of the main ingredients, though the rhythm and drum pattern are also a lust for the ear. The tempo drops in the chorus where the atmosphere is sad and gloomy, not in the least because of the atmospheric backing by the keyboards. The instrumental talk, with the keyboards leading, is of high quality. Stunning even. And permits George to come in on specific moments, but certainly not too long. The guitars take over, together, and stretch their time before the original rhythm is picked again while the drums keep the tempo high enough. All falls silent about 2 minutes before the end, letting calm guitarwork come to the front, or better, demand all attention before one final rolling outburst is thrown out of the speakers and fades out by the guidance of the piano. Another long but fa-bu-lous song, let that be clear.
"Held In Hollows" also starts in a direct manner, though with bumping, an element that will return. George's vocals are added very rapidly, as he instantly jumps into the verses. Melodic parts connect those with the chorus. The tempo increases afterwards and then you're set for a long instrumental ride again, dominated by the keyboards and guitars. Since this isn't a short song, it lends itself perfectly for non-sung music. As good as the music is, it does sound different from what preceded, almost un-BE'LAKOR-ish. But then again, it adds to the variety and makes the album more interesting. Of course, the George and co. made sure you can recognise this as a BE'LAKOR song. Later on there's a nice piano break with the guitars before coming back at full power, still holding the melody played before that intact. All in all another qualitative song, though different from the others.
So far lots of Melodic/Progressive Death Metal has passed and continuing like before could (!) be overkill to some ears, which is why the band found it useful and fitting to implement a break ("Husks") at this stage. It's accoustic and fully instrumental. But it's not just a break, it's by itself quite a nice track, too. "Aspect" is, apart from "Husks", the shortest song on "Stone's Reach" with its nearly 6 minutes of playtime. Keyboards take the lead and provide atmospheric backing while guitars and drums go along in a marching manner. That's just the start. Once the real starting point is found, the music rolls on, energetic, as if it's with renewed power (!). The keyboard melody remains constant at this point. The verses are sound tight and firm and rock like hell (to use a cliché). The band even accelerates a bit after that. George's vocals are both of the growling and screaming kind (later on), but not the emo kind, don't worry. About one minute and a half before the end of the song all falls silent, save for a gentle guitarsolo followed by a build-up towards something more powerful, though slow and melodic, but nevertheless sad. Despite its shorter playtime, the band did manage to make something great of this song and shows that it doesn't have to make long songs to provide quality. Not that I want BE'LAKOR to change strategy, because their longer songs are too good.
And last, but certainly not least, "Countless Skies", also the longest song on this first full-length. The beginning is gentle and calm. The drums are added and the music goes into a Jazzy direction. No guitars, just the piano, the drums and vocals. Once the chorus is there, the Metal power comes rolling out of the speakers. The melodic aspect is high, though. At that instant the tempo also increases. Bonus points go to the connecting parts. Speaking of melody: they add a rather melancholic touch to the song and that feeling is enforced by the piano. The guitars are afterwards in charge of the talking, though Jimmy adds a few (cymbal) fills and Steve's piano skills come in handy as well. Overall this is another good song. Not as perfect as the majority here, but solid no matter what.
I said the following about "The Frail Tide": "This is really, really amazing and - if I may say so, because that's how I feel about it (obviously
) - very original. I am very happy to have come accross this band on MySpace (it does seem to have its advantages). BE'LAKOR is one of the underground pearls of Australia (...)." For "Stone's Reach" I can't do anything else but use the same text and even hail the band some more, considering there are more songs, more music (Melodic Death Metal with Progressive influences), more of everything. The production has improved, the compositions are catchy, addictive, diverse. BE'LAKOR is a band that succeeded - sorry, succeeds - in keeping my attention and keeping me chained. Seeing them live would be the cherry on the cake. But for that I need to go to Australia. In short: heavily recommended for Melodic/Progressive Death Metal fans or Metalheads with a broad taste in general.(Thoughts of Metal)
Tracks:
01. Venator
02. From Scythe To Sceptre
03. Outlive The Hand
04. Sun's Delusion
05. Held In Hollows
06. Husks
07. Aspect
08. Countless Skies
Length: 59:27 min
LIsten to 'From Scythe to Sceptre' here:
http://www.myspace.com/belakor
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Belakor/23084022229
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/belakor-490 (TIP!)
