Intestine Baalism - Banquet In The Darkness

And now for something completely different

Last time I talked about Insomnium, the melancholy, the cold days of November and December and rainy clouds. This time we will be talking about ghouls, we will be talking about evil, we will be talking about ancient cannibalistic cults and gore. We will also be talking about Intestine Baalism, a Japanese melodic death metal band from Tokyo. Although if I had not looked up their location on Metal Archives, I would have assumed they were from Europe due to lack of usual Japanese touch in their music (for example GALNERYUS, LOVEBITES, Mary's Blood or LOUDNESS)

The band had released a stellar debut "An Anatomy Of The Beast" back in 1997, then took a quite extended break of six years before they released this. In that period I can say that they certainly spent time refining their skills because holy shit, they managed to top what was essentially already an all killer-no filler album. Compared to the debut, there's a bigger focus on lead guitar work and mood rather this time around. There's even an accoustic interlude track that's as melodic as something Insomnium would make.

But make no mistake, this is not an exploration of melancholy and loss. This is an evil-ass fucking album, we're talking gore, slaughter and cannibalism being explored. If you couldn't tell already by the ominous glovehead looking figure on the album cover, the moment "Flesh For The Twelfth Omnipotent" kicks in with its Carcass inspired riffs, you may even make a mistake of thinking this is just an old school death metal album. That is until about halfway throughout song the solo kicks off and riffs pivot to a very noticeable Dark Tranquility-early In Flames worship. This is indeed a melodic DEATH METAL record, as the riffs keep assaulting and don't let go.

And despite what the usual Gothenburg detractors would say, this album is definitely heavily inspired by bands like Dark Tranquility, Gates Of Ishtar or early In Flames. Just go listen to "The Genuine Tone" for undeniable confirmation that IB were listening to "Edenspring" or rather the entirety of "The Gallery" when they were recording this.

As I said before though, this is an evil-ass fucking album, so don't be fooled by pretty solos or consistent displays of Gothenburg melodicism. This is not the stuff to play when you're having a bad day. Well okay nobody is stopping you if it makes your day better, but this is the stuff that plays in the background as you and a bunch of your bodies are having a feast of wine, cakes and endless trays and plates of human flesh and organs. It is indeed that fucking evil sounding.

So if you're an evil bastard, or just like heavy riffs backed by high quality melodies reminiscent of Iron Maiden, give this one a go. Just don't go actually eating people