Setting the Scene Reviews:
From the UK hails this band named The Belonging. Still unknown to me, I must say I was eager to check them out. Can't really explain why, it was just a vibe I was getting from both their name and artwork, something very Black Metal about it which I'm personally a very big fan of. But lets face it, how many Black Metal bands have been releasing albums after albums for the last few years? It's just so hard to put something fresh and original out there, but quite frankly I don't really give it that much importance since if the music is good, it's always good, regardless if it was written 1 or 10 years ago.
Formed back in 1998 and after a couple of demos, 2005 was finally the year for these guys since they made it and released their debut full-length album entitled "Setting the Scene".
As for their music genre, sources tell me they are somewhat of a mix between Black and Death Metal, but more melodic than anything else, really. And after listening to their album I'd probably define The Belonging as a Black Metal band, no more, no less.
I wouldn't really call them a melodic Black Metal though, even though sometimes they are. The sound is a little rough sometimes, specially the drums. The vocals are very harsh, nothing special, but the clean guitars they sometimes use are probably their best feature.
As a Black Metal fan myself I do enjoy when I get to check out newcomers within this genre. The Belonging may not be impressive yet, but can't forget this is only their debut, and some nice things were done here, so it makes it worth your while.
The self-titled track is probably their best one in this album. You also find some clean vocals here, so it was a nice touch since they don't really use them in other tracks. "Dreaming Darkness" is yet another great track, but in the end they are all very similar.
Would recommend this album to Black Metal fans only, but I'll be sure to keep an eye on these guys since "Setting the Scene" showed enough potencial to do so.
7.5 /10
The Metal Observer
I could be lazy here and simply describe this debut album as fucking brilliant. But I won't.
By rights THE BELONGING should turn out to be something huge in fairly short order, unfortunately they are British, which in some circles, especially Black Metal, tends to turn off the interest, the guiltiest people being the British themselves. Well bollocks to them say I, let the rest of us revel in the glory of this cracker.
“Setting The Scene” is a hybrid of Black and Death Metal, depending on your own definitions, I would say that the former holds precedence, not that it matters because the appeal bridges both genres, as well as more traditional Metal. The band is not averse to displaying their talents at any speed and on tracks like “Dying In Sorrow” they provide a triumphal foot tapper that possesses folk elements that bring to mind a Doom infused FOREFATHER.
At other times THE BELONGING belt out raging speed attacks such as “Black Sun Rising” complete with a frenzied Middle Eastern motif. They manage to pluck out the best aspects of rampaging Black Metal and forge them into these titanium tracks in a way that ensures that each song is distinct, which is what an album of music in essence should be. Despite being self produced the presentation is strong and clear allowing each instrument room to fire off across your bows. The Death Metal elements thicken up the sound without detracting from the quicksilver riffing. Hold on to your hats.
Wherever there is ferocity though, melody is nipping at its heels, adding a sense of the epic as typified on the final section of “The Belonging” where you can have a good sing-along to boot. ‘Dreaming Darkness” takes the principal further, fleshing out a Doom core with emotive lead guitar highlights and the occasional acoustic flourish. Despite being the slowest track none of the bands power is lost and it sets you up nicely for the storming title track which after a bit of acoustic widdle steamrollers over you leaving you five times wider, ten times flatter and decidedly squidgy.
THE BELONGING's strength lies in the structure of the songs, they can blast with the best of them but they also counterpoint all that aggression with melodic moments that make you feel ten feet tall. The musicianship is also exemplary, nothing attempted by these guys sounds strained and the lickety-split riffs spat out thick and fast pierce with aplomb. The battery from drums and bass pummels at any pace and the Blackened vocals add in menace.
Several hoorahs then for this most definitely up and coming band. Another example of what passion for your music can result in. The fact that THE BELONGING seem to have achieved so much with ease is good news for the future so don't let me delay you in contacting them for a copy.
Did I mention this is fucking brilliant?
9/10
The Metal Crypt
What we have here is an eccentric Black/Death Metal band from the United Kingdom . The Belonging really do not remind the listener of any one particular band as their approach is quite varied and original. Although the band labels themselves as "Black/Death", the music on this CD transgresses the norms of the two genres and mixes influences ranging from epic doom to symphonic and melodic BM.
Starting out with the sheer brutality of "Black Sun Rising", The Belonging do indeed set the scene for mayhem to follow. What a killer opener it is! Although the opening song (not the intro) is perhaps the best track on the album, these boys don't run short of major steam throughout the disc's entirety. I feel that some songs are longer than they really should be and drag on a tad bit but usually, there is more good stuff to follow, so there is not much criticism warranted here.
