Be’lakor – Of Breath and Bone (2012)

Rivaling the most impressive Melodic Death Metal releases of the last few years, today we have Be’lakor’s third full-length release titled “Of Breath and Bone”. This Aussie band has been making some pretty decent releases up until now, but with this one they take things to a whole new level. Delivering eight tracks of brilliantly crafted Melodic DM, this band is sent for world domination one riff at a time.

Opening with the 8-minute opus “Abeyance”, the band wastes no time in delivering a full-on riffage assault with powerful growls and excellent drumming. The band’s melodic sound is just outstanding and nicely carving different moods into their songs. Nearing the 3-minute mark the band goes on melodic DM masturbation mode and we almost began headbaning for the first time in this release, brilliant section we might add.

“Remnants” is our favorite track in this release thanks to the epic progression it follows. The band has managed to deliver a very impressive song that will blow you away thanks to its interweaving melodic and aggressive sections. We are reminded of Insomnium when listening to this track, but Be’lakor makes sure to add their own signature sound to it as well. “Absit Omen” is another awesome track when the band experiments with some classical elements adding a very emotional dimension to their sound resulting in even more impressive melodic passages.

Things turn a darker on the second half of “In Parting”, just when we thought that the album was getting a bit repetitive. This clean section is very well introduced into the song and it nicely breaks up the flow of this track. The use of piano/keyboards is present through the whole release, but it is only use for minimal atmospheric purposes allowing the guitar melodies to really shine. Closing with the mellow “By Moon and Star”, this track has a Doom-vibe that only Insomnium has managed to infuse in their music before, and Be’lakor pulls it off majestically.

If you are looking for excellent Melodic Death Metal, look no further and get this amazing release. Be’lakor has been slowly maturing, and now they are ready to take the main stage and blow people away. Every single track in this release has majestic melodic moments and razor-sharp riffs all throughout, paired with a gloomy atmosphere; “Of Breath and Bone” is easily one of the top 10 releases of 2012 so far.

Release: June 1st, 2012

Country: Australia