Album Review: Lord Belial – Unholy Trinity

Band: Lord Belial
Album: Unholy Trinity
Label: Hammerheart Records
Release date: June 27th 2025
Country: Sweden
Format reviewed: High Quality digital recording

Album Review: Lord Belial – Unholy Trinity via Hammerheart Records by Ioana

And here there is yet another record from the category of those I’ve been waiting to hear ever since they got announced! Swedish powerhouse Lord Belial have broken the silence once again, after a 3 year long period of silence, and their latest effort, “Unholy Trinity” is definitely up to the band’s already high standards. Comparable in sound to its predecessor, “Rapture”, it follows most of the main tropes that made its forbearer stand out, yet I can’t help but feel like something has definitely changed, almost as if everything has been moved to the left by an inch. That’s not to say there’s been a decrease in quality, that’s definitely not the case. What I’m trying to say that the undertone of the record is overall more sinister, as if the music is one moment away from crashing down upon the listener. What can I say, it makes for a truly intense listening experience, I can’t deny that.

Given Lord Belial’s discography, it was clear from the first single that “Unholy Trinity” will find its way among the top releases of 2025. However, what exactly makes it stand out in that manner is not as straightforward as it may seem. “Unholy Trinity” is full to the brim with intricate passages, clever songwriting, intense moods and everything else in between. For the inexperienced listener the album may even come off as overwhelming due to the sheer quantity of things constantly unfolding in the musical landscape. Along with this, one can also find references to the band’s previous material, such as in the case of the song “Serpent’s Feast” which includes a brief nod to the band’s legendary record “Enter the Moonlight Gate”.

Typically, the average album has a dominant instrument, which takes center stage in terms of proeminence in the music. However, “Unholy Trinity” breaks that pattern successfully. Every instrument, along with the vocal performance is turned up to a hundred, thus creating both incredibly intense passages as well as fascinating contrasts which play into the apocalyptic mood of the album, pouring gasoline over the flames of grandeur. The vocals are often doubled, thus creating a sinister choir effect, which has become a trademark of Swedish black metal, and definitely something that is always great to hear. Speaking of the vocal performance…

At a first glance one could argue that there is nothing outstanding about the vocal performance of this album, as the technique follows closely to what was done on “Rapture”. I call bullshit. This is easily some of the best vocals I’ve heard all year, they are expressive, have plenty of technical variety, every lyric screeched cuts through the composition like a knife, and the pronounciation is so clear one can almost make out every word. From these traits alone the performance could be considered flawless, and the only other record I could compare it to in that regard is Naglfar’s “Harvest”. It really is the cherry on top of the proverbial cake, and when paired with the rest of the music, the result is truly something to behold. I’ve rarely heard a vocalist sound both tormented and empowered the way Thomas Backelin does on this album. Heck, even if it wasn’t as good, I would still re-listen the life out of “Unholy Trinity” for the vocals alone.

In a similar faishon to the vocals, the guitar work is also marvelous. The way the band crafted the delicate balance between moody simplicity and fiery complex passages never ceases to amaze me, and songs like “The Whore” truly make this style of songwriting shine. The dynamic between the lead and rhythm guitars accentuates the punchy drumming as well as the soaring vocals, hitting you in the chest. The song also makes incredible use of solos, leaving the listener in complete awe, as they’re faced with both technique and spirit, without sounding avant-garde or pretentious in any way. Personally, I love it when bands make use of more complex techniques in their songwriting without crossing into prog territory. If done right, it can be of tremendous help to the album overall, and this is exactly the case over here. One may argue that this is due to the band’s experience, and that would be right, but even so, one rarely sees this level of proficiency on a single album.

I would also like to delve a little bit further into the atmosphere of the album, despite having mentioned it briefly in the previous paragraphs. This is probably the part where the album distances itself the most from its predecessor, the mood is more eerie, despite its obvious grandeur, and the occasional slow tempos and synths give it a much more apocalyptic mood. “The Great Void” is perhaps the perfect example of this, as it is the most atmosphere-based track off of the whole record, and it is definitely something to behold. The spontaneous choir effects gave me chills several times, and it definitely left me feeling as if I was watching the world burning.

That being said, it is clear as day that Lord Belial have once again offered us a black metal masterpiece, which managed to surpass all the expectations I had for the record before hearing it. And if, for some reason you haven’t listened to Lord Belial yet may this be your sign to do so! 10/10

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