Belphegor - Pestapokalypse VI
Nuclear Blast - NB 1759-2 - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
Pestapokalypse VI is the sixth full-length album from Austrian black/death metallers Belphegor, and despite the fact that only two of their founding members remain (those being vocalist/guitarist Helmut and guitarist Sigurd), it sees them continuing to develop their own particular blend of high-energy death metal brutality and screeching tremolo-picked black metal savagery, whilst continuing to experiment with slower-paced doom passages and an increasingly melodic approach.
Blasting straight out of the gates with 'Hell's Ambassador', Belphegor waste no time in setting out their stall, deploying thundering drumming and scything, hell-for-leather riffage backed up by Andy Classen's imposing production. Helmut's vocals range throughout the album from Gorefest-esque DM growls (see 'Angel Of Retribution') to a more typically black metal rasping approach, while the songs are varied enough and contain enough memorable riffing and appropriately eye-openingly impressive soloing to ensure the album doesn't just turn into a blastbeat-laden blur of sound (although second track 'Seyn Todt In Schwartz' does blaze by in a Dark Funeral-esque blizzard of blasts and tremolo-picked upper-register riffage that leaves little time for contemplation).
There's more melody at work in Pestapokalypse VI than in previous Belphegor efforts, and their past experimentations with slower tempos have been more organically incorporated into their signature sound this time round (see, for instance, the mid-paced trawl of 'Angel Of Retribution', an album highlight replete with sinister, depressive USBM-style melodies). In fact, it's hard to find anything much to complain about at all in this album - it's an entertaining and engrossing listen from start to finish. Highly recommended.
7.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Belphegor's Official Website
Nuclear Blast's Official Website
Nuclear Blast - NB 1759-2 - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
Pestapokalypse VI is the sixth full-length album from Austrian black/death metallers Belphegor, and despite the fact that only two of their founding members remain (those being vocalist/guitarist Helmut and guitarist Sigurd), it sees them continuing to develop their own particular blend of high-energy death metal brutality and screeching tremolo-picked black metal savagery, whilst continuing to experiment with slower-paced doom passages and an increasingly melodic approach.
Blasting straight out of the gates with 'Hell's Ambassador', Belphegor waste no time in setting out their stall, deploying thundering drumming and scything, hell-for-leather riffage backed up by Andy Classen's imposing production. Helmut's vocals range throughout the album from Gorefest-esque DM growls (see 'Angel Of Retribution') to a more typically black metal rasping approach, while the songs are varied enough and contain enough memorable riffing and appropriately eye-openingly impressive soloing to ensure the album doesn't just turn into a blastbeat-laden blur of sound (although second track 'Seyn Todt In Schwartz' does blaze by in a Dark Funeral-esque blizzard of blasts and tremolo-picked upper-register riffage that leaves little time for contemplation).
There's more melody at work in Pestapokalypse VI than in previous Belphegor efforts, and their past experimentations with slower tempos have been more organically incorporated into their signature sound this time round (see, for instance, the mid-paced trawl of 'Angel Of Retribution', an album highlight replete with sinister, depressive USBM-style melodies). In fact, it's hard to find anything much to complain about at all in this album - it's an entertaining and engrossing listen from start to finish. Highly recommended.
7.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Belphegor's Official Website
Nuclear Blast's Official Website
