Belphegor: shredding their guitars in the name of the devil

Metalfan: Hello! Welcome to Metalfan!
Helmuth: Hey man, first off, thanks for appreciation and liking the new album. Yeah, we do what we always do, we continue to keep the fucking devil and demonic spirit in metal music alive. I think Bondage Goat Zombie is our most mature effort, this time we have managed to melt ultra blastbeats and heaviness to one union. The nine tracks reached a higher level of dynamics and structured brutality. This album is roaring like an M-16 firing and razing everything to the ground, ha ha, take a listen and destroy yourselves.

Metalfan: As this is your first interview for Metalfan, please note the most important aspects of Belphegor so far...
Helmuth: Since 1993 we shred our guitars in the name of the devil. Well - let's talk about the new album, it's just been released via Nuclear Blast Records, worldwide. We tried a few new things, added some new elements, epic melodies here and there as we always do, trying to take our sound a bit further each time, you know, to unleash more energy and dark passion. BONDAGE GOAT ZOMBIE reflects what we represent anno 2008, in musical sense and how we wanted to sound, I´m totally blown away by the morbid atmospere.

Metalfan: Could you please explain in few words the meaning of the title?
Helmuth: The album title fits perfectly with the concept, lyrics, and deals with "BONDAGE", S/M, flagellation, bite wounds, all the fetish stuff you know, overall inspired bythe themes in the work of Marquis de Sade (1740-1814). By the way, many people don't realize, the word "sadism" comes from Marquis de Sade's name. "GOAT": is our trademark since the end of the ninties. "ZOMBIE": This goes along with my opinion that there are people who are brainless, fucked up Zombies who sleep-walk the earth, infesting it like a plague. You know, its about rebellion in man, free will to take your own decision, follow your own path and do not let them break your will. In my opinion freedom is the most important thing in life...

Metalfan: Could you describe us in few words each song of the album?
Helmuth: No, but here you'll find a track by track description:
 www.belphegor.at/pressdownload.htm

Metalfan: Where was "Bondage Goat Zombie" recorded and who was in charge with the production?
Helmuth: It was our goal to nail our tightest album on CD and I think we accomplished that. Mr. Andy Classen made us a brillant soundwall in the Stage One Studios, Kassel/ Germany and its always a great pleasure to work with him, the equipment and studio’s brillant. For BONDAGE GOAT ZOMBIE we went into the studio with much more experience, you know, we never before have spent so much time in the rehearsing room, we are real fanatics and take everything very seriously, a song only gets on the album if we are satisfied about it one hundred percent. This time we've been recording for almost five weeks, devided in three sessions ( Nov. 2007 - Jan. 2008 ), to get the best result out of it. The soundwall is intense and dominating, like a crushing extra punch in your face haha. 

Metalfan: You have also realeased the title track as a single, it is important for a Black Metal band to realease singles?
Helmuth: Fukk man, Black Metal single, what's next? Anyways. Wrong, it wasn´t a single, it was a download track from Nuclear Blast one month before the release date of the new album you know, an appetizer for the hungry die-hard BELPHEGOR demons.
 
Metalfan: Black Metal has grown bigger and bigger in the last years, bands have started to sign with bigger record companies, people are becoming curious, they turn to the black metal scene, some of them listen to the bands but don't understand anything... what is your opinion about all this?
Helmuth: Yeah, I see the extreme Metal scene is growing again worldwide, so it's a good time, you know - its great that people are interested again in shredding Metal music. BELPHEGOR always played death metal with black metal influences, metal is timeless music, that's all you need to know. I hail metal, i mean -  guitar music in general, it is number one in my life. In my opinion, Death/ Black Metal rules the world nowadays, we always have to search for evolution, explore the atmosphere and thats exactly what we try. Stagnation means death!
 
Metalfan: Belphegor will finally play in Romania this September after some insuccessful previous attempts to play here. Also, the norwegian group Mayhem haven't recieved the visa to play in Australia, do you think that autorities fear Black Metal bands?
Helmuth: I don´t give a horseshit, really. I have to promote a new massive album, that's the only thing I care about, at the moment.

Metalfan: What are your favorite albums of this year so far?
Helmuth: I didn´t listen to many 2008 releases yet. The last Metal records that really impressed me was Mayhem's Ordo Ad Chao and from Necrophagist's Epitaph. And it's not a secret that me and thousands of metal heads are looking forward to hear the new Morbid Angel album.

 
Metalfan: Ok, let's return to "Bondage Goat Zombie", what is your favorite song off it? 
Helmuth: Each song is a fave to me and it's got its own atmosphere, strong moments, the masterplan is no fillers - only killers. I think the diversity of the tracks are the highlight on the new opus.

Metalfan: What do you think about concerts?
Helmuth: For me, it's the best to play live, you know, we are always fukking excited, each show is beyond amazing for us, we did so many cool concerts the last decade, unforgetable good times, and met so many wonderful dedicated people worldwide. When we go on stage we want the demons to forget all the bullshit and simply have an intense time. Everywhere the maniacs are in a good mood, celebrating, screaming their lungs out, begin to bang, it's always great for the band and keeps you investing more and unleash more brutal energy on stage. Preaching the blast-beat in a live situation is our mission man.
 
Metalfan: Do you prefer to be on stage or in the audience?
Helmuth: On stage of course haha. Well, the last shows I've seen was Manowar last year and Megadeth a couple weeks ago. You know we are always on the road and share the stage with awesome bands.
 
Metalfan: Do you care about the reactions you get from your listeners regarding your music? If they say "that's good", "that's bad", or you play just for yourself?
Helmuth: Our philosophy is to play evil metal without compromise, we always want to offer the best to ourself and also to impress the demons, who buy our albums and who support us with that, they deserve the best, they are the reason why we are here, you know - that's all i can say, thank you metal brothers and sisters.
 
Metalfan: And I thank you for your time, in the end would you like to send a messager to our readers?
Helmuth: Belphegor will continue to keep the devil and demonic spirit in metal music alive. Looking forward to play in Romania in September, we heard so many good stuff about your metal community there. Thanks for the space Hell Hammer. Regards to your readers and all demons who stuck with us, who just got into the band, or who came to the shows. Belphegor's seventh studio album, entitled Bondage Goat Zombie is out everywhere. Pillage your local record shop, grab your copy and support Belphegor. Hail Metal! Hail Death!

www.belphegor.at
www.myspace.com/belphegor