Blood Magick Necromance [has been] released in North America.

Helmuth: Yes, we made it. The wait is over, the new monolith, entitled Blood Magick Necromance, is out in North America, almost worldwide. If [you are] lusting for extreme musick, march to your local record store to grab your copy and support BELPHEGOR. Now!!!

What reactions, if any, do you expect from the release?

European release date was in January. The feedback is amazing, both from the [people] and the media. Just briliiant man. I mean, we [have played] since the beginning in 1993 under the BELPHEGOR banner, [and] the masterplan and final aim was always to become mightier and more intense. We all have exercised a lot on our instruments the last decade, to get tighter as [a] live band, to improve our playing and compositorical abilities. Besides, we are one of the hardesd touring live bands. [You] know, the music comes first and dominates everything. Blood Magick Necromance is a new chapter and a very special BELPHEGOR album to me.

The album is distinctly Belphegor, but it seems you’ve incorporated more of an evil groove into the songs this time.

That was the masterplan as we started with the songwriting/rehearsals. There are a lot of new elements and structures added, to explore our chaos sound and take it to the next level. We also changed the studio and entered the Abyss Studios in Sweden with producer Peter Tägtgren. The sound wall is brilliant and fits perfeckt to the eight sound collages. Our most varied material so far, epic, heavy as fukk and majestic. The chorus melody from “In Blood – Devour This Sanctity” is inspired by the classical composer, Johannes Brahms, “Hungarian Dance #1 (1833 – 1897)”, [you] also hear a violin there. Or the title track, a seven minutes opus, we worked eight months on this complex hymn and arranged acribical everything in each detail. You find everything there: spoken words, chants, choirs, grunts, acoustic guitars, classical harmonies, epic orchestrations, [and] doom parts which turn to ultra blast beats. I’m 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 high speed riff attack, entitled “Sado Messiah”, not with a slow track as we did on the last albums.  Blood Magick Necromance is exactly how we wanted to sound in 2011.

The video for “Impaled Upon the Tongue of Sathan” just went online [recently].  Can you tell me a bit about the making of it?

Yes, all we wanted was an archaic disgusting bloodbath!  The clip is contrary to life, it’s total anti – it was not about shocking. Absolutely low-budget to get the real raw feeling while taking it all in….  We made it.  We know what we want to project with our sound and visuals.  The lyrics are connected to the visuals, the video, the stage and everything.  We seek for the utmost punishment, through anti-Christian sentiment which reflects our loyalty and honor.

The video was insanely bloody, gory and sacrilegious.

Imagine it… A bound and whipped girl covered in ash and paint, Hecate (breakcore Goddess and Pro-Domina) tied up tight, in pentagram bondage (as [you] see on the cover), naked in the midst of fall.  Liters of blood upon her face – this was possession.  An industrial garage high in the mountains, never ending blood drenched debauch.  No remorse, she went through it all….as an honor.

Serpenth said, ‘The blood cut deeper than any drug.’  How so?

Some of the crew were hard on drugs…. The track playing over and over.  Sikk – a haunting ritual.  Barren, glistening with blood and piss – this is reality – and art – and BELPHEGOR.  What can be more intense?  This is a pact, just like the album.  An onslaught of passion and power, necro-romance.  Sacrilegious… the anti-Christ is always important!  The sentiment, the sacrament.

It was released on Bloody-Disgusting.com.  Are you a horror fan yourself?

We hosted it there to get away from the censors and moralizers.  Nuclear Blast America had some fears that Youtube would remove it…. that was the whole idea of a different server. Horror movies, yes, I adore a lot of of this stuff. I dig zombies; a few days ago was viewing Romero’s Diary of the Dead. Fukking George, mannnn… harrrr.  I don’t watch TV, hate it as much as religion. Total propaganda for the sheep.  Fukking hell, what about “commercial breaks” —- No, not my thing….!  I support films, I wait on a delivery of “The Collector II”…. totally into it.  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – orginal. Classic. The remakes [are] also cool by me, truly shocking and full of morbid violence.  That is the way horror is meant to be. Leatherface.  The figure.  The force.  The chainsaw!  Mind blowing…man!

Walpurgis Rites – Hexenwahn was released in October 2009, and before that was Bondage Goat Zombie in 2008.  Belphegor is an incredibly productive/active band.

Yes. We are totally into the process.  The band, the musick, the attitude. Our passion and blood. And now we have Blood Magick Necromance!!! Magnificent and our utmost dangerous offering yet.

From where do you get inspiration?

Our mission is about extreme metal. 17 years of musick and excess and BELPHEGOR is still here to celebrate supreme death/black metal art. The passion, the hellfire is burning, we are motivated and ready to take the world by storm.

Your world tour to support the album [has begun].

The core is ready to kick serious ass. Nonstop worldwide shredding. Starting with terrorizing North America again, with DEICIDE, later SEPULTURA…followed by European open airs and a 26 date tour through Europe with DEICIDE, where we cross alot of important cities.  Can’t wait to celebrate the new tracks on stage, in a raw live situation, we shred everything to death. BELPHEGOR brings the Devil, the flesh, the chaos direct to your town.

Are there any places particularly that you are looking forward to playing?

Yeah sure, we never get the possibility to bring our chaos sound to Australia and Asia, so its about time to nuke there.  Hope we can make it in 2011, would be amazing.

What music will you be listening to on the tour?

NWOBHM, Danzig, Mozart, Johnny Cash, Exodus, KISS, Mayhem, AC/DC…list is endless.

What’s in the immediate future for Belphegor?

At the moment all is focused on the new album. Musick is passion.  Magick…it is the highest art. Thanks for the space in Teeth Of The Divine, and supporting BELPHEGOR.  Check out our new album, Blood Magick Necromance. An Honor This Horror!

www.belphegor.at

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