Born out of the Danish underground metal scene, WRATH OF BELIAL has its roots in the death metal band PARIAH SYNDICATE, hailing from Aarhus, Denmark and formed in the year 2007. Shortly after the formation, the band won the Danish Metal Contest in their very first live performance. PARIAH SYNDICATE released the EP "And Blood Shall Rain From Heaven" which was widely recognized by various web magazines, as well as the Danish music magazine Gaffa. The band played a wide range of concerts together with acts such as DECAPITATED, EVERGREY, HATESPHERE, THE PSYKE PROJECT and ARTILLERY, to name but a few.

After a few stops and starts and personnel changes going on, they shifted toward a more intense death metal sound, they rebranded as WRATH OF BELIAL around 2015  Their debut album, Bloodstained Rebellion, dropped in May 2017 to solid acclaim. Influences ranging from death metal legends like ABORTED, SUFFOCATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and even the progressive might of MASTODON, Embers of Dead Empires ranging from groovy hooks, catchy riffs, Brillant song structure this album showcases the band's evolution in both songwriting and sonic brutality.  Like a shot between the eyes the opening track Dismantling Logos (04:49) Immediately grabs my attention and gives me that BLACK DAHLIA MURDER vibes. Blasting mid- aggressive tempo groove-laden riffs are sprinkled throughout this track. Vocals are raw, articulate and full of poisonous venom. Only thing I can critique on this is towards the end it does sound a bit repetitive.

Mask of Commiseration (04:23) A nicely structured opening riff kicks this one off. Musically frantic and lyrically brutal, this track feels like your hit with a tonne of bricks. Fans of BEHEMOTH and DECAPITATED. The Secular and the Divine (3:49) Dual-guitar melodies add a cold, almost blackened tone. It ponders the collapse of divine belief systems and self-made morality. There's a haunting, introspective edge beneath the chaos almost prog death in structure. Embers (05:19) For me this is the pick of the bunch, goes for the jugular, more blast beats then you can poke a stick out. Massive dynamic shifts, clean guitar passages, thrashy near on punk type riffing. One of the most memorable cuts. Visions of the Anointed (04:05) Honestly and my opinion I have never been a fan of bands that will jump right into the vocals at the start of a song. Sometimes it works but very often it does not and didn't really work on this. Nothing special. Atonement (04:14) Back into the brutality and pulsing riffs with this one. The guitar solo and breakdowns are awesome, while the vocals hiss with disdain and violence. The Devouring Mother (4:07) Lyrics are interesting on this and talk about God as the suffocating, devouring mum. Great arrangement of mid-pace grooves and hooks.

The Marble and the Sculptor (03:30) Once again show cases the shredding talents of Jonas L. Thomsen and would whip up a circle pit no doubt in a live setting. Choppy riffs on the menu for The Stench (04:11) An unrelenting crusher. Pure rot and fury. Another banger to get the pit into a frenzy. Weight of the Transcendent (4:42) the final offering of this unrelenting slab of brutality. This is a perfect way to shut down the proceedings, mournful and heavy. Well played. Verdict: This reminded me a lot of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, JOB FOR A COWBOY, SUFFOCATION, ABORTED A well-executed delivery of un-compromise heaviness high-speed Death Metal with a razor-sharp melodic edge. Downside for me and of course this is my opinion, after awhile it does seem to get a little bit repetitive (which I find happens a lot with this style of metal) but nonetheless they have showed the world they are a talented band and flying the Danish Metal flag up high.