Belphegor pour l'album "Goatreich - Fleshcult"

1) Hi! Can you introduce briefly your band?

Okay here we go, BELPHEGOR plays highspeed death/black art under this banner since the end of 1992.
From this time we play highspeed death/black metal, for biography/tours/latest news and more check our site.

2) What are your main musical influences and inspirations?

We are metal heads which try to hail hard music, in my opinion there is no other musical direction which can transport so much rage - engery - beauty - destruction, only comparably with the intension of classic.
Fukk, we dig the aggression and brutality of Death Metal and the cold melodic - atmosphere of Black Metal and thats what we try to melt and perfect for more than a decade...

3) Can you say a little bit more about the departure of Torturer and about the new drummer?

He decided already in Sept. 04 to visit a drumschool for whole 2005 and would have had only limitated time for BELPHEGOR, which we were not in the mood for, so we separated consensually. We wish him horns-up and respect his decision, which really wasn´t easy for him.
Nefastus is the new man on the drums since Oct. 04 and he has worked in very well, he already accompanied us in December 04 on the infamous X mass festivals.
Nefastus can reproduce the songs in a live situation for 100%, he fits both, mentally and musically and he's now a permanent member of BELPHEGOR.


4) How happened The X-Mass festival 2004? What were the best moments?

The x mass fests were awesome man. There would be a lot to tell, it was a hell´s trip and a great time for BELPHEGOR.
We met a lot of dedicated ppl and the brutal music - alcohol flew in great quantities.


5) Now about "Goatreich - Fleshcult", what are the differences compared with "Lucifer Incestus"?

Thats one of the strengths of the new album, the variety and dynamic.
Progress as a band is first priority for BELPHEGOR, stagnation = death.
We’ ve always tried to give our best and every album/demo whatsoever represents our respective skill and ability at the time of the release....

6) Your album has been recorded at the same place than Lucifer Incestus but the sound is really different, why?

We have learned a lot at the recordings for LUCIFER INCESTUS in the Mastersound studios and that all we could use for the new opus, entitled GOATREICH - FLESHCULT ( Europe date 28th February ).
This time the band went into the studio with much more experience. Nearly five weeks we'd been to the studio to record and mastering GOATREICH – FLESHCULT. Alex & his crew are smooth persons, so the conditions were perfect.
We got hot and incited us to be in a good mood to record our most massive and aggressive material. It was a great challenge for BELPHEGOR to top the predecessor LUCIFER INCESTUS.
Hell yeah, it was fantastic to record GOATREICH - FLESHCULT

7) You put some very slow and oppressive tracks like "Sepulture Of Hypocrisy" or "Kings Shall Be Kings", the future of Belphegor for you?

Let me tell u, we don´t want to limitate us ourselves and our musical horizon is not
achieved yet. Specially the groove monster "SEPULTURE OF HYPOCRISY" was a musical
experiment, with its morbid atmosphere and the mechanical-screaming riffs.
After more then 10 years looking for highspeed-aggressions we are experienced musicians and know that speed is not the same like brutality.
It was time to present our musical grown up and that we are able to give the
main points ,...this doom-eruption are in comparison to our other material slower
but nevertheless typical BELPHEGOR.
And yes, on "GOATREICH - FLESHCULT" we have weaved new songstructures/scales/harmonies/leads into the album.

8) This album is more "death metal" than the previous LP, the new Belphegor will still juggle with black and death?

Bullshit man, its typical BELPHEGOR, one of our trademarks and strengths are to integrate morbid melodies into our songs. And we used many leads, more technic and the usual lower tuned - BELPHEGOR death riffs and twin guitar scales. A perfect symbiose of Death Metal with blackest influences, the way it meant to be.

9) Some tracks like "Fornicationium Et Immundus Diabolus" or "Swarm Of Rats" are clearly the most catchy and accessible tracks, do you want to convert more people to your music?

"GOATREICH-FLESHCULT is our most varied album til now, its very fleshy and dynamic.
U know we are very ambitious, make the music for ourselves, if the ppl
like it thats great, GOATREICH - FLESHCULT reflects what we represent anno 2005, in musical sense and how we want to sound.

10) The new artwork is still purely pleasurable, the shocking side of the band is its biggest force, can you tell me a little more about your philosophy?

For us its not shocking anymore, u know for us its art.
Its not kinda image or whatsoever shit, we all dig that obscure stuff, and that became our trademark since over an decade now, so what the fukk,....

11) Do you plan one day to release a live album (or a dvd) of just one concert and not a compilation like "Infernal Live Orgasm" with different live tracks?

No need fo another live album , maybe an DVD in the end of 2005, time will tell man.

12) You are going to go on tour as the headliner, not too much in hurry?

Har har, sure not, let me tell u´ this is not the 1st time that we doin headliner tours,..

13) Did you listen to the excellent french band ARKHON INFAUSTUS?

Yeah thats the reason why we invited them for this tour and a.o. In Aeternum / Asmodeus and some local slots.
Its an outstanding metal package for the friends of hard sounds,....
On this tour the band will crossing France again.
We are already very excited how the new songs will work in a live situation and hope that the ppl will be content with the new album like we are.

14) Your opinion about the extreme scene after so many years?

I don´t give a horseshit.

15) Arnold Schwarzenegger The Gouvernator, what do you think about that?

Harhar, we are huge movie maniacs so Arnold is the Austrian goat, we dig his Conan/Terminator movies.

But we don´t care about his political ambitions,...

To conclude the interview, I leave you the ending word...

Well Mitch, thanks for space, regards to all demons out there, who' ve been supporting and accompanying us for years, so see you demons in the pit,....