Album Review: Belmont- Liminal

On their third studio album, Liminal, the Chicago rock outfit Belmont continues perfectly blending punk with almost every other genre in the book. Well, minus country at least.

The album’s opening track, “SSX Trickmont,” may open softly with lead vocalist Taz Johnson’s quiet musings and some simple guitar, but it doesn’t take long to open up completely. Guitar progressions ride like a roller coaster, up and down, with some kicking drums lining up. On the other hand, Johnson has some severe bite in his lyrics, trying to get over someone and have them leave his head.

Of course, with genre-bending comes the growling small breakdown section. It doesn’t last too long, though, leading back to the original track with a synth break to conclude the track. 

On the surface, Belmont sticks to a pretty consistent song structure. Guitars from Jason Inguagiato fade in and out with a few licks here and there. But Brian Lada, their drummer and programmer does most of the heavy lifting on this record. 

Lada is the one who makes this album different.

For example, “All Bite” starts out like a typical heavy rock song, with lots of hard toms from Lada and a ridiculous guitar riff following the track. But out of nowhere, this hip-hop beat resides in the background inconspicuously. Then it disappears.

But then, it shows up again in the second half of the chorus. It felt both awkward and perfect at the same time. However, the ending breakdown that delves into straight trap is perfection. 

This genre play happens a little more with the intro of “B3ND_BUDGE.” It’s a proper baddiecore intro, focusing on the new metal subgenre to describe bands like Sleep Token and Spiritbox. It’s melodic; it’s pulsing but in an emotional way. 

However, the best song on the album has to be its title track, “Liminal,” which comes from the instrumental alone. A good synth moment dominates the track with lighter notes while the guitars and drums take the heavier road. Johnson’s voice tries to take over, but the instrumentation is strong. 

It’s such a catchy song overall.

Liminal is a genre-bending album that doesn’t peddle around with its instrumentals. It keeps growing and experimenting to even more unbelievable heights.