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September 7, 2008 |
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GRAND BELIAL'S KEY - Castrate The Redeemer
Barbarian Wrath (2001) |
10/10 |
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By Wade O'Neill
March 28, 2005
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01. Foul Parody Of The Lord's Supper
02. Shemhamforash
03. Reflections Of The Coffin Lid
04. The Slums Of Jerusalem
05. Castrate The Redeemer
06. Sumerian Fairytale
07. At The Blessed Grotto
08. Savoring The Virgin's Pessary
09. Demonarchy
10. The Centaur
11. Conspicuous Imagery Adorns The Nunnery
12. The Seventh Enochian Key
13. The Holocaust Trumpeter
14. Mourners Flock To Gethsemane
15. Goat Of A Thousand Young
16. The Hexenhaus Vigil
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This album originally saw the light of day as "Mocking The Philanthropist" in 1998, on a label called "Wood Nymph Records". But after the album was boycotted in Europe, "Wood Nymph" went bankrupt, and the album wouldn't resurface until years later, under the even more offensive title "Castrate The Redeemer". So why was this album boycotted? Well, the lyrics are some of the most blasphemous and anti-Christian I've ever read. Now, I love the lyrics of VENOM and other bands that have a great sense of (black) humor, but GRAND BELIAL's KEY take themselves a little too seriously.
It's a shame that the lyrics will scare away so many potential listeners, because "Castrate" is the best black metal album I've heard. Now, I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but my collection includes such masterpieces as SUMMONING's "Dol Guldur", and BATHORY's "Under The Sign Of The Black Mark", so I'm not without street cred. Black metal fans have a high tolerance for blasphemy, but if you find GBK's lyrics offensive - and I don't particularly care for them - it doesn't matter. You can't understand what the vocalist is saying anyway. Cazz "The Black Lourde Of Crucifixion" Grant has a deep, un-screechy voice, which he uses more like a backing instrument. Maybe it's because the vocalist is also the drummer, but "The Black Lourde" uses his vocals to complement the guitars, rather than to drive the songs. The vocals are refreshingly low in the mix, keeping Gelial Necrosodomy's guitars in the forefront.
On drums, "The Black Lourde" gives a virtuoso performance. I can listen to the drumwork, ignore the rest of the album, and never get bored.
At the end of the day, heavy metal is about riffs, and it's Gelial's "magically rifflicious" songwriting that clenches victory for the forces of evil. With enough listens, this album will click just as hard with fans of melodic metal as it will with black metal diehards. A great guitarist doesn't write material that only a handful of people can play; a great guitarist writes riffs that make people say, "Why didn't I think of that?" "Shemhamforash" is the most accessible track, and the most simply structured, but I'll forgive GBK because... damn, is that main riff catchy (0:36-0:48)! It's reprised just enough to leave you wanting more, but not so much that it wears out its welcome. The same can be said of all great riffs on this album. "Slums Of Jerusalem" has a mock-nursery rhyme chorus. At 4:19, I'm subtly reminded of MANOWAR's "Heart Of Steel", though I doubt the band cites MANOWAR as an influence.
"Sumerian Fairytale" begins with a church organ, and the organ/guitar trade off makes for one interesting intro. "Conspicuous Imagery Adorns The Nunnery" opens with a great creeping riff, and it was when I heard this riff that I realized: there's more to evil than a crappy production, screeched vocals, and speedy, but sloppy playing. What makes an evil song memorable is the same thing that makes any metal song memorable: quality songwriting.
There's a lot more variety on this album than you'd expect from something titled "Castrate The Redeemer". "At the Blessed Grotto" is an organ instrumental that includes the melody from "Walking In The Air". On "The Seventh Enochian Key", the band takes a minimalist approach for maximum impact, transporting the listener inside a Satanic ritual chamber. And then comes the "Holocaust Trumpeter". God, what a terrible title, but man, what an awesome song. Its monumental chorus has an epic, military drum beat and backing opera vocals. If you're a traditional metal fan looking for something to sink your teeth into, consider the guitarwork at 3:54 to be a nice juicy steak.
The album closes with a couple bonus tracks, and I wish it didn't. Imagine if IRON MAIDEN's "Somewhere In Time" ended with "Reach Out" and "That Girl" instead of "Alexander The Great". The world as we know it would cease to exist: birds would fly upside down and dogs would walk people. The bonus tracks come straight off GBK's "A Witness To Regicide" demo, but if the band really wanted to give their fans a treat, they should have re-recorded the songs with better production. Now that I've fulfilled my critic's obligation to criticize something, let me conclude by saying that I love this album. Sure, I don't agree with the lyrics, but I don't read them either. Now that I've got you interested in this band, get this album before you buy their more straightforward, less transcendent "Judeobeast Assassinaton".
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