I would recommend "Setting The Scene" to metalheads who enjoy the symphonic, epic end of black metal. But do not go in thinking Behemoth or Belphegor. The Belonging don't quite play Black/Death in that vein. Not quite as brutal or extreme, but more doomy and melodic riffage layered on top of pummeling blast beats and raging vocal work. If you enjoy that sort of thing, The Belonging should be right up your alley.
An enjoyable album overall and a good band to check out next time you go shopping.
4/5
Tartarean Desire
‘Setting the scene' is a pretty bold statement coming from a band's debut release (well any release for that matter) but putting all light-hearted criticisms aside this is in fact a noteworthy effort and does manage to raise an eyebrow or two a couple of times in the process. Swirling into existence back in 1998, this Bradford-risen melodic black/death outfit managed to release a number of demos creating a respectable fan base in the local underground. Being unfamiliar with their early demos I can't help but wonder what their early efforts sounded like taking into account the diversity and wide ranged musical canopy that the album has on display here. From harmonious doom-laden passages to black metal melodic compositions and from there to all out blasting death metal brutality, the band leaves no extreme metal area unbreached whilst at the same time not being tiring to the ear. Take for example ‘Black Sun Rising'; a song of which pounding drum driven chugging riffs could've easily sprouted from the early 90's Florida death metal scene and then mentally align it with the overly melodic ‘Dreaming Darkness' (album's highlight) which moves within a slower, doom metal framework but never losing in energy. So obviously song congruency is not something to be found here but that does not necessarily imply a lack in consistency. On the contrary all songs are in a fluid continuation with each other preventing the initial interest from being watered down throughout the album's time span. Production being unfortunately the major drawback on the album is weak and not quite as clear; drums sound buried at times and the vocals seem to suffer as well. Vocals cover a wide spectrum moving from outspoken clear passages to brutal death grunts according to the album's fluctuating moods. Whether they were testing the waters or not with this release, it does leave their future sophomore effort something to be anticipated for.
Grimma.
Novo Metal
"Setting The Scene is debut CD of the British band The Belonging, which was launched in last year and of total independent form. In this album, the quartet shows its Black/Death Metal with light influences of Viking Metal that remembers the legend of Bathory. As the predominant noise is Death and Black Metal, a mixture between Angel Corpse and Dissection is clear, but to say that the guitars of Richard and Paul, beyond the vocal ones of the Richard are the strong points of this material. In the beginning the listener is taken to a diving in the purest Death Metal of the North American school, but after the third song The Belonging starts to transpirar influences of Black Metal - Norwegian style especially of the Dissection classic The Somberlain. Beyond, is clear, brief Viking tickets Metal in cadenciadas musics more. Beautiful compositions as "Black Sun Rising", "The Shell Documentary" and the band that "the name loans" to the record are the best samples of this first full-lenght. Approved "
8.0 - Henrique Meireles
The Belonging play melodic blackened death. Robust songwriting works in their favour, while lots of changes in dynamics and tempo keep the music interesting. Slower songs have a resounding ring of early doom and step up the melody to create a more accessible sound. All in all, Setting the Scene is a varied and very listenable release - a good debut, which speaks of a bright future. Russell Garwood.
The Belonging come to us by way of England, and are anxious to show they belong among the best and brightest of metal. I'm not putting them in that category just now, but they making me think about letting them in the door in the future. This is damned impressive blackened death that reminds me of what might have come out of an accident involving Angel Corpse slamming into Dissection. Can you think of any way that would result in a bad record? I can't. The vocals are what make me think of Angel Corpse as they bear more than a passing resemblance to Pete Helmkamp. The drum sound also reminds me a bit of Angel Corpse, though the style tends to remind me of Ole Ohman's work on the classic Storm of the Light's Bane. The drumming is actually my favorite part of this album and I almost wish he'd join Dissection, but that would deprive me of The Belonging so we can't have that. Besides, I'm not sure if anyone could save Dissection anyway but enough of this tangent. The guitar work is quite good on this album too, and is the basis for the Dissection resemblance. The sound is along the lines of Dissection, though not nearly as low as it was on the pre-prison Dissection albums. The Belonging don't use nearly as many leads and solos, but the riffing is very Dissection. They even show off a slower side on the song Dying in Sorrow, which is six minutes of crushing doom. This is an atmosphere of total dread, which is set up by some impressive melodies, that cools the room off by a few degrees. Yeah, I like these guys and eagerly await more from them. K. Huckins
England has always been known to breed some of the best metal in the world. With Iron Maiden, Akercocke and many more on its list of local bands, I am never surprised to hear more great English metal. The Belonging is no different. Their newest self-released full length is entitled "Setting the Scene" and features nine tracks of brutal metal.
