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Be'lakor - Vessels review




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Reviewer:
9.0

777 users:
8.62
Band: Be'lakor
Album: Vessels
Release date: June 2016


01. Luma
02. An Ember's Arc
03. Withering Strands
04. Roots To Sever
05. Whelm
06. A Thread Dissolves
07. Grasping Light
08. The Smoke Of Many Fires

Be'lakor is one of the most highly-praised and widely-beloved bands on Metal Storm, and I guess now we know which album is going to sweep our melodeath category come awards season; but before you storm away in a petulant huff complaining about popularity contests and unfair competition, allow me to explain why Vessels will be the album leading its buddies by 600 votes next February.

Kicking off the band's fourth full-length, "Luma" clocks in at two minutes flat, but receives as much loving attention to detail as any of the lengthy epics situated later in the album. Be'lakor does not waste a single second of this album's running time; building towards two minutes or ten, every moment recorded is a chance to bring to life some new flavor. Where most bands would have written a simple intro, Be'lakor wrote a unique and gripping song to lead off Vessels. The band immediately dives into the multifarious, dramatic atmosphere that cloaks these technically-impressive, moody melodeath tracks, upping the ante shortly with "An Ember's Arc" and continuing the momentum throughout the whole album.

The main reason this album works for me is the array of tonal qualities utilized by Be'lakor. Every layer of this cake - the vocals, the guitars, the piano/keyboards, the bass, the drums, all of it - sounds simply beautiful to me for reasons I lack the vocabulary to properly transcribe. George Kosmas's guttural growls explode with passion and ferocity rivaled by few death metal vocalists; his gravelly tone brings a distinct gravitas, resembling the inhuman gurgling of Demilich's Antti Boman while retaining the focus and sensitivity of Mikael Åkerfeldt. Guitars in tracks like "An Ember's Arc," "Withering Strands," and "The Smoke Of Many Fires" continuously offer new and exciting developments, offering melody while still driving the low end and innovating through somber but earnest strains. The keyboards in the mid-section of "The Smoke Of Many Fires," slippery and dynamic while also entrancing and mystifying, are perhaps the album's highlight in my eyes.

Be'lakor wields the deep, rich textures that make classic Opeth so endlessly majestic; the instinctual knack for meaningful songwriting that propels Amorphis beyond "catchy" and into "transcendent"; the wise mediation of interlocking instrumental threads that made late-era Death a musical deity; the dark, velvety swaths of antediluvian fury that let Primordial live up to its name; the overpowering presence and thunderous exploitation of percussion that make Amon Amarth a force to be reckoned with; and the icy temper that At The Gates unleashes so violently. I honestly can't think of a description better than "chocolate cake tone," even though nothing on Vessels sounds especially like John Petrucci.

For the skeptical or stony-eared observer, the above comparisons probably make sense. Why is Be'lakor so obsessively over-rated on this site? Because it combines all the OTHER obsessively over-rated bands. What I hear, though, more than other bands or an unusually good frolic with melodeath or even this beast called Be'lakor, is a group of musicians deeply in tune with their instruments, with each other, and with the style of music they set out to play, and the passion that lets them succeed.

Be'lakor put thought and effort into every moment of this album and imbued every note with intense emotion. This album succeeds at basically everything; every aspect of Vessels has been explored with forethought and played with passion. There are shades of brilliance in the instrumentation, the rhythms, the song structures, the intonations, the production, the melodies - too many things to spell out. I wasn't even a Be'lakor fanboy until I heard this album, but I guess my tastes are changing.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 10
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 8





Written on 06.08.2016 by I'm the reviewer, and that means my opinion is correct.


Comments

Comments: 28   Visited by: 517 users
06.08.2016 - 04:33
Rating: 7
bddidier

OK nice review, but let me say it first: this band is overrated.
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06.08.2016 - 06:24
Amon Amarth

Written by bddidier on 06.08.2016 at 04:33

OK nice review, but let me say it first: this band is overrated.


