Review by Adam M on June 21, 2016.

Be'lakor play an epic form of melodic death metal. They put their heart and soul into every stroke that they perform and make an attempt to make the entire affair as grandiose as possible. They also have the tendency to make it as melodic as can be.

The guitar lines are full of melodic passages and have an endearingly catchy effect on the listener. The sound is absolutely huge and all-encompassing. This is appropriate for the melodic death metal style as it lends to a fairly unique entity in the sub-genre. None of the other bands that dominate this sub-genre are quite as epic in scope as Be’lakor which puts them closer to Amon Amarth at times. Aside from this aspect, they are more similar to something like Insomnium in their melodic approach. The tracks all have a lasting impact with the punchy production job they’re given. This impact is one of the strongest you’ll get from the melodic death metal genre and a huge reason to listen to the band. Each song here is interesting in its own right and fits in with the rest of the tracks nicely. The songs can be listened to on a stand-alone basis, however. They are moving enough to garnish a great deal of attention.

The drive of this band is unquestionable. They did not rest on their laurels with Vessels, but have delivered another ambitious effort. The quality here outdoes the new Omnium Gatherum as well, for another similar styled entry. One needs to look no further than An Ember’s Arc for an early highlight. However, the next track Withering Strands is strong as well. The band maintains the quality of their vision for the rest of the release as well. Still, when compared to the likes of New World Shadows, this falls a bit short of that mark. It is still a wonderful record of melodic death metal.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10