Interview with Belphegor vocalist/guitarist Helmuth Lehner | By Michael Pementel
“Death is everywhere. The new album is the uttermost pinnacle of obscurity with a ritual vibe, and these low-tuned guitars crush everything in existence. We cannot wait to release this 11th Belphegor offering.”
Belphegor lead vocalist and guitarist Helmuth Lehner—better known as just Helmuth—holds nothing back when sharing his excitement for the Austrian band’s brand new record, Totenritual, out now via Nuclear Blast. By 2018, the band will have delivered 25 years of sinister blackened death metal. “I am still on fire and ready for new challenges and experiments [and to] try new things,” Helmuth assures.
Totenritual continues Belphegor’s formula for dark, mystical storytelling while also amplifying their sound. “Conjuring the Dead was released in 2014, and it was brutal, but when it comes to that term, [‘brutal’], Totenritual destroys that album in my opinion,” Helmuth says. “You know, we have been building our signature sound since The Last Supper in 1995. We were able to improve and establish it with Lucifer Incestus in 2003 where we really made a huge step forward, and since this time, we have been trying to get everything to the next level of intensity—compared with technique and a massive but coherent wall of sound—but still without getting lame or changing our style.”
Each new Belphegor record is a proven testament of Helmuth’s ability to push the band’s music. Totenritual is much more than straightforward brutal music: it’s a visceral experience of carnage and magic. The opening track, “Baphomet,” immediately takes the listener into another world. The air becomes dense, a pure darkness lingers among its notes, and the weight of dread and destruction grows as the music progresses. “We felt it’s time for a new challenge and tuned our guitars even more down, so we reached a different low-end tone,” Helmuth explains. “[We did this] to get a more obscure and ritualistic vibe, so everything remains or becomes, musically, even more of a punch in the face. It was a great decision, and it opened a new world in my guitar playing—it is another state of extremities, sound-wise. I despise restriction or stagnation. We always try to challenge ourselves, you know? We do this by changing up the writing process, the studios, producer, etc.”
Like Belphegor’s music, Helmuth’s interests lie in the realms of darkness. “You know, I’m inspired by everything I see and experience,” he says. “I adore all types of books on the occult, strange happenings and the paranormal, necromantic, cannibalism, and serial killers. […] Everything that is dark, anti and non-conformist grabs my attention. I had many chances during my life to learn and know that real life is often way stranger than any fiction.”
When it comes to writing lyrics and planning his vocals, Helmuth intricately crafts ways to haunt his audience. He researches old books that intrigue him, then performs them in a contrasting manner. “These [books] consist of spells, poems, chants, and so on, mostly in the original language in order to not deface the intended meaning,” he explains. “That’s why our lyrical content is written and sung in English, Latin, and the German language as well. Latin, the Church speech—it’s sheer blasphemy to mock the son of Christ in their own language.”
Among the subjects most dear to Helmuth is Lucifer, a figure who breathes life into so much of his work. “I’ve always used the philosophy about Satan [or] Lucifer—the Lightbearer—in our lyrical content as a proud, exalted, majestic figure who resisted against all influences,” he says. “This archetype is one to make his own decisions, [to] walk his own path as a rebel, a mocker of the masses.”
The other subject matter found in Totenritual is equally rich and unique. “‘The Devil’s Son’ deals with the life story of the Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini, written from his point of view,” Helmuth shares. “He had very pale skin and always dressed in black. His virtuoso violin technique, inhumanly fast playing, demonic technique of precision, [and] his appearance—with his long limbs, nimble fingers and joints—have led people to the idea that he must have been possessed and had a pact with the devil.”
“‘Baphomet’ is the creator of everything,” he continues. “The arrangement deals with the duality of life: man-woman, fire-water, human-demon, love-hate. It’s also about will, discipline, freedom, and the will to walk your own way alone without letting someone else decide things relating to your life, to develop as human—sex magick and self-creation.”
With 25 years of blackened death metal behind them, Belphegor continue to earn their reputation as one of the most vicious bands in metal history. “Belphegor is more than a band to me,” Helmuth says. “It’s unreal to me when I think back on what I have had the honor to do so far. We’ve traveled and toured the world again and again, we never split up, joined any trend, or went mainstream like so many ‘back in the days’ extreme bands.”
Belphegor’s profound lyricism combines with technical mastery and vocal chemistry to create works of a brutal and chaotic nature. Totenritual stands as another excellent addition to the band’s oeuvre, providing a sincere look into their world of mystery, darkness, and Hell.