I still think they're underrated.
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06.08.2016 - 15:36
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
I'd say they're pretty fairly rated, actually. Most of their stuff is pretty high quality considering how boring and cliched the majority of melodeath has become at this point, but I still wouldn't exactly call them a band that everyone and their uncle is talking about, has the merch of, goes to shows for, etc. I guess it's all relative, but comparatively speaking I wouldn't say Be'lakor are that huge a name. I'd definitely call bands like Amon Amarth, COB, and Swallow The Sun "overrated" melodeath before them
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~ II. VII
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06.08.2016 - 16:25
Rating: 7
Pierre Tombale

Be'lakor's peak performance remains Of Breath And Bone.
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06.08.2016 - 16:30
Malignar

I don't get this band. Like an earlier Opeth with very few riffs, less heaviness...left with only melodic atmospheric noodling. The gruff vocals are pretty good, that's it. Hey at least they don't use those annoying In Flames Gothenburg riffs (what I picture whenever someone uses the term melodeath).
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06.08.2016 - 17:57
Mold of Tree
Account deleted
This album is an ear-gasm! It's too much awesome for me! But my favorite album of them is still 'Of Breath And Bone' which is a truly masterpiece!
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06.08.2016 - 18:44
Rating: 4
Diverge

"George Kosmas's guttural growls explode with passion and ferocity rivaled by few death metal vocalists; his gravelly tone brings a distinct gravitas, resembling the inhuman gurgling of Demilich's Antti Boman while retaining the focus and sensitivity of Mikael Åkerfeldt." No need for the Demilich reference with regard to Be'lakor.
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06.08.2016 - 20:21
Rating: 9
ScreamingSteelUS
Editor-in-Chief
Written by Auntie Sahar on 06.08.2016 at 15:36

I'd say they're pretty fairly rated, actually. Most of their stuff is pretty high quality considering how boring and cliched the majority of melodeath has become at this point, but I still wouldn't exactly call them a band that everyone and their uncle is talking about, has the merch of, goes to shows for, etc. I guess it's all relative, but comparatively speaking I wouldn't say Be'lakor are that huge a name. I'd definitely call bands like Amon Amarth, COB, and Swallow The Sun "overrated" melodeath before them

I agree that Be'lakor doesn't seem to have a very huge presence in the real world, and I also think that their ratings here are generally fair. Even before I agreed with the praise, I understood the reasons behind it. I think they have a disproportionately large fan base on this site, though, if not as outspoken or massive as that of the other bands you listed.
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I'm the Agent of Steel.
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06.08.2016 - 20:21
Rating: 8
Risto
Wandering Midget
Written by Malignar on 06.08.2016 at 16:30

I don't get this band. Like an earlier Opeth with very few riffs

Quite a few songs of theirs are plain riff fests, especially on Of Breath and Bone. They're just melodic riffs, some are more long-winded but still recurring patterns.
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06.08.2016 - 20:28
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 06.08.2016 at 20:21

I think they have a disproportionately large fan base on this site, though, if not as outspoken or massive as that of the other bands you listed.

Yeah, well, we're Metalstormers. We have better taste
(and there's my elitism for the day)
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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06.08.2016 - 22:31
s_t_s

I recently got into this band and while I love the many flavours they mix together, to me they are mostly like cooks who manage to make new recipes from mixing good old ones. Sometimes they actually reminded me of old Amorphis and other bands I used to listen to in the late 90s. Good album but I wouldn't rate it a 9.
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06.08.2016 - 23:13
barnesy

Great band! Solid effort! I think sometimes we over think all this. If you just sit back and enjoy this, enjoy you will.
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06.08.2016 - 23:21
Rating: 10
Reaper_Redeemer

"The main reason this album works for me is the array of tonal qualities utilized by Be'lakor."