The first track is the intro, "Plague". Extremely somber and ambient, it creates an air of impending doom which "Black Sun Rising" wastes no time at demonstrating. This brutal track is reminiscent of Nile and Suffocation. Powerful blast beats drive as the guitars shred. The vocals are just harsh, mixing black and thrash styles into one evil sounding noise. This track is HEAVY. The mid-break's chug backed melody keeps that feeling of somber terror while the vocals scream on top of it. "The Shell Documentary" doesn't let the intensity go down, it actually raises the bar on it. Starting right into a blast beat, this brutal track rains down Hell fire with precise accents and speedy guitars. The fourth track is "The Calling". Blast beats and thrash beats push the song as the guitars shred. The melody thrives in this song with multiple riffs easily boring inside your brain. From speed picked to single note melodies, this track will keep you interested.
"Dying in Sorrow" is
a beautiful track that begins with the sound of a thunderstorm and clean guitars.
The drums bring in the distortion along with the heavy doom influence. Powerful
melodies help the song flow right through the solo, which is very well executed.
The bass part seemed out of place but did great in bringing in the Orchid era
style Opeth riff. Track six, entitled "The Belonging", begins with
a kick to the balls.
The black metal style speed picking and blast beats pound like thunder while
the mid-break features a beautifully orchestrated break down. Clean vocals make
an appearance here and almost sound Celtic or Druidic. For some reason the double
kicks sounded off time, but that may just have been the mix. "Dreaming
Darkness" begins with haunting clean guitars and explodes into a thick
melody driven riff. The return to clean guitars is accentuated by double kicks.
"Setting the Scene" features soft intro reminiscent of Opeth's Morningrise/My
Arms Your Hearse. The quiet scene is shattered with heavy guitars, blast beats,
and brutal vocals. "Resolved" is the outro and brings the entire album
do a shattering end.
The recording quality lacks a bit as the guitars just become mud when the songs get really intense. The bass is non-existent and the snare gets lost during the blasts. Overall, the mixing and mastering would just need to be redone with slight tweaks here and there. The vocals sound absolutely amazing and when it's not pure mud, the guitars are quite bright and powerful.
This is a great album with mixing issues. Everything is too loud and a lot is lost in that aspect. Nonetheless, it's an incredible listen that will please fans of Nile, Opeth, and Immortal. Check it out!
A homegrown band who revel in diversity, Bradford's The Belonging encompass everything from breakneck black metal to brutal death with sombre shades of dreaminess frequently interwoven. With a good level of dynamics and interlocking, smooth style changes there's plenty here to get the teeth into with a sound that captures the feelings and textures well and a promising way to start things off, even if they occasionally sound like they are playing fast for the sake of it
The UK's The Belonging tear shit up for real on "Setting The Scene".
Scathing vocals, blast beats from hell and furious riffs make this album one
to crank to 11. This album starts with an intro and ends with an outro and is
serious Metal non-stop in between. I can't say enough good things about this
band. "The Shell Documentary" is one of my favorites right now, but
this cd is wonderful. I suggest you get your hands on this motherfucker right
now! You can contact the band at the_belonging@hotmail.com or visit their website
at www.thebelonging.co.uk. Check our links section for this link also. Awesome
cd, truly amazing.
“The
Plague” isn’t the friendliest of intros, being a tad on the eerie
side. The title, “Black Sun Rising” endlessly reminds me of Mikael
Akerfeldt screaming “RED SUN RISING” at the beginning of Opeth’s
song “When”…but that’s something else entirely. When
thinking how to describe this, the only band that came to mind was “Panzer
Division” era Marduk, which really surprised me. It’s something
to do with the tone and sound of the guitars, rather than the riffs though,
if that makes sense? The vocals are very raspy, and while Richard Lester (Guitar
and Vocals) is no Legion, his yapping is most definitely on the Black Metal
side of the fence.
Tis a strange title I thought, noticing “The Shell Documentary”,
which like the previous number, commences with a drum roll; but this time it’s
carried into one of those evil Black Metal chords, with a few bass slabs and
cymbal splashes here and there. It really is the perfect time for a big scream
and some blast-beating.
I’ll always think of Vader when I hear a song called “The Calling”.
It’s actually a bit strange, because I’ve never before thought of
so many other bands when reading a track listing. This has quite a different
sound, bringing more of an old school Metallica feel to the sound…yeah,
old school Metallica with rasps and a few blastbeats, I’d find that hard
to imagine too.
