Belenos is no longer sleeping.
Six years after its last release, the project led by Loic Cellier (all instruments/vocals, ex-Asyndess) continues its adventure in the Northern Silence Productions stable with its ninth album, Egor.
D’ar viken welcomes us with its melodious but rather dark riffs, which become much more impressive, welcoming first a few mysterious choirs and then Loic‘s unleashed howls. Hypnotic harmonics respond to a furious blast coupled with majestic orchestration, creating a natural duality within the track before surrendering totally to rage on Bolz-noz ifernus, a composition where waves of raw violence mercylessly strike us. There’s a slightly dissonant touch in the guitars, but the vocal parts make the mix eerie, almost menacing, letting the sound fade away to join the eerie Morzhol tan, which initially opts for a slow, heavy approach. The rhythm then becomes more aggressive and jerky, but the lead parts give it a more mysterious touch that lasts until E gor an egor takes over, offering us a moment of calm with its soothing introduction. Saturation naturally adds weight and disrupts the tranquility with a raw unifying power that captivates us in no time, making the track fly by in a fraction of a second, while Tenvalijenn in turn takes us under its spell with particularly well thought-out riffs. The few vocal interventions are also perfect for punctuating our progress through the haunting darkness to Kabalastral and its rather changeable approach, moving from a virulent explosion to more mystical passages. Korollarvest meurdezus follows, drawing us into its macabre and sometimes melancholy dance, revving up the machine again and again with heady harmonics before letting Sterenn du lead its charge between fury and slightly softer points of sadness. A moment of calm returns with the opening moments of Heg vras an didermen, quickly reinforced by massive riffs that take our minds into limbo, but the sound eventually thickens again on Dreist an hollved hewel, becoming almost suffocating during the most virulent passages framed by a few more ethereal touches. The vocals contribute to this unhealthy atmosphere, before Tuzumded borrow from Doom to turn its riffs into a rhythmically shifting curtain of darkness, which eventually evaporates as it joins Hurlink, the last instrumental composition that seems almost unreal, so different from the others, allowing us to come to our senses.
Well-known on the French Black Metal scene, Belenos don’t hesitate to borrow from their Breton Pagan roots, or even from other styles, to color Egor‘s riffs. The band’s return is more than welcome.
95/100