With two tracks totaling half hour of blackened sludgy doom Belgian Deuil attempts to describe what many have unfortunately experienced in their lives, namely the first two stages of grief. After all Deuil means “mourning” in French. The band labels these two states Shock and Deny, although some psychologists think these would be Denial and Anger, in that order.

Descent into depravity pretty much begins from the start of Shock and continues on under horrid steady pressure until double bassed flow is discovered around 3’30” with a beautiful melody emerging a minute later. Bright Alcestian euphoric state lasts for a few minutes thereafter, but the feeling of loss and total dejection takes over and steady stretchy grim drag takes over to test the depth of human emotion. Here you can choose how you deal with a loss, remember what you have done under those intense and unfortunate circumstances, whether you cried or smashed objects around in anger, so you just tend to sit staring blankly into space consuming the corrosion which is the latter half of Shock.

Deny isn't much brighter. An ominous beginning is a prelude to edgy and raw moments, but funeral melody throws a lifeline around same 3’30” mark. Distortion and electricity fills the air until blasting makes the melody soar for several minutes midway through Deny. Oscillating between this active up tempo grief and funeral procession (9’30”), the melody makes one last throw for relief before abyssal chasm opens and eventually consumes.

Creating an unsettling feeling, Shock/Deny has enough flow and subtle moments of attraction and melody to keep the listener focused while inevitably delivering a message of isolation and depression, something that is to follow when full scope of grief will set in.