I absolutely love the way in which “Dying in Sorrow” starts, with
the sound of rain, a little thunder, and utterly melancholic chords. Reminds
me of being in an isolated little village in the hills. There’s a much
doomier sound to this one, with sad little melodies and a much slower pace.
The vocals, although still raspy, sound more Death-like.
“The Belonging”, and I mean the song this time, brings that Marduk
sound back, and gives the tempo quite a boost! The sound, by this point in the
album, is a fair bit clearer for some reason, and the riffs are given much more
room in which to breathe. There’s even singing here too, which makes a
welcome appearance amid the shrieks.
If you’ve ever come across the Ukrainian Black Metal band, Drudkh, you’ll
know I’m talking high levels of moroseness when I say “Dreaming
Darkness” has a certain Drudkh sadness to the opening acoustic passage.
The pace becomes more upbeat, but lulls again, bringing back the glum acoustics
alongside some slow double-bassing.
Now, for the title track! Which is “Setting the Scene”, in case
you’ve forgotten…and another acoustic passage to start off proceedings.
This time with a far more Opeth-like quality, and perhaps a Deathier song overall.
“Resolved”, the outro, is again on the creepy side of things, like
the intro, but is even more unsettling.
While not the greatest of debut albums, there are plenty of good moments scattered
around on here. The mixing of the styles is done well, with different songs
sounding like different genres successfully, and not like five different bands
on one CD. Understandably the sound isn’t anything to write home about,
as this is a self released album; but considering the small budget they likely
recorded with, it’s pretty good.
The Belonging’s previous demo recording was impressive and promising. Now they return with a full album in immaculate artwork, with a new line up, and judging by the darkness and thoroughly engrossing beginnings of ‘Plague’ for the intro, they are back with major intentions.
‘Black sun rising’ kicks in with some snarly, blackened death vocals and riffing, and the names that spring to mind are Satyricon, Immortal, Behemoth and maybe Setherial with the more melodic parts, and all this is wrapped in quite a doom metal style production that gives this added evil around the edges. Sounding pretty tight, but not impeccably, a few parts of ‘The Shell Documentary’ lack real smoothness, but what is noticeable about The Belonging is that they write damn good songs that change mood quite a lot throughout. Be it dark, more upbeat, out and out thrashings, or more melodic lead parts, they piece together some really strong musical passages. I think they do need a much better production though, to gel the vocals with the music, as sometimes the growls don’t really match.
‘Dying in sorrow’ drops the pace, but not the standard and those into their My Dying Bride or Anathema (both of old) should give this a listen with it’s plodding demeanour. Title track ‘Setting the scene’ is another strong one with good ideas and a quality middle section that gets the head nodding with its hints of groove and tension before it all kicks back in for some great riffing. Wrapped up with another beautiful suggestion of ambience for ‘Resolved’.
Definitely a good album, and I think The Belonging are some way to showing off their potential with this one.
VELES UNDERGROUND METAL WEBZINE
The Belonging is really very unical and original band.4 guys managed to combine different metal genres into one strong and powerful piece named Setting The Scene. I would name this release a combination of Death and Black metal with some melody. Very technical and sometimes melancholic album sometimes reminding Forefather and Dissection. Technically played death metla riffs are combined with some black metal ones and it makes really great sound. I really liked those guitar tunes and riffs, technical level was very high. From time to time it becomes quite brutal and raw, but these black metal details appears only few times. Great production and sound quality indeed!
Hailing from one of the more consistent exporters of extreme music, Great Britain, The Belonging's debut album is solid dose of melodic black metal, sans the bullshit. Setting The Scene is the rare kind of debut that doesn't allow youthful ambition get in the way of writing damn good songs.
Eschewing the dulcet Maidenisms of countrymen Desolation, but sharing a similar admiration for classic metal songwriting, The Belonging's attachment to actual black metal exists merely on the surface. While the similarities to later Immortal and Satyricon certainly exist, The Belonging comes across more as a band borrowing a few black metal ideas and artfully splicing them into heavy metal tunes. While this may cause some purists stomach's to turn, the fact is, The Belonging execute this merger very well. "The Calling" offers all the wind blown ferocity of Sons of Northern Darkness while displaying a keen songwriting sense that won't allow the band to tarry in one place for an unnecessary amount of time. Subtle melodic leads arrive at the appropriate moment, and it turn lend a sense of character to each song.
One of the more remarkable aspects of Setting the Scene, is how well it actually works as an entire album. Despite the rather pointless intro and outro tracks, the songs are organized in a way that makes a full spin a rewarding proposition. More ferocious songs like "Black Sun Rising" and "The Shell Documentary" bring the listener to near climax while the contemplative pacing of "Dying in Sorrow" and "Dreaming in Darkness" locks the middle of the album into a more reasonable pace. What this amounts to is a collection of songs that work on their own, but are not to taxing to take in all at once.
