For all those who are in perpetual search of new talents, of which I am one, we are always on the hunt to find musical pearls, and in this specific case, this is literally what I found with the Belarusians of 'Belle Morte' because it is precisely the title of their second album, the album that made me discover them. I might as well warn you right away, this band is not yet another symphonic metal band that fits the formatted mold of this style because, after a first listen, we are overwhelmed by multiple influences with, of course, some being drawn from their Slavic roots. In addition, multiple guests, listed below, participate in this album with many traditional instruments, which considerably densifies the instrumental arrangements. Not knowing some of them, I have also given you the links to Wikipedia. So, ready for a world tour of eclectic musical flavors, the whole mixing different styles, ranging from melodic and quiet rock to extreme metal?
We are greeted by the title song, a short melody on which 'Belle Morte' offers us a vocal performance filled with beautiful delicacy, the duda and sopilka instruments bringing a very pleasant Celtic folk side (see the video above), then, 'Falling Idol' adds electric instruments and flirts with the melodies of 'Nightwish' in melodic symphonic metal with Nordic influences. We move to the other side of the planet with the Asian influences of 'Exorcism', the traditional instruments displaying a striking contrast with the power of the saturated guitars, and the geisha 'Belle Morte' delivering tasty volutes in a fairly high register (see the video here), then, 'Blame Me' conceals Slavic influences with rhythmic and intensity changes bringing a theatrical side to a gripping melody. Back to the Nordic lands with the beautiful ballad 'Wintersleep', looking towards the melodies of the first 'Nightwich' at the end of the 90s, then, the pan flute of 'Losing Faith' takes us to the other side of the Atlantic, to South America and brings together traditional sounds with a very beautiful more conventional melody in a lively atmosphere. Another wonderful moment, 'Black Waters' takes us into aerial volutes with the Indonesian instruments, the suling and the gamelan, the vocal duo 'Belle Morte'/'Sergey Butovsky' bringing a beautiful emotion, this composition hardening in the finale in which 'Belle Morte' delivers us wonderful vocalises.
We continue this beautiful journey with 'Willow' which, on a slow tempo, is a new ballad that takes us into a more classical register, the lute and the hurdy-gurdy bringing this traditional side, the chorus with generous choirs being magnificent and the finale falling back into a few notes of lute being divine. With 'September', East and West become one in this beautiful title that integrates a perfect fusion of electric instruments and traditional instruments such as the oud and the saz, and this in an atmosphere borrowed from a beautiful musical enthusiasm (see the video here). The atmosphere hardens with 'Jorōgumo' which is very diverse by displaying different influences and which offers angry growls that would not have been denied by 'Orphaned Land' ('Sergey Butovsky' also having a bit of the voice of 'Kobi Farhi' in the verses), the whole having a very pleasant festive side thanks to a very catchy rhythm which gives an irresistible desire to move, then, 'Krew' raises the emotional cursor several notches by bringing together the three languages Belarusian, Ukrainian and Polish with the guests 'Alex Pilkevych' and 'Ada Rusinkiewicz' and which, on the theme of the war in Ukraine, is a kind of imploration for the reconciliation of peoples, an intense moment that music allows to propose (see the video here). And to finish, the piano/voice version of 'Exorcism' only retains the substantial marrow of this wonderful song that gives us the opportunity to hear one last time the melodious song of 'Belle Morte'.
In summary, the Belarusians of 'Belle Morte' release a wonderful album by integrating many influences and with, cherry on the cake, the participation of many instrumentalists who bring a real authenticity to each composition. Breaking down musical boundaries, this work goes well beyond symphonic metal and 'Pearl Hunting' is literally a collection of rare pearls of world music that take us on a fabulous exotic journey... | |
