Belenos’ first effort released almost a
decade ago was one of the French underground’s best kept secrets, a dark blend
of melancholic black indulging into pagan themes. Alas, their continuation
would not prove to be as gratifying, at least for the hopeless romantics among
us. Hinting towards Satyricon's early albums (especially Nemesis Divina) with a
strong pagan-cum-majestic vibe, the French quartet creates an interesting
musical dish this time round which can keep your CD-player turning a number of
times. To my distaste however there are no 'hooks' to be found on this release,
the album flows through leaving a bland aftertaste for the most part. Not
exactly lackadaisical by any measure, the band is managing a decent effort here
but in general they do little to escape from their musical template they
imposed on themselves. Being of a mostly symphonic black metal affair, compositions
are strewn with male orations and symphonic interludes which exploit complex
and mystical themes but unfortunately there are also musical passages where the
band simply begs to be convincing. Nothing really out of the ordinary with
Belenos' third effort to date, and certainly not the best the French black
metal underground has to offer as of late.
(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 2006?)
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