Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Country: England
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Full length: A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria (remastered)
Format: CD, digital
Label: Cacophonous Records (UK)
Release date: May 26, 2016
To the epic opening of this album you can tell that you are in for a treat afterwards. Bal Sagoths debut here sticks out like a sore thumb and one you can’t get rid of easily. Symphonic and also dirty riffs pushed into your eye sockets until a slow doomy passage comes in on Dreaming of Atlantean Spires. Then it kicks off into pure death metal territory with shrieks and black metal screams leaving scars into a bassline with epic sonically driven riffing.
Jumping into the next track Spellcraft and Moonfire you are enchanted with more keys and synths along with the destroying style that epiclu and consistently pertain with more death metal driven features. Half way into it we get a cool woah of a scream that pushes the pace in a slower matter to show off how well executed they are and punishes you some more with death metal growls into black metal shrieks. A very intense and cool track indeed.
The same name track as the album title comes up and grabs you by the sheer ferocity it starts with into cold spoken word like passage that is excellently executed. Then picks up with black metal shrieks ready to tear you apart. Mixed in with more death metal driven vocal style. Back into spoken word into a synth like moment that reminds me of the band Summoning. In the dark & silent places there is witchcraft and steel icy waters to be found. Traveling you along without any other way back, the majestic and mysterious is brooding here.
The rest of the album is really solid and continues on its own darkened paths. It really can put you into a hypnotic trance. It has to be one of my favorite in the epic symphonic black metal series of albums to come for me to discover through Bal-Sagoth. A true classic to behold to old and new fans alike.
Never underestimate the power that is Bal-Sagoth! –Daniel Ryan
Track list:
1. Hatheg-Kla
2. Dreaming of Atlantean Spires
3. Spellcraft & Moonfire (Beyond the Citadel of Frosts)
4. A Black Moon Broods over Lemuria
5. Enthroned in the Temple of the Serpent Kings
6. Shadows ‘neath the Black Pyramid
7. Witch-Storm
8. The Ravening
9. Into the Silent Chambers of the Sapphirean Throne (Sagas from the Antediluvian Scrolls)
10. Valley of Silent Paths
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