Be’lakor - The Frail Tide [Full Album]

Arist: Be’lakor Album: The Frail Tide Country Of Origin: Australia Release Date: April 21st, 2007 Label: Self-released/independent Playlist: 1. Neither Shape Nor Shadow 00:00 2. The Desolation Of Ares 7:40 3. Tre’aste 15:49 4. A Natural Apostasy 21:30 5. Paths 28:08 6. Sanguinary 34:12 Total Length: 42:55 At a glance at the bleak, sepia landscape that adorns the front cover of The Frail Tide, a prospective listener would be led to believe that the music or Be’Lakor reflects the mood of the cover, dark and sombre. From the very opening notes of Neither Shape Nor Shadow I realised I couldn’t have been more wrong, the CD is underpinned by beautifully produced soaring melodies and progressive song structures rather than the abrasive black metal bombardment I expected. Though I was wrong about the style of metal I expected Be’Lakor to play, I was indeed NOT wrong about deciding to review this CD. The Frail Tide is a fantastic debut from a young band with a bright future. I almost hesitate to compare the young Aussies to Slovakia’s 5 piece melodeath figurehead, Depresy, not because I don’t believe Be’Lakor measure up (quite the opposite in fact) but more because the bands are only sonically similar on one level, that is when they are playing straight up melodic death metal. Be’lakor go much further than this. It is when the band turns the volume down that things get more tricky, and on the flip side, more interesting to listen to. Influences are worn on the sleeves, but are so diverse and widespread that there is never any sense of deja’vu. Desolation of Ares features an interlude that would not seem out of place on a Haggard CD, immediately followed by an outro that sounds as if it belongs on Opeth’s Still Life. A Natural Apostasy builds up to a wonderful duel between semi-distorted guitars and flutes that gradually grows to a crescendo. Grand piano is also used to its full extent, not just in the slower breakdowns, but frequently alongside electric guitar as an equal rather than being tucked behind or obscuring other instruments, a rarity in modern metal, indeed, pianist Steve Merry gets his chance to shine on Paths, a 5 minute piano instrumental. The guitars themselves sound fantastic and use a wide variety of effects and tones to suit the moods of the various sections, melodies are kept refreshingly simple and catchy rather than seeking any technical approval before seeking musical effectiveness. However, this leads to one of my only gripes with this CD, the fact that some of the catchy melodies may be a bit too catchy. The most prominent example of this would be the opening track, which continually revisits variations of the same riff. The riff itself is very listenable and very catchy, but I feel that the level of repetition used in this song doesn’t fit the album particularly well. The vocals are entirely growled, a decision which I personally think works very well as it allows the softer sections to be purely instrumental, vocals over these parts I believe would detract from the great compositional skills that this band possess. Vocal performances throughout the CD are consistently good, there is little variation, but in a band where the focus is very much on melody and song writing, this isn’t really a major issue for me at all. Finally I come to the production, which leads to my only other problem with the album. Yes, the production is fantastic, it is never easy to master for a band with so many different tones and instruments going on at the same time and I can safely say that the clarity of the disc is excellent, everything is perfectly audible, however I get the feeling sometimes the that mix is a bit too thin and favours the drums over the guitars a bit too much, this leads to a bit of a dry feeling which is perfectly common in band’s first releases and is to be expected. Overall, this CD is a wonderful listen and is very much a strong foundation for a successful career to be built upon, I had to look very hard to find any minor things wrong with The Frail Tide, and the pickiest little decisions I’ve made about a generic riff here and there or a slightly thin production should be taken with a pinch of salt for the sake of constructive criticism, you WILL enjoy this album if you are a fan of any form of metal that is a bit eccentric or out of the ordinary, BUY IT NOW. - boboy, November 20th, 2007 ’lakor/The_Frail_Tide/148444/boboy DISCLAIMER: All right reserved to their respective owners. I don’t own this. I don’t get money or any kind of benefits from this.