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Lord Belial
Kiss the Goat
(No Fashion - 1995)
Their first album and no way as good as the second. Compared to the next one, there is much less melody and gripping riffs, making them sound much more grim. This is harsh black metal with some melody that is sometimes dull yet has enough flashes of brilliance to keep you listening. Plenty of blast beats and wild screeches fill the music but the rhythm diversifies and the dynamics keep things breathing. The bass is surprisingly audible and a real flute is used on a couple of tracks - this really grabbed my attention and is quite charming. Vocals are mostly the same raspy screams but they go wild often in an insane screech. Overall a mediocre album and I would go for other purchases before this one, but it is worth checking out.
Enter the Moonlight Gate
(No Fashion - 1997)
Mostly a Dissection clone but with some elements of their own. Swedish melodic black metal at its finest - and what a crushing album it is! A lot of it consists of blast beats but it doesn't get boring at all, slowing down or changing before things get too dull. The music often shifts to a blasting, harsh and heavy Satyriconesque tour de force, and then it's back to more melodic Dissection stuff again. It's mostly blasting and quite overpowering though, bringing Emperor to mind as well. The booming production augments this a lot. Other elements: A few sparse very well done female vocals, acoustic guitars and even a flute that seems a tad out of place with all the blasting. One beautiful acoustic guitar track helps the dynamics and then you have the last epic incredible 20 minute song (with a 5 minute break). A killer release - very recommended!
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