I came to read this article only to check if the writer would mention that. Many "respects".
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07.08.2016 - 00:34
Ikuinen

Godgory mixed with a heavy dose of Omnium Gatherum
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07.08.2016 - 17:53
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Opening part I say it suppose be in a past, we have new generation and there are more calmer, more non standart , non fit in metal chategory to be viizblie bands what takes this bands places. But I agree what you wrote about it, it was most overated band in ms in a past whit Gojira
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apos;'
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07.08.2016 - 22:33
Rating: 9
EmeraldSword

Of the eight tracks on this album, "An Ember's Arc," "Roots To Sever," and "The Smoke Of Many Fires" stand out. The rest, felt like filler, to be honest. Those three tracks though are amazing. I lost count to how many times I've replayed the two tracks "An Ember's Arc" and "The Smoke Of Many Fires." Perhaps the emotion that they evoke and the similarity in between is what keeps me coming back to them. In any case, I hope they don't wait another four years for their next release. Also, to someone above who said they aren't well known around the world, may have to do with the fact that their homeland is Australia. They are the only melodeath act I know from that region of the world. Although playing at musical festivals like Summer Breeze Open Air in Germany and Brutal Assault in Czech Republic certainly helps.
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08.08.2016 - 08:17
SoUnDs LiKe PoP

Good album, but I think I enjoyed the last two more.
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I lift weights and listen to metal
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08.08.2016 - 16:40
Rating: 8
qlacs
"The Quaker"
"dramatic atmosphere that cloaks these technically-impressive"

I like to color my reviews too, but let's get one thing straight: the music Be'lakor plays is not really technical. They have absolute great songwriting skills and they do pull some genuine riffs and melodies on this record which in and itself is impressive for a 4th record in a row in melodic death metal, but it does not make their playing highly adept technically.
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09.08.2016 - 14:16
Cy Nide

Just recently got into this band and been spinning of breath and bone a lot lately. I look forward to checking this out.
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10.08.2016 - 11:05
Rating: 7
Daniell
_爱情_
Melodeath usually bores the hell out of me, but Belakor is one of those precious few bands that I actually enjoy. I'm not a huge fan, but it seems to me this could be one of their best albums.
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12.08.2016 - 22:48
Panterica

I find this album really hard to enjoy due to it's production. The guitars sound so soft and it's really getting on my nerves.
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27.08.2016 - 23:08
Rating: 9
Grom

Be'lakor have always created those albums that you can endlessly return to and get something new out of it every single time.
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Amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes.
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14.09.2016 - 20:36
NecroToxic666

Awesome! The band is a bit over-rated, but still good.
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20.03.2017 - 23:45
Rating: 9
BlankFile

Amazing record, full of melody, misticism and power. I dig it.
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01.11.2017 - 16:55
Rating: 9
metalriff

Written by Malignar on 06.08.2016 at 16:30

I don't get this band. Like an earlier Opeth with very few riffs, less heaviness...left with only melodic atmospheric noodling. The gruff vocals are pretty good, that's it. Hey at least they don't use those annoying In Flames Gothenburg riffs (what I picture whenever someone uses the term melodeath).


Try 'The Unborn' by Mors Principium Est...you may change your mind about Gothenburg (though even I haven't heard much of Gothenburg metal specifically)
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16.09.2019 - 01:51
Rating: 8
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
It's unfortunate that because of the fandom surrounding Be'lakor on this site, you had to justify your rating throughout the review. Don't get me wrong, you do an excellent job explaining what's so great about the album and the band in general, it just sucks when you know that your review will be dogged by the elitist and anti-hype crowds so most of your time is spent arguing with them ahead of time just so you don't feel like some naive fanboy throwing out a high rating.

This is another outstanding album on par with their previous releases in every aspect, save for a slightly cleaner production that takes a bit of the punch out of the guitars and a more concept-driven approach instead of a song-by-song approach, but if you're a fan of Be'lakor then there really isn't any reason to complain about this album unless your own expectations exceeded human capabilities. This is a natural progression, and it's far from a deviation. I'm glad to see an official review doling out such an appropriately high rating for this album, even if personally I would score it at an 8.5 or 8.7 -- just a hair lower than you.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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16.09.2019 - 06:14
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Run of the mill standard meloddeath album this is, but somehow praised to high heaven by the MS masses.
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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16.09.2019 - 22:17
Rating: 6
Redel

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 16.09.2019 at 06:14

Run of the mill standard meloddeath album this is, but somehow praised to high heaven by the MS masses.

Absolutely my perception.
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