Though it originally saw the light of day (or depths of eternal night, as it were) in the band's native Austria way back in 1995,
Belphegor
's
The Last Supper
was only given a proper international release in 2001, when it was reissued by the underground
metal
experts at the
World War III
label. Also packing six bonus tracks culled partly from
's ultra-rare
Obscure and Deep
EP, this disc serves as a good summation of the band's early material, boasting challenging, uncompromising, Scandinavian-inspired
black metal
. Despite their elaborate titles, songs like
"A Funeral Without a Cry,"
"The Rapture of Cremation,"
and
"In Remembrance of Hate and Sorrow"
feature generally indecipherable vocals, but these are perfectly fitting with
's sonic barrage of fierce, detuned riffs and slightly sub-blast beat drums. Among the bonus cuts, a deathly rendition of
"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"
and a cover of the lesser-known
Sodom
"classic"
"Outbreak of Evil"
take the cake. Overall, this is a competently executed album, but not very memorable or original. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia