It’s nice to hear every once in a while from some of the newer crops of bands, hitting the scene in this day and age, that while not seeking to break any new ground, they bring us much of the old school and present it with conviction and feeling, which is a good thing. Plus, when they go with the more melodic path carved by such bands as SACRAMENTUM, EUCHARIST and, of course, the almighty DISSECTION, you know you may be onto something good. Now with BELIALED, I’m not implying they are at that level by any stretch of the imagination, but the guideposts are there. Immediately upon pressing play, you will hear the selfsame tonality in the riffing and presentation, and it will bring a welcome smile to your face. Not many bands take the aforementioned band’s sonic approach nowadays. Too many seem to be walking the well-worn path of the dark and evil Black Metal route. While this is not bad by any means, it’s just nice to get a palate cleanser occasionally. So now that I may have hopefully piqued your curiosity, let’s delve into the nitty-gritty, shall we? If you are a fan of some of the bands that I mentioned above, you will find much here that can draw you in. For example, the production has that slightly cold, harsh presentation which gives a nod to their forefathers but still offers enough of a modern bite to the proceedings. The songs and the overall pace are well done as well. Not blatantly derivative but also just enough to bring what BELIALED stands for to the table. A minor gripe is the runtime. Most of the songs run over the five minute mark, and at points it can get a bit samey. Being a fairly new band, there is time to tighten the structures and maybe make for a more punchier approach. This being only their second full-length, they are still early in the game. Positives though is the music itself, which has shades of past glories, be it the rhythmic structure of the riffs, and the approach of the vocalist as well. His intonations and rhythmic structure give me welcome memories of the aforementioned SACRAMENTUM, but also NAGLFAR as well. Not much to complain about here, the band offers up a welcome change of pace, and with time, they could offer up something that we all may sit and take notice of. www.facebook.com/belialed, www.facebook.com/trollzorn