Belphegor. They have arrived again, and they’re not fucking around. 9 songs. 39 minutes. Absolute hell. With their 5th proper album ‘Goatreich-Fleshcult’, Belphegor have thrown down the gauntlet to deathmetal flagbearers Nile, Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal, and Cannibal Corpse, as well as blackmetal masters like Satyricon, Mayhem, Marduk, and Anorexia Nervosa. This album has placed Belphegor right in the thick of things, and is nasty competition to every extreme band releasing new material this year. The timing couldn’t be more perfect…

Not since Vital Remains ‘Dawn Of The Apocalypse’ have I heard such a thorough, and complete expression of blackened death. There are Egyptian tones toyed with but not overindulged on the blistering opener ‘The Cruzifixus-Anus Dei’. It continues immediately with the jaw-dropping onslaught ‘Bleeding Salvation’, as well as pure blackmetal trachea-shredding on the relentless ‘Fornicationium Et Immundus Diabolus’. Refreshing nuances run throughout this entire album, making it a blastbeat frenzy, with great attention to forward-thinking musicality, detail, and substance.

The pace slows down a bit with ‘Sepulture Of Hypocrisy’ a song that would probably be a highlight of any Morbid Angel album. Slow, simple, grinding pinch-harmonics, awesome vocal delivery, and solid structure make this a standout track. While there are many, many blasting sections on this album, it never really gets out of hand. There is restraint exercised in the aural assault in many instances, without dulling the impact. It’s all quite crushing.

Immediately following, is the dynamic, calculated title track. This is the strongest song, castration in music form. Starting with a thrashy, mathmatical staccato rhythm, it builds upon a brief arrhythmic crest , before launching into sheer black savagery. Precise, choppy palm-muting builds cunningly into a pure Slayer-inspired bit of soloing and tremolo, before going back to square one. It’s a teeth-grinding experience, and a fine use of dynamics in a death metal song.

The album continues it’s harsh, sublimely produced journey through pure blasphemy. The speedy, improved-upon ‘Swarm Of Rats’ comes ripping, then adds even more dynamic and a bit of grating groove with ‘Kings Will Be Kings’ and the battering of ‘The Crown Massacre’. It all ends powerfully with the epic ‘Festum Asinorum/Chapt.2', a perfect conclusion to an experience that never loses your attention.

From the flawless production, to the technique, mood, velocity, flow, and deceptively lethal nuance, this is the most impressive album i’ve heard all year. The only flaw I can bring up, is the fact that other bands sometimes sound like this. Nothing sounds contrived, or rehashed in the least, however. ‘Goatreich-Fleshcult’ is performed with superlative ability, and brutal form. The cover artwork is badass, and the booklet is too, probably the most wicked i’ve seen in a while.

I really can’t give this album anything less than a 10. The ferocity is stunning, without going over-the-top speedwise, and shows dangerous intelligence in it’s controlled chaos. I’d consider this an absolute must-have for anyone into the highest quality of exhausting savage metal. An excellent album.
10/10 Tree House Of Death (us) by Dekompoze