Review BELLIGERENCE “Eschaton Foretold” – EP

Belligerence is a young band from Berlin, Germany. Johan, Richard and Carlos released their first demo as Belligerence in 2023. “The Wretched” was the springboard for the guys to work on an EP that was released a few weeks ago.

“Eschaton Foretold” is the title of the band’s latest effort and it features blistering death metal that shows a great sense for filigree guitar work as well as a production that is powerful and to the point.
Not entirely unusual is the eerie start with an intro called “Of Ceaseless Realms”. It is an atmospheric introduction to this EP and at the same time sets the scene for the following five songs.

“Feeding the Deceit” is the first song that points out the direction this release will take. Fast and furious death metal with cleverly placed breaks and deep growls is what “Feeding on Deceit” is all about and therefore acts as a gate opener for the next four songs. Technically on a good level and not compromising on aggressiveness, the album activates your neck muscles, because headbanging is a thing you can’t avoid while listening to “Eschaton Foretold”.

Photo: Belligerence (Promotion)

With “Casket of the Damned” and “The Wrechted”, the two songs from the demo are also part of this disc, while the title track is the finale of the record. The song is by far the longest on the album with a running time of over 6 minutes and shows the songwriting skills of the young and talented death metal force. The track starts rather atmospheric and gets heavier as it goes on. After about one-third of the song we are dealing with a hellish death metal smasher inspired by bands like Morbid Angel, Suffocation and others.

“Eschaton Foretold” is a rather mature album with great songs and an amazing sound. Although the guys are still quite young, the album shows willpower and a clear musical vision, defined by the metal heart and passion of this band.