Belphegor - 'Conjuring The Dead'

Belphegor are a band who - in common with many of their black metal counterparts - have often gone out of their way to court controversy in order to build their profile, even going so far as to have their early albums banned in their native Austria (as well as in a few other lessBelphegor are a band who – in common with many of their black metal counterparts – have often gone out of their way to court controversy in order to build their profile, even going so far as to have their early albums banned in their native Austria (as well as in a few other less liberal countries – a move which the band subsequently exploited when the embargo was finally lifted by repackaging the offerings and reissuing then with the word 'BANNED' plastered needlessly across the cover art).  The problem they have often had – and this comes from someone who actually is a fan – is that they have all too often been unable to back up that controversy with material which entices all but the most hardened listener (and reviewer) to explore below the surface of that tabloid-style sensationalism and examine their true worth… 'Conjuring The Dead' is a case in point, in that it struggles to decide whether it wants to be a pure black metal album or an old school death metal one – with the result that it falls, in places ignominiously, between the two sub-genres.  There are some terrific moments – opener 'Gasmask Terror', [...]

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