Balmog - Laio
Release Date: May 23rd, 2025
War Anthem Records
Coming forth like a whirlwind of structured chaos, Balmog is an unrelenting blaze of black metal fury. The kind style on "Laio" relies on capturing harshness and dissonance in a way that creates a truly frenzied atmosphere. A track such as, "Ortus Umbra" also adds variety by harboring a differing tone before returning to the general sound "Laio" with the song "Mashalam". Balmog isn't a "pretty" black metal band. I think the charm of their sound comes from the rawness that they convey. In some circles this would classify Balmog as having a more "true" sound keeping the over-the-top visual and musical aesthetics away. The walls of distortion also allow for excellent trance-like sounds on their last track on the album, "Getsemani". "Laio" is a strong and rather unique release that I believe embodies the best qualities of the truly ravaging aspects that black metal can possess. The concepts present on this album according to the band focuses on, "how we can be content with being simple pieces of molded mud or how we can shine like the explosion of a dying star, about how we can escape the ways of divinity, ways that can be dark and manipulative." This is their fifth album and the band feels they have achieved a new level of maturity with their craft. Being unfamiliar with them until now I don't have a point of comparison, but "Laio" is definitely a strong release.
www.war-anthem.de
war-anthem-records.bandcamp.com
Release Date: May 23rd, 2025
War Anthem Records
Coming forth like a whirlwind of structured chaos, Balmog is an unrelenting blaze of black metal fury. The kind style on "Laio" relies on capturing harshness and dissonance in a way that creates a truly frenzied atmosphere. A track such as, "Ortus Umbra" also adds variety by harboring a differing tone before returning to the general sound "Laio" with the song "Mashalam". Balmog isn't a "pretty" black metal band. I think the charm of their sound comes from the rawness that they convey. In some circles this would classify Balmog as having a more "true" sound keeping the over-the-top visual and musical aesthetics away. The walls of distortion also allow for excellent trance-like sounds on their last track on the album, "Getsemani". "Laio" is a strong and rather unique release that I believe embodies the best qualities of the truly ravaging aspects that black metal can possess. The concepts present on this album according to the band focuses on, "how we can be content with being simple pieces of molded mud or how we can shine like the explosion of a dying star, about how we can escape the ways of divinity, ways that can be dark and manipulative." This is their fifth album and the band feels they have achieved a new level of maturity with their craft. Being unfamiliar with them until now I don't have a point of comparison, but "Laio" is definitely a strong release.
www.war-anthem.de
war-anthem-records.bandcamp.com