I hadn’t heard any ‘Lord Belial’ work in about 10 years, when last year I got to hear their previous 7th album “Revelation (The 7th Seal)”. While their first two efforts had something to say to fans of melodic black metal (Dimmu Borgir style), I kept them in mind as a second class act. Their works showed indeed an improvement in production, sound and tightness but their music became so damn BORING!

Their “Revelation…” was a turn to heavy / power riffing than Morbid Angel / Behemoth they had copied before that. While they blastbeated like Marduk or Sorhin, you could hear ballad-like parts (!) or false technical leads. All those who heard this crap could not believe how low this Swedish act fell! An act that’s been around for 15 years (!) that named their new work “The Black Curse”. And they seem to have put some Satyricon in this year’s mixture, with Borgir ideas always around their sound, trying to convince us that after their “7th Flop”… oh, I meant seal, they deserve something better.

While they begin strongly with “Pazuzu-Lord Of Fevers & Plague”, their offering while the CD evolves is of stupidity, boredom and weak songwriting. Their songs are based on the unstoppable blastbeats in most of the tracks with any kind of riff, lead or melody line you can imagine. From a Children Of Bodom-power metal solo in one track to a Slayer non-technical one to the other. They escort a blastbeat with an acoustic (!) line or with meaningless rough riffs. I can’t understand why a band that’s been in the hard scene for so many years can’t figure the difference between art and bullshit. Any nice theme in a track is outshined by at least three ridiculous ones. Something that can happen even in the same track! I can hear Quorthon shaking in his grave!

If you wanna taste this Swedish band, pick “Kiss The Goat” (1995) or “Enter The Moonlight Darkness” (1997). Unless you want same shit over and over again in the worst combinations you can think of! Here, like Southampton for instance in the Second Division of the English Championship, Lord Belial seem unable this time to save the game…