http://www.last.fm/music/Be'lakor
Review:
The Australian Melodic Death Metal formation BE'LAKOR was born in 2004 and put out its first release in 2007 under the title "The Frail Tide". It had six tracks, a playtime of almost 43 minutes and took the world by storm. Especially fans of bands like AMON AMARTH should have had quite an interesting listening experience, also because th production was very good for an unsigned band. But nowadays many bands that are unsigned tend to deliver solid works. Positive criticism from Europe grew and even in Australia the band acquired a large fanbase. Around the middle of 2008 BE'LAKOR even signed to the Dutch label Descent Productions (ex-home of GORATH, IKUINEN KAAMOS, MOURNERS LAMENT and more), but few months later both parties seperated and BE'LAKOR was free again. Until June 2009, the month in which their second release and first full album ("Stone's Reach", 20th of June), you could say that, came out. Prime Cuts Music saw the quality the band has to offer and added them to its roster.
As the release date drew closer, the Australians added a new song each time to their MySpace page. I was extremely anticipating this new album and hearing the new songs made me instantly crave for more. Everything sounded so much better ("The Frail Tide" already had quite a good production), and the compositions were typically BE'LAKOR. George's growling, the guitarwork, the drums... Each of the three songs sounded so great that receiving the album to review shortly after the actual release made my heart pound 100 beats faster. Ok, some exaggeration here. We're now a few months later and it's only now that I found the time to write something about "Stone's Reach". It's a one man's business after all.
The album has eight tracks, totalling a playtime of more than 60 minutes. Talk about value for money, even though one doesn't mean the other will be alright, too. But in terms of musical quality, I have no complaints. It all starts with "Venator" and its Jazzy beginning. The Metal outbreak comes in like a whirlwind as the pattern of pounding drums, raging melodic guitars and demonic growling. This reminds heavily of bands like AMON AMARTH and OPETH. At least, the few OPETH songs I've heard so far. Calm guitar and drum interventions bring tranquillity before the storm comes back. Due to the long playtime, lots of attention can be given to instrumental talk, and that's a very good move, something BE'LAKOR do with style. The variety on offer in this first song comprises several emotions, from happy and positive to sad and negative. "Venator" is easily one of the best songs the band has written so far. With its length of a good 8 minutes and a half you're in for a long ride and that's the case with most of the songs here.
"From Scythe To Sceptre" is next and takes on a direct start at midtempo, building up towards the verses. George's growling (reminiscent of AMON AMARTH and OPETH, for example) is of course as present as can be. Guitars play a key role here and offer a constant eargasm as George and Shaun provide the listener with great harmonies. The second part of the song is more vicious, a bit faster, fiercer, but the melodic aspect is far from forgotten. The piano forms a stop at some point before going with the flow as the music picks up here it left off. Meanwhile the accoustic guitar has also joined the fold. And that accoustic guitar demands full attention a bit later, even occupies the lead position. Electric guitars and keyboards don't agree and fight back. Sad but true and truth be told, the music does sound sad, even with or despite the heavier rhythm guitar. Only firm instrumental talk follows then, but George is allowed to throw in some deep growls, somewhat reminiscent of Karl willets from BOLT THROWER, one last time. Need it be said that this is another fantastic song?
"Outlive The Hand" is next, a bit longer (more than 8 and a half minutes) and personally speaking, one of the best songs on this album. It starts calm with chord plucking and atmospheric backing, building the tension, adding a bit of suspense. Or is it meditation? ;-) Keyboards come fading and *bam!* A grand thing awaits and the tension only increases. The next bang is the definitive one. As if a tank is rolling on on high speed! And in that context you can easily refer to BOLT THROWER, only BE'LAKOR play this piece faster and more melodic. The piano plays along, too, and not to fill the empty spots. This song is filled with changes in terms of rhythm, tempo, melody and with them come various moods. The result is quite simply breathtaking. At some point an (semi-)accoustic break offers rest. Sad symphonic leads come in, while the drums keep a slow and gentle beat going. The mood here is one of sadness, tristesse, sorrow and despair. Absolutely stunning how these Australians neatly mix it with the heavier stuff. And that heavier stuff enforces this mood through the guitars and growls. The piano plays another important role as it breaks this flow and forms the bridge to a more Death Metal influenced part: fast drums, dito riffing and with the piano providing the melody/leads. Quite original, if you ask me, and I have to say this combination works very well.
