Album Review: Bulletbelt – Nine Centuries (Self Released)

New Zealand metallers, Bulletbelt will release their third full-length album, Nine Centuries on December 11th 2017.

A hugely ambitious record, guests on Nine Centuries include Midnight’s Vanik, on ‘Cloak the Night’. Massacre vocalist Kam Lee lends his pipes to ‘Show Me Your Throat’ and ‘Hypatia’ features a string quartet from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

A skull-cracking effort, Nine Centuries is a cut-throat approach to metal mixing elements from thrash, death & traditional metal. All delivered in an infectious & corrupting way. The title track is a stormy merciless opener before Cloak the Night whips things up into a frenzy. The toxic catchiness of the latter in particular is significant as a marker for what the rest of the album has to offer.

The frantic start takes on a more groove-laden style on Haegtessa before the savageness of Dethrone goes for the jugular.

At the midpoint of a very exciting album, Bulletbelt change tactics somewhat with the 8+ minute burning fire that is Orpheus. Merging the grinding blackened metal sound of the vocals with titanic riffs & vast hooks. It’s a tremendous effort to show that Bulletbelt can do much more than a couple of minutes of face-tearing metal.

Not that those songs are a problem as proven by the intensely battering, Show Me Your Throat. An incredible album wraps up with an uplifting symphonic string quartet playing comfortably alongside the ruthless rhythm of the metal on Hypatia. Followed by the longest track on the album, the near 10 minute head-banging effort of Thou Shall Not Suffer a Witch to Live. A finale that cements the classic status of the entire album.

Bulletbelt have really pulled out all the stops with their third release. Nine Centuries is an album that not only they can be proud of but us as metal fans can be proud of.

Bulletbelt – Nine Centuries Full Track Listing:

1. Sacred Tongue (Intro)
2. Nine Centuries
3. Cloak the Night
4. Haegtessa
5. Dethrone
6. Orpheus
7. Show Me Your Throat
8. Hypatia
9. Thou Shall Not Suffer a Witch to Live

You can pick up the first single & earlier music now over on Bandcamp as well as stream via Spotify & Apple Music below. Find out more about Bulletbelt via their website, Facebook & Twitter.