Band:	The Belonging
Album:	Ashes Of The Fallen Throne
Style:	Blackened death metal
Release date:	2008

01. Secrets Of Thy Labyrinth
02. Hail To Eternal Damnation
03. Eternal Kiss
04. Oracle Of The Night
05. Sacrifice The Life
06. Prophetic Visions
07. Blood For The Gods
08. Ashes Of The Fallen Throne

The Belonging is Death/Black hybrid hailing from the UK, a decade old, that now has a second album out. After the first song they didn't impress me too much, but there's more to this band that meets the eye. Usually these self-released albums are enjoyable for a couple of spins, but rarely do they hold my interest once the review is done and published. With The Belonging's "Ashes To The Fallen Throne" this'll mostly likely be different.

Besides being playing a skilled combination of Black metal's fury and Death metal's force, these guys are also quite fresh. They don't really do anything new or progressive, but they have that special touch that graces you when everything's working out for you. "Ashes Of The Fallen Throne" packs some killer riffs and ditto solos and leads, some reminiscent of Slayer, Behemoth and Nile. For the vocals we can look into the direction of Behemoth's Nergal during their Satanica and Thelema.6 days, albeit they are a little less aggressive. Their drummer is probably the biggest Black metal fan of the bunch seeing as he frequently makes use of the Darkthrone styled pounding and old school sound, which gives the entire thing a charming appeal.

Add to that that this record has a good production, nice cover art and nothing to complain about; this is surely a nice addition to your collection. But what's more, this band is not done yet. So far they've only released two albums and two demos in ten years, but if they can kick it up a notch and get a good label to support them, they might just make it big next time. I have the feeling this won't be the last, nor the best, we've heard from them.