When Scandinavia's extreme metal scene is discussed, one often hears the following generalization: Sweden is the land of death metal, while Norway is the land of black metal. The problem with that generalization is that Norway has given listeners plenty of death metal bands that have nothing to do with black metal, and Sweden has provided a long list of black metal bands that include, among others,
Dark Funeral,
Marduk,
Setherial, and
Lord Belial. Some of
Lord Belial's recordings have favored a black metal/death metal blend (with black metal being the main ingredient), but
Revelation: The 7th Seal is black metal all the way -- and it is also a fine addition to the band's catalog.
Belial have never been the type of band that governed by brute force alone; the Nordic occult masters certainly aren't afraid to use brute force when it is appropriate, but it was never the only weapon in their arsenal. Musicality and songcraft have also been high priorities for
Belial, and that holds true on
Revelation: The 7th Seal -- which, like previous
Belial discs, achieves an appealing balance of forcefulness and melody. This 42-minute CD isn't just about riffs and blastbeats; it's about songs -- well-constructed, well-crafted, well-executed songs that would probably hold up nicely even if
Belial had to use less amplification and perform them in a totally acoustic environment.
Revelation: The 7th Seal is not symphonic black metal -- the album doesn't get that lavish or elaborate -- but there is no doubt that it is among the more musical black metal releases of 2007. Those who have enjoyed previous
Belial discs won't find
Revelation: The 7th Seal to be the least bit disappointing. ~ Alex Henderson