Written by Daru Jericho on 25.09.2006 at 01:14

I think the narration in their songs kills it at times.

Exactly why I can't enjoy this band. This narrative voice is quite boring after a few songs and make their music sound as a cheesefest.

It's a pity, because I believe I could like this band, if it wasn't for that ridiculously cheesy narrative voice. It really kills the atmosphere for me.

Yeah, they're OK. I have a couple of their albums, and I listen to them at times, they have some good stuff, but by and large they just sound a bit cheesy.

Awesome band. So heavy, yet melodic too, with some of the most original melodies and riffs Ive cam across. They lyrics are great, when I first read them, I said "wtf, this cant be a US band, what a vocabulary..." Than I came here and saw they are British. That explained a lot. Absolutely great lyrics and concept(s), it feels as if Shakespeare had a metal band...
I also like the way how their music "follows" the lyrics in some places, its hard to explain but I hear that on The Power Cosmic mostly, which is alongside the Battle Magic my favorite of Bal-Sagoth.

And yeah, just to mention that I got into this band when I first saw the title of the song "The Dark Liege Of Chaos Is Unleashed At The Ensorcelled Shrine Of A'Zura Kai (The Splendour Of A Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath The Blazon Of The Hyperborean Empire Part II)" , and I thought, wow, this title is longer than the lyrics of some songs. lets check it out

They can sound very cool when you are in the mood for them. Certainly some truly epic moments in their music.

Amazing band! The music theorist's wet dream.

Haha that sponsorship that they have with that armor and sword company made me laugh, although it was not unexpected

Damn, i need to listen to Black Magic once again soon...

Written by Midnight Walker on 31.03.2009 at 23:02

Yeah, they're OK. I have a couple of their albums, and I listen to them at times, they have some good stuff, but by and large they just sound a bit cheesy.

this band wouldn't be good if they weren't cheesy imo

Indar Productions just recently finished up their new Bal-Sagoth leather accessories.

A catalog of their leather items (including Emperor, Ihsahn, While Heaven Wept, etc.) can be found as a PDF here.

Written by ComePierrot on 28.08.2009 at 07:52

The music theorist's wet dream.

Bingo, and it makes them better than 90% of the stuff out there. People who like to nitpick the narration, etc are generally the exact opposite of a music theorist, I don't need to say what that is.

Cheese comments are lame, it's a man's way of saying "I'll be embarassed if someone catches me doing this".

Written by Yasmine on 22.03.2011 at 08:12

Written by ComePierrot on 28.08.2009 at 07:52

The music theorist's wet dream.

Bingo, and it makes them better than 90% of the stuff out there. People who like to nitpick the narration, etc are generally the exact opposite of a music theorist, I don't need to say what that is.

Cheese comments are lame, it's a man's way of saying "I'll be embarassed if someone catches me doing this".

And the narration is what makes Bal-Sagoth so incredible...it's like riding a cosmic wave with a storyteller on the side speaking of entities and galactic battles...how can that NOT be awesome??

Written by Guest on 22.03.2011 at 21:52

Written by Yasmine on 22.03.2011 at 08:12

Written by ComePierrot on 28.08.2009 at 07:52

The music theorist's wet dream.

Bingo, and it makes them better than 90% of the stuff out there. People who like to nitpick the narration, etc are generally the exact opposite of a music theorist, I don't need to say what that is.

Cheese comments are lame, it's a man's way of saying "I'll be embarassed if someone catches me doing this".

And the narration is what makes Bal-Sagoth so incredible...it's like riding a cosmic wave with a storyteller on the side speaking of entities and galactic battles...how can that NOT be awesome??

It's part of the mystique.

Im just waiting to hear a new album from these guys!

Hey folks, first post here. Was browsing the forums when I saw this thread and had to respond.

I stumbled upon Bal-Sagoth only less than a year ago, and they've become one of my favorite bands. I'm no music theorist, not by a long shot, and I don't get any "cheese" from them. Metal, in my opinion, will always come with a hint of cheese, but we as fans have blocked out the majority of that particular stench.

Nonetheless, I've had a hard time finding other people who have heard of Bal-Sagoth and so felt the need to post here. I'm a big H.P. Lovecraft fan, and as such found "The Chthonic Chronicles" particularly amazing. As stated before, the music coincides with the lyrics a good deal of the time, which many bands have a difficult time pulling off effectively, whereas I find Bal-Sagoth very capable in this area.

Written by Draick117 on 31.03.2011 at 05:51

Hey folks, first post here. Was browsing the forums when I saw this thread and had to respond.

I stumbled upon Bal-Sagoth only less than a year ago, and they've become one of my favorite bands. I'm no music theorist, not by a long shot, and I don't get any "cheese" from them. Metal, in my opinion, will always come with a hint of cheese, but we as fans have blocked out the majority of that particular stench.

Nonetheless, I've had a hard time finding other people who have heard of Bal-Sagoth and so felt the need to post here. I'm a big H.P. Lovecraft fan, and as such found "The Chthonic Chronicles" particularly amazing. As stated before, the music coincides with the lyrics a good deal of the time, which many bands have a difficult time pulling off effectively, whereas I find Bal-Sagoth very capable in this area.

I completely agree, I had theory 1-4, playing guitar since I Was 6, and I'm always entertained by these guys, and also.....welcome to MS.

Written by MetalSpider on 24.03.2011 at 17:58

Im just waiting to hear a new album from these guys!

I doubt we'll see another album, their story is complete, and they were always a 6-album project.

Yes, I think I mentioned that a while back too. Although it would be nice, I don't know if there will ever be another Bal-Sagoth album.

Really? damn! that makes me sad

But their 6 albums are spectacular no doubt.

