(Review borrowed from Metal Archives)
This is one nasty little EP with some really unusual cover art! Wisdom of Darkness is snack-sized Finnish brutality done right, which doesn't sound very "European" in the least. The closest comparisons are Blasphemy and early Vital Remains, two of the best sinister sounding death metal bands of the day. When you combine it with a dirty, slightly better than demo production, you've got a real masterpiece on your hands. Finnish bands always had this super nasty guitar sound, kind of like the Swedish sound, but heavier and uglier. Belial's sound just oozes dirty motor oil and obscurity. There's some of that "squeaky" sound on the guitar from Cemetery's Evil Shade of Gray, too, but luckily musically way better than Cemetery. There's really no melody on display here, save the little sprinklings of keyboard intros or this rather goofy clean guitar line on "Rise of Hecate," which honestly would have been best left off the album. The Blasphemy/Vital Remains influence is especially heard in the vocals, which are deep, obscure growls with no discernable words. There are those awesome heavy grooves of Let Us Pray brilliant fused with the blasting grind of Blasphemy, which make Wisdom of Darkness a bewildering mass of horror--it's almost hard to point to a best song, as they come and go quickly, but "The Invocation" is always my favourite with its crushing opening riff. The soloing is maelstroms of broken glass, bringing to mind early Deicide and much better, giving the music another dimension of chaos and fury. The short nature of Wisdom of Darkness really helps its efficacy--a full length album of this wouldn't have nearly the effect, and if it were a typical hour plus 90's album you might get bored. As it is, Wisdom of Darkness is compact brutality wrapped in darkness.
Belial "Wisdom of Darkness" LP
- Brand: Osmose Productions
- Product Code: LP
- Availability: In Stock
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$25.00
Tags: 01.01.2025