Eastern seaboarders Grand Belial's Key flail at open chords, blast beats and guttural blasphemy in the best Scandinavian black metal tradition. Giving the Norse a run for their money, the trio of grim-looking white boys named Gelal Necrosodomy, The Black Lourde of Crucifixion and Demonic, respectively (no clue what instruments they play) manage to pull some decently original changes on the old Satan-lovin,' Jesus dissin' formula.
On the other hand, if Christianity was never your home religion, the peculiar gastrointestinal focus of this particular brand of blasphemy comes off as downright silly; where is Michael Palin or John Cleese of Monty Python when you need them, to halt the flood of cheesy lyrics? You have to wonder what Christ ever did in his brief but inspirational career to provoke such ire. Then again, maybe somebody needs to look up the term "moribund" in the dictionary to see exactly what qualities this record label actually invokes with its moniker (hint -- like homosexual necrophilia, it's all about a dead end.)
Given a solid listen, this album packs some real musical quality, if you just don't read the lyrics. An inspired blend of old-fashioned Venom/Mercyful Fate style thrash that recalls Germans Bewitched; occasionally haunting use of harmonics and arpeggios; ultracool symphonic keyboard effects, and other choice variations on a theme definitely command attention. Like a somewhat more complex version of God Dethroned, GBK deliver an artistically well-hewn black metal sound which, unfortunate lyrics aside, should appeal to acolytes of this genre.
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