Written by MetalSpider on 01.04.2011 at 20:13

Really? damn! that makes me sad

But their 6 albums are spectacular no doubt.

Absolutely, I'd love to do some music like that.

Written by Yasmine on 02.04.2011 at 04:13

Written by MetalSpider on 01.04.2011 at 20:13

Really? damn! that makes me sad

But their 6 albums are spectacular no doubt.

Absolutely, I'd love to do some music like that.

Yeah same! Although for me, Septicflesh (their last album Communion) is the closest in terms of music to what I would like to write. But Bal-Sagoth is definitely awesome!

Written by MetalSpider on 02.04.2011 at 06:33

Written by Yasmine on 02.04.2011 at 04:13

Written by MetalSpider on 01.04.2011 at 20:13

Really? damn! that makes me sad

But their 6 albums are spectacular no doubt.

Absolutely, I'd love to do some music like that.

Yeah same! Although for me, Septicflesh (their last album Communion) is the closest in terms of music to what I would like to write. But Bal-Sagoth is definitely awesome!

I'll check it out too, if you ever get around to it I started a thread to share riffs and put a song together. We could certainly do it again and see if we can't make us an epic song!

Written by Yasmine on 02.04.2011 at 06:42

Written by MetalSpider on 02.04.2011 at 06:33

Written by Yasmine on 02.04.2011 at 04:13

Written by MetalSpider on 01.04.2011 at 20:13

Really? damn! that makes me sad

But their 6 albums are spectacular no doubt.

Absolutely, I'd love to do some music like that.

Yeah same! Although for me, Septicflesh (their last album Communion) is the closest in terms of music to what I would like to write. But Bal-Sagoth is definitely awesome!

I'll check it out too, if you ever get around to it I started a thread to share riffs and put a song together. We could certainly do it again and see if we can't make us an epic song!

Awesome! I'll check out the thread. If I ever get the time to really sit down and write something then I definitely will.

Written by MetalSpider on 02.04.2011 at 08:02

Written by Yasmine on 02.04.2011 at 06:42

Written by MetalSpider on 02.04.2011 at 06:33

Written by Yasmine on 02.04.2011 at 04:13

Written by MetalSpider on 01.04.2011 at 20:13

Really? damn! that makes me sad

But their 6 albums are spectacular no doubt.

Absolutely, I'd love to do some music like that.

Yeah same! Although for me, Septicflesh (their last album Communion) is the closest in terms of music to what I would like to write. But Bal-Sagoth is definitely awesome!

I'll check it out too, if you ever get around to it I started a thread to share riffs and put a song together. We could certainly do it again and see if we can't make us an epic song!

Awesome! I'll check out the thread. If I ever get the time to really sit down and write something then I definitely will.

I like the music, the only thing I didn't much like was the clean vocals, the guy didn't have the voice for it. If we did that I'd want to use a real singer, vibrato, etc.
Misanthrope is another great reference for prog that's one the harsh side of things.

Written by Yasmine on 02.04.2011 at 08:07

Written by MetalSpider on 02.04.2011 at 08:02

Written by Yasmine on 02.04.2011 at 06:42

Written by MetalSpider on 02.04.2011 at 06:33

Written by Yasmine on 02.04.2011 at 04:13

Written by MetalSpider on 01.04.2011 at 20:13

Really? damn! that makes me sad

But their 6 albums are spectacular no doubt.

Absolutely, I'd love to do some music like that.

Yeah same! Although for me, Septicflesh (their last album Communion) is the closest in terms of music to what I would like to write. But Bal-Sagoth is definitely awesome!

I'll check it out too, if you ever get around to it I started a thread to share riffs and put a song together. We could certainly do it again and see if we can't make us an epic song!

Awesome! I'll check out the thread. If I ever get the time to really sit down and write something then I definitely will.

I like the music, the only thing I didn't much like was the clean vocals, the guy didn't have the voice for it. If we did that I'd want to use a real singer, vibrato, etc.
Misanthrope is another great reference for prog that's one the harsh side of things.

I agree 100%...the clean vocals are the weakest part.

I'll check out Misanthrope tomorrow. Right now...I need some sleep! Night! lol

Written by Yasmine on 22.03.2011 at 08:12

Written by ComePierrot on 28.08.2009 at 07:52

The music theorist's wet dream.

Bingo, and it makes them better than 90% of the stuff out there. People who like to nitpick the narration, etc are generally the exact opposite of a music theorist, I don't need to say what that is.

Cheese comments are lame, it's a man's way of saying "I'll be embarassed if someone catches me doing this".

Agreed! I don't listen to them *solely* for the complexity of their arrangements but I have a whole different level of appreciation for those who can make music as nuanced as Bal-Sagoth while writing breathtaking melodies/riffs etc. People who complain about the narration probably want interminable screaming to drown everything else out, which would detract from the composition as a whole. And besides, listening to Starfire Burning promotes penis growth.

I started listening to A Black Moon Broods over Lemuria about 5 years ago when I first started getting into black metal and I loved it! But until recently maybe one year, I started listening to their newer and more symphonic albums and they are even better in my opinion. I can honestly say I listen to Bal-Sagoth everyday I heard they are doing more shows in the UK and it is too bad I cant see them I'm hoping for a North American tour sometime.

How in the hell is this in extreme? only thing extreme about this is the boredom...

Extremely complex which I am beginning to think someone here hates. lol

Written by Guest on 21.05.2011 at 14:59

Written by BitterCOld on 21.05.2011 at 09:15

How in the hell is this in extreme? only thing extreme about this is the boredom...

well, that's certainly more extreme than the over-indulgent battle magic.

as for 'extremely complex' - complexity doesn't make it extreme. lol.

Over-indulgent doesn't mean it's not "extreme". lol