Bellgrave
Evil Mood

March 2009
Released: 2008, Twilight Zone Records
Rating: 2.0/5
Reviewer: Luxi Lahtinen

German combo Bellgrave is said to play sort of ´death-rock´ on their 3rd album, titled EVIL MOOD. The term ´deathrock´ gives me goosepimples nowadays as I think only such Finnish pioneers of that particular genre in question, as Xysma, Disgrace and Convulse made their stuff once interesting and innovative by mixing cleverly death metal with some rock elements that seemed to be a very successful recipe for all these bands back in the day. Also the true Swedish pioneers of death metal Entombed succeeded very well in the very same thing on their WOLVERINE BLUES album in my opinion, making a perfect match between death metal and plain rock music. At the same time, it was also sort of a fresh breath of air to the over-saturated death metal scene at that time when basically every band wanted to plagiarize Entombed, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Deicide, etc.



Bellgrave actually should have done this album in the early ´90s, but obviously now, in 2009, they are a bit too late when the whole ´deathrock´ genre has been wiped away from the metal scene a long time ago already. On the other hand, they are nowhere near as good at this ´deathrock´ thing of theirs, than let´s say, the bands I listed earlier as the true champions at it.



There are parts in Bellgrave´s album that sound kinda okay-ish and cool, but that´s all they can offer even at their best, I´m afraid. I don´t know, maybe I woke up on the wrong foot this morning but Bellgrave´s latest album only got me literally into an evil mood. Sorry about that, guys! I´m off..