The Mighty Lord, Southern Lord, alerted us to the emergence of a new black metal horde. Sharing members with Obscurus Advocam (recently reviewed here) and Merrimack, Glorior Belli pours more fuel on the raging fire of French black metal underground. Will Manifesting the Raging Beast be another brick in the solid wall of the scene, or will it differentiate from the crowd?

Starting the album with the decidedly non-blast From Darkness There Springs Light, the troupe prepares you for their descent mission. The song shifts from slower grime and crust to almost tragic resonating overtones. Throughout the album, Glorior Belli comes across as the band far from obsessed with speed or riff barrages. Instead, they go for the thick oppressive atmosphere, for the feeling of air filled with sulfurous deposits and human rotting debris. You can choose your method of execution, slow and crushing death, as in Sinister Resonance, or faster, blast-touched, Severed from the Self (with a very fitting title).

Manifesting the Raging Beast, however, is not to be confused with funeral slowness, the album has quite a few moments where rampant violence is being suppressed, waiting to breakthrough at the moment’s notice. Amidst the pounding (Said Lucifer in Twilight) and air-raid siren urgent riffs (title track), the band often finds room for melody, resulting in hymn-like flashes (Severed from the Self) or ultra-catchy bliss you would not want stopped (title track, Said Lucifer in Twilight). In all the grime and grind of Glorior Belli there are quite a few finer moments, making it all worthwhile digging through the piles of dirt piled up eight songs high. The album ends with Altered Verses, itself a quite melodic affair, topping it off with out-of-nowhere soul screaming lead, which ends up being a crazy squealfest.

In what is becoming a “typical” French production, Manifesting the Raging Beast benefits from full and warm production, similar to Obscurus Advocam, and unlike anything grim, yet cold, emanating out of Norway. Infestvvs’ voice also is not over the top, giving more credence to the fact that evil is best served when not taking shape of a squeaky crow.

While not in the same league with Deathspell Omega’s Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice (what is?), the album will appeal to the same crowd. An experience with the genre is much preferred when listening to Manifesting the Raging Beast, as Glorior Belli will cover you with delightful muck. Shower afterwards, as well as repeated listens, is recommended.