Review by SilentScream213 for Intestine Baalism - Banquet in the Darkness (2003)

Listening to Banquet for the Darkness, a Melodeath album that was released in 2003, I continuously found myself thinking “how has no one done this before?” The riffs and leads on this album are just so damn catchy, but at the same time… simple. And by simple, I don’t mean they are easy to play or anything like that, just… again… how had no one thought of these before?

Despite releasing a decade into the genre’s development, Banquet for the Darkness is filled with guitarwork that sounds like it should have been foundational to the genre. And yet, it doesn’t sound like they are ripping off contemporaries. Everything here sounds fresh, unique, and at the same time, classic. Now of course, over two decades since its release, the album IS considered a classic in the genre, but as someone who has listened to a lot of Metal releases chronologically, this truly sounds like something that would have come out in 1994 rather than 2003. It even has the mix of true OSDM in the sound that many of the earliest Melodeath still retained. 

What can I say specifically about this album? Riffs. Riffs. Leads. Riffs. Solos. Riffs. The rhythm section is great as well, and the vocals are fully serviceable growls that occasionally lean towards Black Metal shrieks, but God damn, those guitars. Every song here has a lick that could go down among the classics.

The only thing I can say against this album is that it’s not quite as good as the debut in my humble opinion. With the debut being the absolute masterpiece that it is, that’s like saying a juicy medium-rare ribeye steak is not quite as good as a cut of A5 wagyu, but I really wish it did have one track that stood up to the majesty of “Cannibal Sodom.”