Review by Anna on February 24, 2010.

Grieving Age is an unsigned Doom-Death act from Saudi Arabia. Their demo "In Aloof Lantern, Thy Bequeathed A Wailer Quietus..", sounds like an unsigned Doom-Death act. There was really no going outside of the box as it seems they adhered too blindly to the genre they were going for. This demo is barren of anything that's never been heard, and there was no single riff that caused me to perk up my ears with more focused attention at any point.

The vocals lack the oomph to back up the 'size' it's trying for, in turn making it sound like a strained and oxygen-depriving experience for the vocalist. The length of the tracks don't enhance the feeling or psychological affect of the songs, rather they seem to serve the never-ending stream of fanciful lyrics. Aaron Stainthorpe seemed to have gotten quite happy with the Photoshop here, collaging pieces of surreal elements together and having a blast with the light-altering functions of the program. Though like the album itself, his vision didn't quite translate with any measure of success.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 4
Atmosphere: 3
Production: 4
Originality: 2
Overall: 3

Rating: 3.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 16, 2020.

Lord Belial are one of those bands for whom only the crumbs were ever left. The simple reason for this is a program that unfortunately always had more weak spots than the offer of comparable combos. The title track of Scythe of Death is just right in this context, because it is nothing more than the soundtrack of absolute boredom. A dark sound body drags itself over seven minutes over hill and dale and nothing happens at all. The unimaginative fade-out at the end comes as no surprise and the dull production adapts to the level of the opener. Adding insult to injury, it goes without saying the further tracks also do not benefit from the mix. The shortcomings in the technical realization swallow much of the vehemence that an output should have when it comes to more or less rabid metal.

The fast 'Black Void' at least raises the level of aggression and the guitar lines are more expressive. The screech vocals seem less apathetic and the calming break in the middle of the track is also successful. All in all, an acceptable piece of blackened metal. The same applies in the result to the crisp 'Possessed By Fire' and the "scandal song" called 'Purify Sweden'. Lord Belial are so free and rail against religion, which is nothing new in the genre, if I'm not mistaken. Here, however, it is primarily about Islam, which "in the name of Swedishness" the fight is declared. Of course, this was somehow not okay for some listeners who have no problem with the verbal eradication of all Christianity. Such fine distinctions are too high for me. But apart from such nuances, it's not this song that deserves first place in a relatively weak contest anyway, but 'Possessed by Fire'.

No doubt, it’s the old problem of Lord Belial that prevents a higher rating. They are too melodic and lackadaisical for real black metal and they are too brutal and too fast for an audience that prefers powerful yet less extreme sounds. In addition, the songs just lack good ideas, not completely, but to a certain degree. I have seen that they are still active, but their last album was published in 2008. Maybe they are just seeking the key for the creation of better songs since then. But even if my guess is wrong, I can't really recommend this EP.

Rating: 5.4 out of 10