Metal Riot

Glorior Belli are streaming “Lies-Strangled Skies” from excellent new Agonia Release Sundown (The Flock That Welcomes). The record is out May 6th but you can stream the newest dark single at Bandcamp HERE.

The album is killer, more black metal and speed leaning than the last record but with one real epic avant garde stomper as well, the highly recommended bass heavy “Rebels In Disguise”. “Upheaval In Chaos Waters” is another highlight, guitars positively gleaming with malice over roared, pained vocals and precision drumming. “World So Spurious” even has a bad ass Celtic Frost-esque death grunt that any metalhead will get pumped hearing.

“Lies-Strangled” skies is the opening track from this anticipated release, the perfect soundtrack to a reading of Paradise Lost or for burning down the house. The stage is set with a military beat building up faster and faster under a commanding guitar line before the album pulls you into a grand majesty of no return.

“The production is by far one of the best that Glorior Belli ever had” – comments the band. “Drums & Bass are absolutely devilish and placed under the spotlight. Everything was recorded, mixed and mastered in our own studios, having an absolute control as usual over the sound. The guitar work overall will bring you back to the origins of Glorior Belli. Conceptually wise, Sundown (The Flock That Welcomes) will smother you with darkness and light, both stuffed down your throat with the same rage that could be heard on Glorior Belli’s ealier records. When the Night is coming down on you, will you find a way through the dark? A record for the very few of us who truly embrace the desire to break from the cosmic prison”.

Glorior Belli‘s last album, the devilishly swampy Gators Rumble, Chaos Unfurl, was damn near perfect. Thus it is with psychotic anticipation that we can let you know the French black metal project have a new beast on the way. Out May 6th on Agonia Records, you can bet Sundown (The Flock That Welcomes) is going to punish. Check out the lyric video for the title track below, a blasting ode to darkness which sounds very professional yet rippingly emphasizes the band’s black metal side more prominently once again. Ahhh, so stoked!

Pre order HERE.

Read more about the record including a band quote and tracklisting BELOW.

Greek black metal freedom fighters Rotting Christ continue their exhalted career of twisting expectations into fragments with the first, gloriously smoking track “In Nomine Dei Nostri” from new album Rituals. Hear the dark gem at Decibel HERE.

Whereas other less skilled bands would turn the heavily intoned chanting in this track to doggerel, Rotting Christ evoke a Satanic and brazen confidence that translates across this serious ear scorcher for a song that underscores the corruption in this world. The heart bleeding sense of melody that shoots through the song as well is truly something to behold, for the brave nd rebellious out there.

Preorder Rituals on CD or LP here.

Mysterium is my favorite Temple Of Baal release since their more death-centric
Lightslaying Rituals (when I first discovered the band). And this might be their actual best.

This new release from the French deathened BM horde is full of snarled and commanding vocals,
cool arrangements and a great mix that balances things well. The drums are
somewhat subservient to the guitars as is often the style of some French BM
traditions, but the snare sound is cutting and great. The whirlpool of guitars
that often represents this band at their finest and most furious retain their
seat at the front of the mix, with the vocals audible but adding to the
overall texture as well.

I love Temple of Baal’s whiplash inducing solos, which climb and writhe like
snakes and are often over before you can blink. The screams as well,
particularly on opener “Lord of Knowledge and Death” are full of dedication to
the dark artistry of this music. I’ve listened to this record a lot in a short
amount of time and while it is fairly relentless, you don’t (or at least I
don’t) get fatigued by it like some of their past albums. The performances are all killer and delivered with bullseye intention.

In particular mad props to (I believe) current drummer Scvm (ex-Order of Apollyon) who is insane on this.

The 8 tracks offer just enough of a battle scarred landscape to
escape your dull day in full and create a severe, furrowed brow mental picture
of determination, despondency and a sort of warlike longing for more. Fans of
mid period Behemoth or recent Mayhem will really dig “Magna Gloria Tua”, which hits as hard as anything on Evangelion or Esoteric Warfare yet has a seriously creepy onslaught of an atmospheric laced bridge full of tremelo, chanted background vocals and excursions into serpentine, cavernous dissonance. Certainly one of the band’s greatest moments on record to date.

This is a rock solid record that finds the band striking a great balance between their newer atmospheric tendencies (which I love) and the ferocity they have always had no shortage of. The songwriting is also more memorable. It wasn’t bad in the past but whereas before they got by a bit more on classic aesthetics (ala Italy’s Malfeitor who were relentless and great but not the most original), attack and one of the cooler names in BM, now you will find yourself headbanging and yelling along to ToB’s “Holy Art Thou” like it is second nature.

“Your name is carved within our hearts as the deepest initiation scar…” I believe one of the cooler lines goes. I wonder who they are talking about, hahaha.