Belphegor
Goatreich-Fleshcult

Merciless and irreconcilable to the point of frenzy and splashing bloody saliva, the killer Austrians are roaring, thundering and triumphant again, shaking the music scene with another creation, called upon, as is customary for the group, to smash, tear apart, trample, dismantle... and so on the pathetic tribe of unctuous sanctimonious people with their decayed god at the head. The skill has increased inexpressibly, the sound has become more diverse and, despite the murderous-gloomy ferocity and inexorable heaviness, one can, oddly enough, talk about the accessibility and sometimes discouraging "transparency" of the compositions (which is equally inherent, by the way, in both true-directions and frostbitten commerce). And not only that: under the approving noise of fans and reviewers of music publications, skeptical voices are somehow completely inaudible. In general, Austria, the homeland of Belphegor, has always been famous for its excellent bands, each of which is so original that it is impossible to confuse with any other. The "calling card" (image, poetry, actions, etc.) of our Christ-hater heroes from time immemorial (a fair amount, by the way) was rage and uncompromising malice, the very same ferocity of a free predatory beast that knows no boundaries; in music, they also made a good name for themselves, but here, as they say, either forward or stand still. And some sometimes try to be cunning and turn "sideways". Belphegor did not escape this fate. Magnificent juicy sound, skillful balancing on the edge of black and death, licked to a shine guitar lines and drum parts, trained vocals (calm growl and clear screaming) and, with all that, amazing dexterity in using fragments from other people's songs. This, I must say with a heavy heart, is of course bad, but it is done so subtly and ingeniously, you can't even scratch the surface! Here you have God Dethroned, and middle-period Deicide, and a bit of Immortal, and a lighter Marduk, and a polished Lord Belial, and the most amazing feature is the straightforward orientation towards old, time-tested riffs... of whom? Well, of course, Morbid Angel (in later reviews of the Austrians' new releases, they are already being compared with them, and not in favor of the guys from the States, which is puzzling). The imitation (and rip-off) is especially felt in the slow parts of the songs. However, in my opinion, one shouldn't judge the musicians too harshly: the work is really cool, masterfully executed and presented. For this alone, they deserve a higher rating (although I intended to give them a C for impudence, but changed my mind). At the same time, I would like to warn the brave: be careful! It often happens that a beautiful and catchy, albeit "soft" in comparison with the previous releases, precedes a complete rottenness. A sad example is the German group with a Romanian touch Agathodaimon: their fourth album turned out to be so imbued with a shameful commercial spirit that despair takes hold. We hope that Belphegor is not threatened by this, but still: think with your own head, guys, seek and you will find. Of course, you should not forget about authorities, but you also need to have your own opinion and your own approach.

A beautiful album by one of the best death-black metal bands from Austria! I recommend it! 10/10!

After Lucifer Incestus, the album was somewhat weaker and less expressive. It seems that the group was in a hurry to record the disc, as a result of which they actually replayed the previous album, swapped riffs. Product of dubious content.