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Belphegor emerged as one of the most extreme line ups to ever come out of the death black metal scene. The band members themselves describe their hellride as "Supreme Death/ Black Metal Art". I had a chance to ask some questions about their latest album "Blood Magick Necromance" and their plans for total world domination in the near future.

Kate: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview! How are you?
Helmuth: What's up! All is perfeckt, BLOOD MAGICK NECROMANCE is a new chapter for BELPHEGOR. We prepare for the upcoming North American tour and bring the devil, the flesh, the chaos to your town.

Kate: How has the reaction for "Blood Magick Necromance" been over the past month or so?
Helmuth: Did about 120 interviews, the feedback is beyond amazing, so all is good. If you lust for supreme death/ black metal, you need to check it out!

Kate: How do you feel this album is different from "Walpurgis Rites" or "Bondage Goat Zombie"?
Helmuth: I don't compare albums. I don't wanna talk about the best BELPHEGOR album, hell no - but the new monolith is a very special album to me, magnificent and our utmost dangerous offering yet. Exactly how BELPHEGOR wanted to sound in 2011. For example, the first track IN BLOOD - DEVOUR THIS SANCTITY, the chorus melody is inspired from the classical composer, JOHANNES BRAHMS "Hungarian Dance" # 1 (1833 - 1897), I dig this melody, its the world to me, its majestic. Brahms is amazing, since 14 years I have this vision now to use this part. You also hear a violin there. For the titletrack, a seven minutes death-opus, we worked eight months on this complex hymn and arranged acribical everything in each detail, like damn zombie machines harrrr. You find everything there, spoken words, chants, choirs, grunts, acoustic guitars, doom parts which turn to ultra blast beats. I am really proud of this massive song. the most difficult and varied track we ever created. Also new is that we ended the album with a highspeed riff attack, entitled SADO MESSIAH, not with a slow track as we did on the last albums.

Kate: Do you feel you brought new elements onto the album?
Helmuth: Yes. Well, it has always been our goal to bring our sound to the next level of intensity and raise the dynamics. I know we succeeded and proved once more that we are able to re-define our own sound and explore the chaos. You here alot influences of classical composers such as Brahms - Beethoven - Mozart - Bach. Mr. Sebastian Lanser and our Foh Norwin Palme, created some haunting orchestrations, to get a colder ritualistic atmosphere. There are a lot of new elements and structures added, more shredding, full of magick, more of everything.

Kate: You had Peter Tagtren produce this album this time instead of Andy Classen, how did you feel when you heard the final tracks?
Helmuth: Both are amazing producers and guys, for real. I learnt a lot from Andy as well as from Mr. Alien. Every producer has their own style, no way can you say which is better, just different you know. Peter is experienced and motivated us to give a lot of extra energy. We recorded five weeks, divided in 4 sessions and you get the best result. I mean, it is always a pleasure and a challenge to try something new, or see our musick from another perspective though. It was a totally outstanding experience. The nature over there, so isolated and immense. The beautiful lake close to the studio added even more to the atmosphere. I love this exile, It is best to have silence to create strong blood musick. Jonas Kjellgren mastered BLOOD MAGICK NECROMANCE.

Kate: What is the story or the inspiration behind this album?
Helmuth: Blood Magick is one of the most powerful forms. It is the most binding sort - once you make a blood pact - there is no turning back. This LP is a blood pact. Only the dedication between two of the most sinister and passionate souls could reach the heights of this ritual dismemberment and ultimate liberation. An important sentence on the new album: "I«ll eat your heart - to taste you again"! We know exactly what we want to project with our sound and visuals. The lyrics are connected to the visuals, the video, the stage and everything. Many verses are original from figures like Nietzsche, Aleister Crowley ( the track RISE TO FALL AND FALL TO RISE contains only original verses of Crowley, from the book The Great Beast 666 ) or the ingenious Marquis de Sade. Some people understand it, some don't at all, I really do not give a fuck. This is BELPHEGOR. Fuck you all.

Kate: What drew you to Occultism to begin with?
Helmuth: I have been interested in Occultism and magick for decades. Read a shitload of books on the topic and whatever surrounds this theme. We never were a Satanic band or practiced this religion. I am possessed by all that is different, the darkest aspects of humanity. I see the word Sathan as a metaphor against the holy spirit, to mock the sheep. The archangel is the creator of invention, the adversary, the lightbringer. The first rebel. It is important to walk a different path. Decide for yourself. Make your own decisions. This is about free thinking. Freedom in general.

