Belphegor - "The Last Supper (1995) & Blutsabbath (1997)"
The Last Supper (1995)
The Last Supper is yours... - 95%
When it comes to the mix of black metal and death metal, no band is more punishing and unforgiving than Belphegor. While I personally see them more black metal-leaning when taking into account of their general discography, their unique mix of black and death metal is a lot more extreme than your typical blackened death metal band, but also not extreme enough to be in the war metal realms. While most of their releases are great, none of them have been able to reach the craziness as their debut album "The Last Supper". From the brutal instrumentals to the agonizing vocals, there's just so much to love here.
Starting off with the instruments, we jump straight into the madness with the first track "The Last Supper". The guitars sound raw and loud, and they take up much of the mix. However, the composition of the riffs is unique as it combines the rawness of black metal with the deep brutal sounds of death metal, which is mixed nicely and executed well. The drums aren't any better, as they're just as wild with its blastbeats and pounding snares. Being that the guitars are already chaotic, the drums flow well with them and maintains a consistent beat pattern that keeps the listener on edge. Even the bass is good, as its deep sound provides a thick and firm foundation in the track. With all of this combined, the overall atmosphere here is filled with nothing but pure chaos and hatred, which I absolutely love. "The Last Supper" is an obvious highlight, but other fantastic tracks are "A Funeral Without a Cry", "Impalement Without Mercy", and "D.I.E. (Drowned in Excrements)". The only problem with the instrumentals are in the final track, which is a cover for Betrayer's Kruzifixion. It's not terrible, but it does sound noticeably different, and the shift between the previous track is a bit jarring for first-time listeners. Otherwise, the instruments don't hold back in their aggressiveness, and its blend of black and death metal elements have a fantastic execution.
The vocals are also just as crazy. Maxx was a brief member in Belphegor, and he was only involved in the debut album as well as the previous demo and EP before leaving. However, the vocal performance he left behind here is amazing. His vocals have a mix of the deep growls and gurgles of death metal and the shrieks of black metal, which are both done really well. A good example of this would be in the track "Engulfed in Eternal Frost". The track is just as intense as the other songs, and Maxx reflects this well with growls. These growls flow well with the buzzing guitars and blasting drums, and the shrieks would only further enhance the maddening personality he has. And in some tracks like "The Rapture of Cremation", Maxx extends his shrieking more to make him sound more bestial, which are also executed well. Whether it be the deep gurgles or the high-pitched shrieking, Maxx does both of those styles with great skill, and it has me wondering how his vocals would've progressed had he stayed in the band.
Even the lyrics are great. There's not a whole lot of lyrics written on here, so much of it is mysterious. However, the few lyrics that are available are great. Take the track "March of the Dead" for example, where this verse quotes:
Blessed by the sign of evil
Spirits of sins
Mutilated on the cross
Burning Altars Slaughtered Christians
Waiting for the Abyss
Distort theirs Souls
This verse is about the Christians being killed in ritualistic ways. It has a basic style in terms of the writing itself, but the tone here is very dark and evil, and with some certain descriptions, it makes this whole ordeal sound brutal and intense. Not only that, but these lyrics also match the instruments and vocals well. With the chaotic atmosphere of the instruments and the painful shrieks and growls of Maxx, there is only more hatred and desecration added into the lyrics. Even though the songwriting is basic, it does remain effective in telling some blasphemous stories.
With all of these reasons, it's easy to see why "The Last Supper" remains one of my favorite album from Belphegor. The instruments punish you with blastbeats and black/death metal riffs throughout the tracks, Maxx's vocals sound harsh and extreme, and the simple lyrics convey a disturbing picture of anti-religion. Starting with their next album "Blutsabbath", they will begin to include more black metal elements, but nevertheless, this debut of theirs still remains iconic for its perfect mix of black metal and death metal.
Slater922, April 25th, 2022
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blutsabbath (1997)
brutal blasphemy and chaos!! - 100%
Belphegor: one of the most satanic, dark and evil bands. This is THE perfect mix of brutal death metal with black metal. Helmuth is one of the best things to happen to the undeground. His low and high vocals are just fucking EVIL sounding, and his guitar work is amazing. Some of his lyrics are in German, but the English lyrics are totally blasphemous. This band is Satan himself in music form. Brutal as all fucking hell riffs, mixed with dark black metal melody and tremelo picking, and thrashy solos that seem to be going faster than you can think. The drums are complete blast-fests that will cave your fucking head in.
Standout tracks: Blackest Ecstasy, Behind the Black Moon, and Blutsabbath
This band is seriously, one of the most evil creations of mankind. I gaurentee any christian would literally vomit upon looking at the art in the booklet (I won't describe the blasphemous and perverse sickness that lies in the booklet, you have to buy the cd >Smile, and any faithful sheep would probably be upset to tears upon reading the unmerciful lyrics. This band crushes beyond belief and ANY fan of ANY style of death or black metal, MUST check out this album.
If you hate god, you'll love Belphegor.
发表于 2022-10-4 14:02:07
楼主
发表于 2022-10-21 06:56:52
关于我们