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

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.

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

Be'lakor's peak performance remains Of Breath And Bone.

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).

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!

"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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

Great band! Solid effort! I think sometimes we over think all this. If you just sit back and enjoy this, enjoy you will.

"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".

Godgory mixed with a heavy dose of Omnium Gatherum

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

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.

Good album, but I think I enjoyed the last two more.

"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.

Just recently got into this band and been spinning of breath and bone a lot lately. I look forward to checking this out.

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.

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.

Be'lakor have always created those albums that you can endlessly return to and get something new out of it every single time.

Awesome! The band is a bit over-rated, but still good.

Amazing record, full of melody, misticism and power. I dig it.

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)

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.

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

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.