The production is not without it's rough edges. Far from the basement quality treble-fest of your standard black metal recording, but it's certainly raw. Before ProTools estranged the musician from the music, this is what young bands sounded like.
Setting the Scene is a mightily impressive for a debut full length. What I'm hearing on this disc are mature musicians who know what a metal album should sound like. It doesn't fit neatly into any specific genre, but it's hardly the kind of obnoxious alchemy many modern acts strive for. This is a band I'd definitely keep my eye on in the future, but I also wouldn't mind recommending right now.
CYPHER MUSIC - Demaineshredder
Before
i even played this cd i knew it was the work of a band destined for bigger things.
The cd was packaged and presented in a very professional manner, as good as
any shop bought "official" release from any mainstream act. The cover
is thoughtful and speaks volumes about the music the band creates. The inside
cover has some greatly eerie photography which serves as an excellent pre-taster
to the music.
The Belonging are an extreme metal act, a genre which is often labelled as inaccesible and very elitist. Not to say that this cd is for everyone, it isnt; but i have yet to hear an extreme band who manage to carve out infectious melodies and memorable hooks without sacrificing the hard-hitting edge. That is until now - I must give credit to The Belonging for achieving what most extreme bands still have not, extreme metal that doesnt become tiresome after 5 or 6 songs and retains an original refreshing edge.
Infact
the more you listen to this cd the more you appreciate its complexity balanced
with moments of simplicity, brutality with beauty, and
i'm proud to say the mellow edge of the band, often demonstrated in the "pre-intro"
tracks.
All
the members of this band are very adept at their instruments. From a guitarists
point of view the guitar parts are frightening in places, intricate high speed
parts that would make even very competant guitarists nervous. Far from one trick
ponies, the guitarists Richard Lester
and Paul(Zaborowski (who share vocal duties) are extremely capable at beautiful
clean cross-picked guitar parts aswell as warp speed aggression playing. Truly
diverse players worthy of note and respect. The drums Richard Beaumont are equally
impressive, often reminiscant of W.G Malmstrom, amazing double kicks and crazy
fills are used to brilliant effect. More than just time keeping, the drums on
the album add a whole new dimension and depths to the songs. The rythmn section
of The Belonging, completed by bassist Levi Tubman provides solid foundation
and well recieved weight to the songs.
The only criticism i would have of this release is that it isnt long enough! oh and perhaps the difficulty im having in picking out "highlight" tracks. With a release of this quality it is quite clear that there are no "filler" tracks on this album and any one could easily be a highlight. At the moment i will have to choose "The Shell Documentary" owing the one particular riff in the song which wont get out of my head!
The
Belonging deserve to go onto bigger and better things, the best thing is, i
can really see them achieving just that and i wish them the best of luck. Catch
the band on tour, purchase the album (£6 from thebelonging.co.uk) and
watch the growth
of a band destined for widespread recognition. Watch this space!
10/10
Setting the Scene (Self-Released,
2005)
I always like the feeling that I am left with when I hear a band such as The
Belonging. It's that melancholy, dark, comfortable feeling that keeps me satisfied
for quite some time after the disk has stopped spinning. You could say that
Setting the Scene has both the elements of melodic black metal as well as dark
gothic metal. The sound of Dawn comes to mind first, but The Belonging don't
stay as relentless throughout. The first impression that I had with this release
is that it comes across as a fast, but unstructured piece of work. As it progressed,
everything seemed to come together. I get the overtones of swedish death metal
hidden deep inside these tracks. This is actually a good thing because that
sound gives you a great nostalgic feeling. STS has a sort of duel personality
in which it can be viciously attacking, and then venture off into a more friendly
feeling in the solos. This initially was not a very welcome match, but as I
kept listening, I saw that the overall sound does well in meshing together.
The production is flawless, and the musicianship is a total dream. This is very
precise and hits dead on with the guitar sound and tempo of the CD. There are
just too many pieces of acts that this reminds me of, but I kept getting the
sound of early Pyogenesis in my head. That sound however, is far more superior
than Pyo ever was in their early days. We even get a taste of some folk influence
through "Dreaming Darkness". That aspect is very welcome for this
sort of greatly crafted work. I felt that some songs wander away into drawn
out solos, but I wandered with them and lost my way as well. That is a great
feeling. Overall, The Belonging bring to you a very well done black/gothic metal
CD of aggression and magical paths of melodic stories that remain in your heart.
Mark "RavenClaws"