Have you ever picked up a record and been disappointed that it’s ‘only’ four or so tracks long? There’s absolutely no chance of the same disappointment with UK tech-deathcore outfit Belial’s latest release ‘Nihil Est’. Featuring five brand new cuts, it’s further bolstered with the addition of five more from their 2014 self-titled EP as well as purely instrumental versions of the new material. It’s an interesting way to look back into the group’s history as well as experience what they’re throwing down in the here and now.
Opener ‘In Extremis’ sweeps in with an unsettling, crackling noisescape that slowly builds your unease, before a sudden explosion of grating guitars and frantic blastbeats shatter the eerie calm. The racing tempos and spidery guitar work evoke Origin, while the skittering electro break and crushingly dense breakdown edge closer towards ‘pure’ deathcore. ‘Eon’ is deceptively delicate, a music box that is buried beneath a landslide of chugging, fractured grooves, guttural vocals and galloping kicks. The track expands only so far, feeling constricted and reined-in in its production, like there’s only a finite space for their sound to occupy. The solo is a little cheesy but this, coupled with the near constant movement and change, brings to mind a much darker Animals As Leaders.
‘Naught’ kicks in with a breathless, blasting assault, locked in tight around stuttering guitar and weighty, punchy drums. It’s raging, but less varied than the tracks preceding it. ‘Odium’ skips along savagely, jagged, muscular triplets revolving around a dark centre of despicable, grunting vocals. ‘In Origin’ showcases more of the bands penchant for shifting, coiling riffs and awkward rhythms. It leaves more breathing space for dramatic emphasis, seeming less claustrophobic than the rest of the record, finishing in a triumphant, stomping climax.
The instrumental versions of these tracks are exactly as you’d expect. They aren’t improved by the lack of vocals, but they aren’t marred by them either; they’re an opportunity to admire the canny musicianship, technical savvy and stop/start timing for its own sake. From ‘Heroin Holidays’ to ‘Parasite’, it’s interesting to see what elements the band have held on to, and which ones they have cast off, from what they were writing three years ago. ‘Heroin Holidays’ is deathcore through and through – super guttural Oceano style vocals, cascading drum fills and utterly brutal riffs. ‘Wraiths’ is built around guitar slides, featuring brief bursts of TesseracT style quick palm muting and chiming melodies. ‘Host’ builds into a high energy chugfest that carries an air of Meshuggah about it with syncopated rhythms and piercing background guitar vamps.
‘Wen’ is an instrumental aside, a squall of electro noisescape, drum groove and crunching guitars. ‘Parasite’ wraps things up by being completely remorseless, a torrid, disorientating exercise in aural battery that doesn’t even consider pausing for breath. The whole album is something of an endurance test – fifteen tracks (if you count the instrumentals) of blistering, intense force that embraces dizzying musicianship and crushing density. While the band will edge too close to the murky waters of deathcore for fans of traditional death metal, those who aren’t afraid to embrace recent developments in the genre will find something to appreciate. Confrontational, defying expectations and, at times, a tad adolescent, ‘Nihil Est’ is undeniably exhilarating.
JAY HAMPSHIRE