Beleth, recognized as a king of Hell with 85 demonic legions under his command, was the 13th of the 72 spirits summoned by Solomon. When first invoked, Beleth often appears as fiery and furious in various forms, ranging from that of a wizened old man to a demon with a man’s body but the head of a cat.1 Primarily called upon by those seeking to establish or strengthen a love relationship, Beleth purportedly arrives riding a pale horse with many musical instruments, mainly trumpets, playing before him. Why do I impart this amount of demonological information? One, I think it’s pretty fucking cool, and two, there’s not a lot of information available about Finland’s Beleth’s Trumpet. Formed in 2023 with only one EP under its belt—the four songs from which were reworked and included here—Beleth’s Trumpet communed with Dominance of Darkness Records to release its first album, Chapel of Bones. Will this blackened Finnish foursome be the troupe of musicians chosen to herald the demon king’s arrival, or will they be relegated to the seventh circle in need of more practice?
Beleth’s Trumpet plays straightforward black metal of the early 2000s variety. Chapel of Bones, a rawly produced tremolo-fest, is primarily a harbinger of Shatraug’s coming as it so closely mirrors the earliest works of Sargeist and Horna as to be nearly indistinguishable. Those familiar with Satanic Black Devotion or Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne will have heard most of what Beleth’s Trumpet is doing here, albeit with less aplomb. Goecrus and vhvvdth tremolollygag their way through Chapel of Bones’ nearly forty-three minutes in sprays of undulating guitar waves with no solos in sight. Deathcripple, yes, Deathcripple lays down loads of blasphemous blast beats and cymbal splashes that, when combined with the bass work of M.SF, who also performs some nicely multi-layered vocals, serve as the steed upon which Beleth’s Trumpet rides. Black metal of this ilk relies heavily on the strength of its songwriting to convey emotional weight engagingly, and where Shatraug has become a master of this, Beleth’s Trumpet has work to do.
Safely confined to its lane, the guitar lines and melodies on Chapel of Bones suffer from black metal banality. Storming forth from Hell’s Gate, the uninspiring “Triumphant Voice of Beleth,” with its pallid guitar progressions and less than accurately executed leads, gave me of little faith, not much hope for the future. ‘Safe’ best describes most of the choices Beleth’s Trumpet makes, which consequently impacts memorability. Most of the songs on Chapel of Bones pass by in a kazoo-like haze, a litany of tremolo-drone that zaps engagement quicker than the mind-erasing gadget from Men in Black. And it’s for this reason that, aside from what I first thought was someone eating chips in the mic during the intro to “Chapel of Bones,” the title track and others (“Clandestine Ritual,” “Death’s Cold Hand”) left no impression on me whatsoever.
Harsh as I’ve been on Beleth’s Trumpet, there are some glimmers of a band that might be. With its solo bass intro, “Mass Grave (of the Angels)” sets itself well ahead of the pack with shimmering cascades of tremolos that sound almost hopeful as they simultaneously launch into memorably melancholic progressions. Add to this the inclusion of some light synths in the background for dramatic effect, and the track wins Chapel of Bones’ best-in-show hands down. Other standout moments include the bass plucks of “Black Light,” which ring out like tolling bells, or the miasmic, dissonant guitar progressions of “Extermination of God’s Dominion” that move like a drunken sailor navigating an undulating ship’s deck and, while off putting at first listen, grew on me with repetition. These spurts of quality, though, are just too few and far between to elevate the whole of Chapel of Bones beyond mediocrity.
With a cool concept surrounding the demon king Beleth and the many instruments that precede his arrival, Beleth’s Trumpet missed the mark by settling for too safe. I mean, I didn’t hear one fucking trumpet, and I believe that leaning further into the concept by weaving a smidge of symphony into a style so traditionally bare-boned would push them over the edge and onto the map as a band to watch. As it stands, Beleth’s Trumpet has promise, and I’ll be interested to see what they do after laying this Chapel of Bones to rest.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Labels: Dominance of Darkness Records | Korpituli Productions Bandcamp
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: July 1st, 2025
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