Glorior Belli – The Great Southern Darkness

It is true, that France has a very good black metal scene and too many remarkable bands on the genre. Glorior Belli is one of them. Even if they are playing music from 2005 and “The Great Southern Darkness” is only the fourth full-length album, they became immediately popular to the Black Metal fanatics. Following the steps of Deathspell Omega and Blut aus Nord and other countrymate bands, they are presenting us their new album. Having changed their music – from raw and orthodox black metal, to a “different” black metal style now- Glorior Belli have put their mark in the whole black scene.

The fact is that the new album is very difficult to listen. I admit that it took me more than three or four times to understand their music. Like Deathspell Omega’s “Paracletus”, the Parisians follow also experimental steps in “The Great Southern Darkness”. The band evolves the music they have played in 2009 at “Meet Us in the Southern Sign”. The new album has a lot of progressive and ambient elements. Someone can easily say that the new album has less black metal feeling, but the truth is that there is a compensation with a killer production, very good guitars, heavy bass and flexible drumming. The band surpasses the line of the stereotypical black metal and produce an innovative black metal album.

I will not try to analyze the songs, moreover everybody has a subjective assessment. Personally, I prefer “Secret Ride To Rebellion” with the chaotic riffs and my favorite song of the album “Negative Incarnate”(perhaps the best riff that they have ever wrote) with the combination of the crazy stoner solo. Also I like “They Call Me Black Devil” a song which also the stoner rock ingredients are apparent. Another good song that is worth staying in is “The Foolhardy Venturer” with amazing progressive guitars and a different black metal attitude. The final song I found very difficult I must say. Except the brutal vocals, at some points the guitars are clearly influenced by Monster Magnet’s music. As I said everyone has his subjective assessment. For the followers of their two first albums I recommend “Bring Down the Cosmic Scheme” and “The Science of Shifting” which are very close to their old black metal style.

In conclusion, “The Great Southern Darkness” is a very difficult album, but surely not a mediocre album. The title says it all: A great southern black metal. If I had to put a title for their music in this album, that would be “Black ‘n’ Roll for nihilists”. If you didn’t like the album from the first listening, give it a chance!