ALBUM REVIEW: The Devils – Belphegor
Austrian blackened death metal titans BELPHEGOR continue their blasphemous rampage on the Earth with The Devils, their 12th studio album, and long awaited follow up to 2017’s relatively underwhelming Totenritual. Though how anyone can envy them the task of living up to the likes of Lucifer Incestus or Blutsabbath is far beyond this reviewer. But we all love a trier, and BELPHEGOR have given it a downright unholy go here which sees them reaffirm their position in the upper echelons of Hell-dwelling fury.
Straight out of the gates, this thing sounds as evil as they come. Even though there’s some levity to the tone of the guitars, the title track’s riff is utterly ferocious and when the vocals come crashing in, that tone suddenly feels far more sinister. Rapid fire drums and Helmuth‘s dual vocal delivery elevates the intensity and sets up The Devils on a grand scale. Calls of ‘Hail Satan’ snuff out any worries that BELPHEGOR have changed tact and hammer the final blasphemous nail into this casket of decay. Lead single Totentanz – Dance Macabre follows in similar form and contains the album’s first hint of a chorus, albeit a one-liner that evolves throughout the track. But it’s shockingly catchy fare for blackened death metal and possesses real staying power.
Glorifizierung Des Teufels takes a slightly more atmospheric approach, with sparser, slower instrumentation complementing the trademark acerbic vocals. It gives the album a nice change of tempo and allows some sort of breathing room for the listener, without completely giving up the intensity. Before long though, we are right back into the thick of it with the bendy guitar squeals and outrageous drumming of Damnation – Hoellensturz. If we’re being hyper-critical, this track feels far longer than anything else on the record and kind of stalls proceedings to an extent, feeling too much like already-trodden ground.
Then we get the far more melodic Virtus Asinaria – Prayer: an extensive, cinematic opening paves the way for near-choral chanting; an ethereal mist shrouds the guttural, angst-ridden roars and lends the track an air of considerable beauty amidst the intensity. Imagine climbing to the tallest peak and staring out at a blazing sunset, but it turns out that sunset is the world below you engulfed in flame and destruction – this is the sonic equivalent. The closest we get to similar melodic qualities comes from album closer Creature Of Fire which certainly shows a different side again to BELPHEGOR. Utilising Middle Eastern inspired vocalisations and clean guitars, interspersed amongst brash, distorted passages that sound more like an incantation than a song, it makes for a spellbinding close to this latest chapter.
But of course, BELPHEGOR‘s bread and butter is that pitch black death metal that makes you screw your face up in disgust, and it comes to a head on The Devils with penultimate entry Ritus Incendium Diabolus. Heavier than a freight train loaded with a battalion of heavy artillery, this is an unstoppable juggernaut of twisted metal and smouldering hatred that lays waste to all that it surveys. As appreciated as the band’s more textured and considered efforts are, this heavier side is arguably where their torch burns brightest.
As one of the leading proponents in extreme metal and Satanic influence, it should come as no surprise that The Devils is this bleak and horrifying. And while it may not bring much new to the table, the veterans have ensured that this is a high-tier, sacrificial-blood-soaked entry into the pantheon of their wicked ways. Hail BELPHEGOR.
Rating: 8/10
The Devils is set for release on July 29th via Nuclear Blast Records.
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