Be'lakor

Digging an age-old thread but I thought this would be better than creating a new one with the same idea in the same board.

I've started to like Be'lakor a lot lately, one of my favourite bands right now. They have very nice guitar, synth and drum work, mixing clean parts with fast distorted riffs. Sounds like Death Metal-ish Iron Maiden in my opinion.
Their songs that I listen to the most are Abeyance, Aspect, Fraught and From Scythe to Sceptre. I recommend.

A shortened version of this song but features the best bits (their best riff yet starting at 1:28) and some cool footage.
 
I heard them for the first time last year and they've grown on me. I've got Of Breath and Bone, which I really like, but I find the songs get a bit samey after a while.

Saapanael said:
Sounds like Death Metal-ish Iron Maiden in my opinion.
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I know where you're coming from there, they're quite melodic.
 
Saapanael said:
Sounds like Death Metal-ish Iron Maiden in my opinion.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much the entirety of melodic death metal for you.
Early In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork, At The Gates, you could probably even throw Children of Bodom in there, just to name a few.
I hate the phrase, but it really is "Iron Maiden with growled vocals" and faster, of course.
 
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I've seen Be'lakor twice this year - once at a pub gig filled with perhaps 60 people and the second time supporting Dark Tranquility in front of a thousand. Had a good chat to the bassist and said g'day to the keyboardist as he was watching a game of Australian Rules on TV before Dark Tranquility came on. A great show, Be'lakor opened with Absit Omen...a fantastic song, and yes full of beautiful Maidenesque melodies.


 
Anyone who took part in the War of Epics might remember this band, Abeyance and In Parting were two of my nominations. @The Mid-Distance Runner mentioned recently that they were working on their fourth album. However, I've just visited their website and it looks like the album has been put back until next year because of 'challenges' in their lives. Fingers crossed for March 2016, then.

www.belakorband.com/news
 
@Brigantium thanks for the update. It's frustrating news for this Aussie band and for us fans because they've worked hard on this new album. Hopefully their guitarist Shaun will be well enough to tour once they hit the road again.

To anyone who enjoys epic and melodic black metal do yourself a favour and check out the two songs Brigs has mentioned.

Two minutes into To Stir The Sea/In Parting is one of my favourite ever riffs...

 
Still no firm date on the new album release, but Be'Lakor now have a new drummer and have signed to Napalm Records. I'm sure I read somewhere too that some of the new music will go public next month, although they don't seem to be saying it's a March release for the album any more.

Recent statement:
"We're extremely pleased to be signing with Napalm Records. Working with such a well-respected label represents the start of the next chapter for us. We really feel that Napalm is on board with Be'lakor's vision, and that they share our excitement for the music we're making. This signing will also mean that we can get our music out to more of our fans and play more shows beyond Australia's shores. 2016 promises to be a big year for the band, and we can't wait to release our fourth album with Napalm."
 
At long last - Be'Lakor announce their new album.

From their Facebook page:
Excited to share with you guys the cover art and track listing for our new album - "VESSELS" - after over a year of hard work! Our fourth album, and first concept album, its eight tracks clock in at around 56 minutes. Full details and track list:
- VESSELS -
1. Luma
2. An Ember's Arc
3. Withering Strands
4. Roots to Sever
5. Whelm
6. A Thread Dissolves
7. Grasping Light
8. The Smoke of Many Fires
Release dates:
June 24 worldwide, through Napalm Records.
July 1 in Australia and NZ, through MGM.
(New song, and more on the album concept, to come soon!)
 
Be'lakor sure can play but they could make catchier tunes. Much of their material suits best for background music - it's atmospheric and has beautiful melodies but fails to captivate. Abeyance and Aspect, now these songs are Be'lakor done right.
 
Saapanael said:
Be'lakor sure can play but they could make catchier tunes. Much of their material suits best for background music - it's atmospheric and has beautiful melodies but fails to captivate. Abeyance and Aspect, now these songs are Be'lakor done right.
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Of Breath and Bone has some pretty catchy riffs, I think, so much so that there's practically a theme running through the entire album. These days I listen to The Frail Tide more than their other two albums to date, it isn't quite as reliant on the electronic stuff.

 
It's true, I haven't listened to them in a while so my opinion may be a bit preconceived. I'll have to give their albums another go. At the moment, I get the feeling that their songs are beautiful and well-performed but lack some kind of structure.
 
I took that to be an experimental edge. ;) They maybe don't have conventional typical song structure, but they tend to have a very good and quite natural flow to them. I generally find it difficult to get to grips with bands that completely throw the rule book out the window when it comes to structure. In Parting is a particularly good example of a song that flows brilliantly. Even in songs like Absit Omen and Abeyance, they don't come across as too disjointed.
 
There's a fifth album in the works. This band works almost as slowly as Maiden.

From the mailing list:
"1. Album update -
The fifth album promises to be riff-packed. We're really enjoying the process, and so far this next album has lots of big melodies, a 12-minute song (or thereabouts), some really intricate dual guitar harmony sections (somewhat similar to the ending of 'An Ember's Arc' and the ending of 'Remnants') and a few really direct, driving sections reminiscent of Stone's Reach (kind of like Venator's first half). We've got some thoughts on a few interesting options for mixing and mastering too, but that's not quite upon us yet. As always, we focus on the music first, and take as long as is needed to get the album done right."
 
I listened to the first two albums today and this is some really good stuff. Stone’s Reach is particularly awesome, but the first album has some great tracks too (and a lot of piano).

The comparisons to Opeth are not entirely fair, though. They sound like Iron Maiden as played by some parallel universe Amon Amarth that is kinda proggy. Much heavier focus on simplistic riffs and guitar melodies, groove, and syncopated rhythms than most classic prog bands.

Anyway, great band! Looking forward to listening to the other two albums.
I do wish there were some clean vocals, though :ninja:
 
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