Review by Jack on November 6, 2001.

My initial impressions of Belphegor were ones of extreme skepticism and much eyebrow raising. The black/death ‘we hate Jesus and sodomise God’s children’ bands have pretty much drenched that to the bone, leaving other new outfits very little to nibble upon. Belphegor is one such band. Playing an overtly familiar conjoining formula of black speed and death metal riffs and solos, “Necrodaemon Terrosathan” isn’t exactly worth salivating at the mouth for. But if you’re the type who can’t abide change to the black/death genre, that outfits like Myrskog bring, then Belphegor are your agents of the anti-Christ.

Sporting axes, brandishing clubs and garnished in ammo belts and tight black leather adornments, originality clearly is not in the forefront of the lads from Belphegor minds. Instead consistency and conformity would be; consistency with the music; and conformity to dress like twits. Being the heathens that Belphegor are, they come ripe with the most anticipated song titles ever for this genre; ‘Vomit Upon the Cross’ and ‘Cremation of Holiness’ could have easily been lifted from any Cannibal Corpse or early Hypocrisy album. It is cliched trappings like these that make Belphegor difficult to digest from the others...

Belphegor however, are not without merit and remain to be seen as slightly more creative and innovative than some of their genre mates, and “Necrodaemon Terrorsathan” is fortunately lifted by this fabrications. ‘Vomit Upon the Cross’ for instance (despite its stupid title) starts off with a seemingly placid intro of Gregorian monks chanting before launching into full force of blast beat drums and brutal guitar riffing ala Hypocrisy and Morbid Angel. ‘Diabolical Possession’ features some very smooth vocal work that sees either Helmuth or Marius spew forth lyrics like they had spent five years in the Amazon and learned the native language perfectly. With factors like those and other small smatterings on “Necrodaemon Terrorsathan” that really save the album from falling into the average category. Overall...ok.

Bottom Line: “Necrodaemon Terrorsathan” is an ok album, that is summarized by predictable song titles, silly gimmicky attributes with the band members, but also possessing enough surprises to keep in from being relegated to the run-of-the-mill bands in the black/death genre.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Review by JD on November 11, 2014.

Lachrymanopsia hails from Quebec Canada and plays a style of melodic death metal and that is the most normal thing that I can say about this band. I'll tell you all about the other 98% of the story and it’s a rather odd sort of shit as well.

Sounding like death metal infused with varying degrees of different metals, prog and this odd feeling of jazz, this is not normal death metal fare, but a surprisingly good idea. Ongoing melodic strains meld well with the brutal crushing heaviness that eventually explode out of the CD. Artistry tries to mix with balls off aggression to try and paint a beautiful picture of bloodied beauty. Great thing to strive for, but I think not here.

Odd usage of different instruments mixed in with brutal death metal… you might think this is good, but guess again. Quirkiness does not mean good, as this was made by a person who has OCD, Autism, anger issues and very little in the way of talent. When they just do straight ahead death metal in certain spots it’s not bad, but add in the odd sounds noises and fragmented lyrics, it goes downhill faster than a drunken suicidal skier on the Matterhorn.

I was hoping that my countrymen were going to give us one blockbuster of an album but apparently Lachrymanopsia did not strive to do it. This is the most confused, bewildered and unwarranted piece of metal ever made in Canada or elsewhere. Some bangers out there might enjoy it to some degree but the vast majority will not even got through the first track. I love ‘quirkiness’… not senseless.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

Review by Jack on July 19, 2003.

Symphonic power metal buffalos Edguy, and more to the point Tobias Sammet are ridiculously gifted blokes are right up there in the ranks of contemporary power metal greatness (if such a thing exists...). After 4(?) studio albums they obviously felt it's time to strum together an extensive catalogue of their greatest hits in the form of a live album.

I don't really go too much on Edguy. It's not so much the music - Edguy are just one of those bands that don't really sit well with me. However, I really enjoyed the two Avantasia records.

"Burning Down the Opera" is a solid live album and full of fun-filled moments, for example Tobias interacting with his fans – revving them up, making them sing his bouncy power chords etc, etc. Of the 15 tracks of the album, I am pretty sure you would be able to find a number from each of their records, keeping most die-hard Edguy enthusiasts happy.

Not much more to say here. You are better off checking out their back catalogue for an introduction to the world of Edguy before checking this live record out. If you enjoy Edguy's power metalling exploits I am certain that picking up this record will be a no-brainer.

Bottom Line: If you know Edguy I am pretty sure you know what to expect here. Energetically-charged frontman Tobias Sammet is charismatic and invoking in front of a pretty receptive audience. Good sound quality and an interesting set list make for a decent live record.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 6.5
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Originality: 7
Overall: 6

Rating: 6.7 out of 10

Review by Jack on July 19, 2003.

Symphonic power metal buffalos Edguy, and more to the point Tobias Sammet are ridiculously gifted blokes are right up there in the ranks of contemporary power metal greatness (if such a thing exists...). After 4(?) studio albums they obviously felt it's time to strum together an extensive catalogue of their greatest hits in the form of a live album.

I don't really go too much on Edguy. It's not so much the music - Edguy are just one of those bands that don't really sit well with me. However, I really enjoyed the two Avantasia records.

"Burning Down the Opera" is a solid live album and full of fun-filled moments, for example Tobias interacting with his fans – revving them up, making them sing his bouncy power chords etc, etc. Of the 15 tracks of the album, I am pretty sure you would be able to find a number from each of their records, keeping most die-hard Edguy enthusiasts happy.

Not much more to say here. You are better off checking out their back catalogue for an introduction to the world of Edguy before checking this live record out. If you enjoy Edguy's power metalling exploits I am certain that picking up this record will be a no-brainer.

Bottom Line: If you know Edguy I am pretty sure you know what to expect here. Energetically-charged frontman Tobias Sammet is charismatic and invoking in front of a pretty receptive audience. Good sound quality and an interesting set list make for a decent live record.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 6.5
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Originality: 7
Overall: 6

Rating: 6.7 out of 10