Time for something happier then. At least, "happy" seems more fitting after "Outlive The Hand". "Sun's Delusion" is a midtempo track, taking a direct start. As is common in BE'LAKOR's songs, melody is one of the main ingredients, though the rhythm and drum pattern are also a lust for the ear. The tempo drops in the chorus where the atmosphere is sad and gloomy, not in the least because of the atmospheric backing by the keyboards. The instrumental talk, with the keyboards leading, is of high quality. Stunning even. And permits George to come in on specific moments, but certainly not too long. The guitars take over, together, and stretch their time before the original rhythm is picked again while the drums keep the tempo high enough. All falls silent about 2 minutes before the end, letting calm guitarwork come to the front, or better, demand all attention before one final rolling outburst is thrown out of the speakers and fades out by the guidance of the piano. Another long but fa-bu-lous song, let that be clear.
"Held In Hollows" also starts in a direct manner, though with bumping, an element that will return. George's vocals are added very rapidly, as he instantly jumps into the verses. Melodic parts connect those with the chorus. The tempo increases afterwards and then you're set for a long instrumental ride again, dominated by the keyboards and guitars. Since this isn't a short song, it lends itself perfectly for non-sung music. As good as the music is, it does sound different from what preceded, almost un-BE'LAKOR-ish. But then again, it adds to the variety and makes the album more interesting. Of course, the George and co. made sure you can recognise this as a BE'LAKOR song. Later on there's a nice piano break with the guitars before coming back at full power, still holding the melody played before that intact. All in all another qualitative song, though different from the others.
So far lots of Melodic/Progressive Death Metal has passed and continuing like before could (!) be overkill to some ears, which is why the band found it useful and fitting to implement a break ("Husks") at this stage. It's accoustic and fully instrumental. But it's not just a break, it's by itself quite a nice track, too. "Aspect" is, apart from "Husks", the shortest song on "Stone's Reach" with its nearly 6 minutes of playtime. Keyboards take the lead and provide atmospheric backing while guitars and drums go along in a marching manner. That's just the start. Once the real starting point is found, the music rolls on, energetic, as if it's with renewed power (!). The keyboard melody remains constant at this point. The verses are sound tight and firm and rock like hell (to use a cliché). The band even accelerates a bit after that. George's vocals are both of the growling and screaming kind (later on), but not the emo kind, don't worry. About one minute and a half before the end of the song all falls silent, save for a gentle guitarsolo followed by a build-up towards something more powerful, though slow and melodic, but nevertheless sad. Despite its shorter playtime, the band did manage to make something great of this song and shows that it doesn't have to make long songs to provide quality. Not that I want BE'LAKOR to change strategy, because their longer songs are too good.
And last, but certainly not least, "Countless Skies", also the longest song on this first full-length. The beginning is gentle and calm. The drums are added and the music goes into a Jazzy direction. No guitars, just the piano, the drums and vocals. Once the chorus is there, the Metal power comes rolling out of the speakers. The melodic aspect is high, though. At that instant the tempo also increases. Bonus points go to the connecting parts. Speaking of melody: they add a rather melancholic touch to the song and that feeling is enforced by the piano. The guitars are afterwards in charge of the talking, though Jimmy adds a few (cymbal) fills and Steve's piano skills come in handy as well. Overall this is another good song. Not as perfect as the majority here, but solid no matter what.
I said the following about "The Frail Tide": "This is really, really amazing and - if I may say so, because that's how I feel about it (obviously
) - very original. I am very happy to have come accross this band on MySpace (it does seem to have its advantages). BE'LAKOR is one of the underground pearls of Australia (...)." For "Stone's Reach" I can't do anything else but use the same text and even hail the band some more, considering there are more songs, more music (Melodic Death Metal with Progressive influences), more of everything. The production has improved, the compositions are catchy, addictive, diverse. BE'LAKOR is a band that succeeded - sorry, succeeds - in keeping my attention and keeping me chained. Seeing them live would be the cherry on the cake. But for that I need to go to Australia. In short: heavily recommended for Melodic/Progressive Death Metal fans or Metalheads with a broad taste in general.(Thoughts of Metal)
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