“Bondage Goat Zombie”, the seventh release of the Austrian black/death metallers, is here to prove that the extreme scene of heavy metal is the one with the finest releases right now. This album of Belphegor gives us nothing more than pure evil music at its best.
The album consists of nine tracks full of black metal melodies surrounded by death metal parts and fills setting their music one level higher. Yes, I know there many bands that play black/death but how many are there to succeed it in such a way?
Belphegor have created an atmosphere using ingredients such as Satan worshiping, blasphemy, anger, pain and lust for the flesh. The guitar riffs, by Helmuth (vocals, guitar) separated in melodic and aggressive ones are excellent in every single song, and they are supported by a very solid rhythm section by Serpenth (bass) and session drummer Torturer that offers to the music the demanded rage. Songs like “Armageddon’s Raid” and “Justine Soaked in Blood” show the band’s composing intelligence, achieving a result that would be appreciated by every listener of the specific genre. The vocals are mainly consisting of growls and screams but you can listen to some more majestic ones in “The Sukkubus Lustrate” and a few female ones in “Der Rutenmarsch”.
The album was recorded in Andy Classen´s Stage One Studios in Kassel, Germany, so the sound is fierce but not raw. It is dark, yet very bright in order the instruments and the vocals to be in the same level and not mixed up.
So this is another great release by Belphegor, which by the way I think is still underestimated and another great release for 2008. And we are still in March…

4.5/6 Kostas Kollas www-metal-invader.com Greece