BELPHEGOR - Bondage Goat Zombie

This latest release of the Austrian quartet (with 3 stable members that apparently became only 2) lives up to the kind of goodies we got used to have delivered on their previous albums. In other words, when it comes to music – from Belphegor only good news; when it comes to lyrics – only Satans, whose circle of trust has been broadened by co-opting Marquis de Sade (or more precisely his writings) within their patrimony of already traditional infernal sources of inspiration.

Bondage Goat Zombie reaches beyond all the heights so far reached by the Austrian combo, and in order to sustain and document my statement with technical, and even sentimental, details – hyperblasting drums, registers, effects, orchestral arrangements, flagellations – I will refer to the most direct source, namely the promotional package available on Belphegor’s website, where Helmuth is unveiling with much pathos the story and happenings of every single song; following the audition of the album I can only say that his descriptions are fully sustained by the evidence.

Bondage Goat Zombie is a rather short (about 40 minutes), but dense album, including 9 well-thought, well-felt and well-expressed songs in  that specific style of Belphegor that began to materialize starting with Goatreich - Fleshcult, that is a mélange of ferocious, light-speeded death metal, accompanied by a constant stream of divinely malefic melody. The chainsaw, officially declared by Helmuth his favorite instrument, is functioning within normal – and of course diabolical - parameters and even beyond, all in service of the purpose declared by the 4th song - Shred for Satan.
Bondage Goat Zombie – the song that gives the title of the album – opens monumentally, with apocalyptic tonalities; all my neurons answered the roll call and maintained their position for Stigmata Diabolicum, the song that Helmuth labeled as the anthem of the album. However, Armaggedon Raid brings about a new direction of attack, in more than just one way: after an intro in pre-classic tonalities, serving an organ à la Bach, a dark and somber chorus, tainted by a desolating flavor – both obviously part of the experimental “program” mentioned in Helmuth’s tales of the album. In one word, Bondage Goat Zombie was able to keep me in check song by song, with its magic balance between variety - thus avoiding boredom - and unity - thus maintaining the coherence of every single song, as well the overall conceptual consistency.

To notice also Torturer’s contribution behind the drums, responsible for the constant and perseverant machingunning; this does not mean however that the rest of the instruments has to follow semper fi and as one its infernal rhythms. The vocals come also in a varied selection, combining death metal growling and black metal screaming; sweet, feminine whispers and moaning are also scattered across the landscape for spicing up and fuelling a certain range of fantasies; some will probably also appreciate the clean vocals insertions, however the penitent, monk-ish like passage from Sukkubus Lustrate is rather bizarre.

(+) 9 songs well-thought, well-shaped, well-felt and well-executed; an impeccably dosed mélange of speed and brutality with a constant infusion of “divinely malefic” melody
(-) too damn short

G.A.S. Nota: 9