Be’lakor
Of Breath and Bone ()
Wydane przez Rockstar Records/Kolony RecordsRok wydania Kraj AustraliaNapisał Wouter8
Be’lakor is one of those rare gems. A band that lives up to the potential inherently locked within their chosen style. If you long for the days when acts like Throne Of Ahaz, Soulreaper and Unanimated reigned surpreme, this is the band for you. There are precious few bands that do the melodic death metal genre as convincing as Australia’s Be’lakor. Where many lesser bands fall prey to sugary melodies, limp riffing and detestable pop structures with absolutely no crunch, these Australians have always done the exact opposite. They embue their foreboding melodic death metal with tons of heaviness, a sense of heroics and an abundance of dark atmosphere that encroaches upon black metal territory. While they integrate acoustics, light washes of keyboards and whispering somber vocals, the music becomes a lot stronger and more emotionally resonating in the long run. Because of that Be’lakor is different from the majority of their peers, and a good deal of the veterans in this genre. In fact I get a heavy early Dark Tranquillity and Amorphis vibe from this. Both bands used to be the go-to acts for this kind of thing, but have strayed heavily from their original course over the years. The melodies are the skeleton of the song, yet they never get sappy or sugary. This record also never gets weak-kneed, or chooses for the path of least resistance. No, Be’lakor remain true to their death metal nature. And that is ultimately this band’s strength. They never betray what they are. In a genre where the masters have fallen for the path of least resistance or a desperate bid for mainstream acceptance, bands like this are the light, the beacon to look for in an otherwise bleak and hopelessly directionless subgenre. We need more bands like Be’lakor. We need more good melodic death metal albums, period. So, stop listening to the latest hot slam-death metal band, or that stupid metalcore act you keep hearing so much about. They matter not, this band does. So, do the right thing and pick up this record. You can thank me later.
www.kolonyrecords.com
