Review Summary: Satanicunt.
Blackened death or deathened black, Grand Belial’s Key are f
ucking evil and will bring the full brunt of Satan’s hoof down on your face. Their second full length, the aptly titled
Judeobeast Assassination, is a showcase of how little the band care for any tags that may be attached to them. They weave in and out of black and death territory, at times sounding impressively malevolent and at others laughably awesome; while listening to
Judeobeast Assassination, you will find yourself not only energized by its ferocity, not only stunned in disbelief at how many fantastic riffs they managed to fit in, but also amazed at the band’s consistent melodic touch, even through their constant blaspheming and sodomy.
As an album,
Judeobeast Assassination does not let up its assault on the senses throughout its length. Each and every song is chock full of ridiculously good riffing, the rhythm section dropping away to allow a greater focus on this particular aspect. Grim as they may be, the band does not allow their evident malice to become overbearing, and greatly infuse melody into their overall bleak outlook, whether it be through a lessening in the pace or a rather tasteful solo. Take for example ‘Lamb Of God Slain Will Be’; after battering you for well over four minutes, the track finishes off with a slower and greatly melodic riff, seemingly inappropriate regarding the album’s general sound, but incredibly well pulled off. This changing of mood is apparent all over the album: ‘Satanicunt’ is another prime example of how well the band combines irreligiously brutal ear mauling with a slightly more elegant conception of black metal.
Grand Belial’s Key does the whole anti-religious thing rather well. They push the concept to such an extent that you know they’re laughing at the idiots who buy it, but don’t become engrossed in it so much so that they resemble something lame like Deicide. Track titles such as ‘The Sh
itagogue’ and ‘Satanicunt’ are offensive simply for the point of offending, and fit the album’s sound perfectly.
Vocally, the album could not be better. Mid ranged gutturals punctuate the guitar lines sublimely, and their raw and unrefined nature goes hand in hand with the album’s gritty sound. To say the album is under-produced would not be wrong, but to say that this affects the album adversely would be; a large portion of the album’s force comes from its dirty resonance, and having it any other way would undoubtedly lessen
Judeobeast Assassination’s strength as an album.
Frankly, Grand Belial’s Key are not a toe out of line with
Judeobeast Assassination. It’s an album of every extreme, yet remains hugely listenable and unquestionably well put together. Constantly staying well above the point of linear monotone, the album's focus on relentlessly remaining inventive and appealing results in what is a superb album. Highly recommended.
