By: Anders

Posted: Jan 19, 2006

The Swedes in Lord Belial has forged a new assault on our ears and minds, with their new album "Nocturnal Beast". The black metal band has been through a little of a ride through the years, with line-up changes here and there, and latest label problems, though it seems they have found a safe home on Regain Records.

This album is dark, though slightly more melodic than the last couple of albums from the band, a return to the style of their first couple of albums, but with a much heavier and crushing bottom. The atmosphere the band invokes shifts from majestic to grim and ugly. The guitar work is good, it ranges from what more or less is standardized within the style, to great melodic leads and great riffs, though it all fits very well into the context of the music. The rhythm section is tight and heavy as fuck. There are some nice pace shifts and calm but good details from the drums and the bass sounds great, more or less audible the whole time, right under the guitars, throwing of one good bass-line after the other. The vocals are full of emotions, spiteful and evil, a raspy haunting growl.

The compositions are good and hang on, when one first has entered the universe of Lord Belial and "Nocturnal Beast", it is hard to get out of it again. The atmosphere the band invokes on the album, is haunting and enchanting, there are ugly and cold black metal parts, though also more majestic and beautiful moments, together with some more death metallic parts. This is a quite good and long-lasting album consisting of good songs and good playing, not as black and evil as most black metal, but still a dark album I think many black metal fans can get into, I know I have.

Rating: 8/10

Lord Belial website

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