Kate: Who would you say have been your influences over the years musically and non-musically?
Helmuth: Life, musick, possession - art in general is my main inspiration, the Anti-Christian sentiment! BELPHEGOR are bound in blood, call it the CHAOS masterplan. We have seen everything, in every town and city worldwide. We take a lot of inspiration from our own experiences and always different texts, films, albums which shape our views and perspectives.

Kate: What metal acts stand out in your mind the most today?
Helmuth: DANZIG, EXODUS, IMMOLATION, OUR SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON US, MOTORHEAD, NILE, NECROPHAGIST, UNLEASHED, DEICIDE, IMPIETY, the fucking list is endless. I support what i like and ignore the rest. I am open minded when it comes to Metal/ Rock in general. I adore NWOBHM, which is one of the best periods when it comes to Musick. Hail to England for this important Metal Bands, creatively. Also listen to classical composers. Musick is passion and magick. It is the highest art. Life without musick is worthless. I mean, nowadays Death/ Black Metal rules the world. It is the strongest, the most archaic of all kinds in my opinion. Classical musick is really intense, so varied, so monumental, I mean an opus like Mozarts Requiem shreds you to death, if you hear it loud its darkest Art, you can feel that he knew he will die soon, as he created it. Same with "Extreme" Death/ Black Metal, there is this raw, archaic atmosphere - haunting and obscure.

Kate: What made you guys decide to choose "Impaled Upon the Tongue of Sathan" as your first video? What was the concept behind the video?
Helmuth: We decided for an absolutely - fukking disgusting low budget production, a possessed bloodbath. We made it. These archaic visions, many people can«t understand nowadays as they live in plastic worlds, the brainwashed sheep, consuming shit day to day. The clip is contrary to life, its total anti - it was not about shocking. On top of it, Austria has a long line of very extreme art. The ritual action caught on tape was also inspired in part by the world famous works of Hermann Nitsch and Gunter Brus. We are here since 1993. BELPHEGOR still have the same groteque message - and we still stay hermetically to all and everything, do our own thing, in our own Reich. No praying, no crawling or kneeling down, we never did - Never will!

Kate: What do you expect from you upcoming tour with Sepultura?
Helmuth: Yes. 6 weeks - 33 convents, tour kicks off in Toronto/ Canada, 18. April - Opera House. The passion, the hellfire is burning, we are motivated and prepared, in a live situation, we shred everything to Death. Beware!

Kate: How much of the new album will you play the tour with Sepultura?
Helmuth: Playtime is 35, at some places 40 minutes, so we shred IN BLOOD - DEVOUR THIS SANCTITY, RISE TO FALL AND FALL TO RISE, IMPALED UPON THE TONGUE OF SATHAN, ANGELI MORTIS DE PROFUNDIS from BLOOD MAGICK NECROMANCE.

Kate: What are some of your future plans after the European tour?
Helmuth: Direct after the SEPULTURA North American raid we conquer European territory, doing some open airs and a 21 dates tour with DEICIDE, before we return in September to Latin America. Thanks for the space, Kate. See ya on the road to hell. AN HONOR - THIS HORROR.

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Check out Belphegor's official website.

Catch Belphegor on tour with Sepultura:

04/18 Toronto, ON - The Opera House
04/19 Quebec City, QC - Imperial de Quebec
04/20 Montreal, QC - Club Soda
04/22 Worcester, MA - The Palladium
04/23 Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
04/24 Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero
04/25 New York, NY - The Gramercy Theatre
04/26 Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall
04/27 Orlando, FL - The Club At Firestone
04/28 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
04/29 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
05/01 Tyler, TX - Clicks
05/02 Houston, TX - Scout Bar
05/03 Dallas, TX - Trees
05/05 Lubbock, TX - Jake's
05/06 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
05/07 Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse (feat. D.R.I.)
05/08 Tucson, AZ - Club DV8 (feat. D.R.I.)
05/09 San Diego, CA - House Of Blues
05/10 Reno, NV - The Knitting Factory
05/11 San Francisco, CA - The Grand Ballroom At Regency Center
05/12 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
05/13 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
05/14 Spokane, WA - The Knitting Factory
05/16 Englewood, CO - Gothic Theater
05/18 St. Paul, MN - Station 4
05/19 Chicago, IL - Reggies Rock Club
05/20 Detroit, MI - Blondie's
05/21 Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
05/22 Cleveland, OH - Peadbody's