Belgian Metal

Paragon Impure – Sade Review

By Lord Doom on November 3, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Van Records, Black Metal, 48 comments

“Founding member and driving force Noctiz has only managed one full length release thus far, 2005’s To Gaius! (For the Delivery of Agrippina), with technical and personal setbacks apparently stalling efforts around 2009 to release a follow-up album which was to be titled Fall of Man. That unreleased material has been reworked and incorporated into this—their second full length in thirteen years—Sade. No, not that Sade, the English singer of “Smooth Operator” fame; Sade as in the Marquis de Sade, that cheeky French noble whose sexuality and writings thereof have been an inspiring, deep, rich vein of perversity for metal artists to plunder ad infinitum.” Sade songs say so much.

Aborted – TerrorVision Review

By Mark Z. on September 21, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Century Media, Death Metal, Grind, Reviews, Death Metal, Grind, 53 comments

“Everyone loves a good horror movie, and for years Aborted have given us the musical equivalent. Since vocalist and Belgian native Sven de Caluwé began the project in 1995, he’s taken everything from goregrind to Carcassy death metal to melodic groove experimentation and bludgeoned it into his grotesque sonic mold. If you want to know what Aborted sounds like, shove your fist into a jar of old mayonnaise while watching the grossest horror film you know.” Special sauce and TerrorVision.

Ethernity – The Human Race Extinction Review

By Lokasenna on September 18, 2018 in 2018, AFM Records, Belgian Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 79 comments

“I have a love-hate relationship with progressive metal, particularly power prog. Several of my all-time favorite acts are prog as fuck, or at least dip their toe in those waters. However, not many musicians know how to actually write progressively, bloating the scene with bland mediocrity. This is true of most music of course, but it’s particularly heartbreaking to see in genres with so much potential. So where do Ethernity, our new Belgian acquaintances, fit into this?” Prog extinction.

Carnation – Chapel of Abhorrence Review

By Mark Z. on August 17, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Death Metal, 45 comments

“To most people, the word ‘carnation’ refers to a frilly colored flower. Belgium’s Carnation aren’t most people. In fact, if the music on this death metal quintet’s debut is any indication, to them a ‘carnation’ is a 14-foot Venus flytrap-esque monstrosity with teeth like steak knives and vines that could crush your puny little ribcage like a bag of potato chips.” Morbid flora.

Carrion – Time to Suffer Review

By Dr. Wvrm on June 27, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Death Metal, Mighty Music, Reviews, Death Metal, 59 comments

“Ferrous and I, drunk or otherwise, recently groused about who to blame for death metal’s modern sound. Much like my lumping of base-camp thrash into two molds, modern rip-offs and retro rip-offs, I think death metal organizes along similar lines. OSDM has its own originality problems, but it clearly surpasses the hyper-modern tripe so often homogenized that telling bands apart is like asking infant quintuplets which one shit their diaper.” Let’s blamestorm!

Fire Down Below – Hymn of the Cosmic Man Review

By Huck N Roll on June 21, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Ripple Music, Stoner Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock, 85 comments

“I have two basic approaches when it comes to reviews. If the album is by a band whose discography I am familiar with, I’ll read the PR materials to learn more prior to listening. If it’s a band I haven’t heard of, but either grabbed off the promo list or was voluntold to take it by the inestimable Madam X, I won’t read anything about the band. I’ll dive right into the promo and form some unfettered opinions over a few listens before checking out the PR material. That’s how I did it with Belgian quartet Fire Down Below and their sophomore album, Hymn of the Cosmic Man.” Ignorance is bliss.

Reject the Sickness – The Weight of Silence Review

By Saunders on March 31, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Mighty Music, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 17 comments

“Creative stagnation has plagued the modern melodeath scene for years, with the over-saturated market dominated by a handful of select bands injecting life into the sub-genre, while mediocre imitators pile up beneath. So does The Weight of Silence redeem Reject the Sickness and do enough to elevate their status beyond cookie-cutter levels of third-tier tedium?” Oh wah ah ah ah.

Trouble Agency – Suspected Review

By Steel Druhm on March 17, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 25 comments

“One of the most criminally overlooked thrash albums from the glorious 80s was a little gem called Brutal Destruction by unsung Belgian act, Cyclone. It had a great balance of anger, aggression, melody and hooks and I still go back to it some 30 years later. The band went on to release another solid album, then vanished. Out of the fall of that and other Belgian acts like Decadence arose crossover thrashers, Trouble Agency.” Trouble’s abrewin.

Eye of Solitude/Marche Funèbre – Collapse/Darkness [split] Review

By Grymm on February 26, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, British Metal, Cimmerian Shade Recordings, Doom Metal, Hypnotic Dirge Records, Reviews, Doom Metal, 0 comments

Chocolate and peanut butter. Cheese and crackers. One-person black metal and January. Some things just naturally pair up beautifully together. What normally doesn’t pair up too well? Funeral doom and brevity. So imagine my shock when I got assigned a two-song, 30-minute EP featuring two of the scene’s leading exports, UK’s Eye of Solitude and Belgium’s Marche Funèbre, and finding out that the EP’s just a hair over a lunch break long!” Doom comes fast on a Monday.

Yhdarl – Loss Review

By Kronos on January 12, 2018 in 2018, Belgian Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, I Voidhanger Records, Reviews, Black Metal, Drone, 33 comments

“Pulling off a long song — be it a ten-minute black metal piece or an hour-plus funeral doom opus — takes very deliberate pacing. Great drone and doom bands know this and know how to pull the listener rather than push them. If the song moves too fast, it can seem to lose structure, but if it moves too slowly, it can stagnate and sour the listener to its next idea. One has to have the pacing and space to keep themselves involved.” The long lurch into oblivion.