EP Review: Bellator – I (M.U.S.I.C. Records)

I, the new EP from French thrash metal band, Bellator was released on March 1st 2017 via M.U.S.I.C. Records.

Kicking things off, Fromlor Agard mixes melody with thrash before sprinkling on a little bit of death to give it flavour. Those expecting an explosion of metal noise out of the gates will certainly be surprised by the level of rhythm on show here.

No, that comes with Petit Orc, a faster more classic thrash track. The vocals here are spat out at an intense pace. Less about singing & more about making their intent clear. On songs like this Bellator want only to melt your face off.

The wicked beat of Padnom with flashes of roaring vocals starts off well-enough. Highly aggressive sounding music but with a raw edge but it does start to drift away after a while.

There’s some really inventive guitar work spread throughout I that helps it stand out from the thrashy death metal pack. The aptly titled Epic begins with a bang, 5 odd minutes of guitar wizardry that mixes the old-school thrash sound with death metal elements. The highlight of the album.

Bellator (the song) continues the upward swing with a really deep bassy groove & some awesome drumming before Blood Eagle finishes things off in style. The band have really found their thrash feet by this stage & the mix of shouty & guttural vocals gives off a totally different vibe.

After a slow start, I really kicks things up resulting in a damn fine piece of heavy metal.

Bellator – I Full Track Listing:

1. Fromlor Agard
2. Petit Orc
3. Padnom
4. Epic
5. Bellator
6. Blood Eagle

You can pick up I now over on Bandcamp & via most major streaming services including Apple Music below. Check out Bellator over on Facebook, SoundCloud & YouTube.