BELPHEGOR

I must confess, when I prepare to listen to a black-death metal album, I immediately brace myself for something truly horrifying. After all, two of the most vicious musical styles are uniting in a single musical ecstasy. Black metal's malice merges with death metal's fury; the cold and black merges with the hot and blood-red. And the result, following this logic, should be truly savage, maximally raw and harsh -- a chunk of meat with torn edges, protruding broken bones, and oozing blood. Surprisingly, by combining what seemed nearly impossible to combine, the band has presented the world with a magnificent example of art of the highest quality -- quality both musical and performative. Two vocal styles -- ferocious growling (which predominates) and furious black metal screaming. The guitars trace incredible patterns, soaring into the cold blackness of space one moment, then slowing down and descending into the hellish depths the next. The rhythm section varies from ultra-fast machine-gun blast beats to mid-tempo. Harsh melody is also present, and it effectively shades, colors, and complements the overall red-and-black canvas of the album. Nearly every song is an unequivocal hit, if the term "hit" is even applicable to this style. An absolute must-have and a textbook example of what is meant by the term "black death metal."