Belphegor

Formed in the early 1990s in Salzburg, Austria, Belphegor established itself within blackened death metal with an approach centered on occult imagery, blasphemy, and macabre eroticism. Initially founded under the name Betrayer in 1991 before permanently adopting the name Belphegor in 1993, the band has remained structured around vocalist and guitarist Helmuth Lehner, with various musicians revolving around him in the studio and on stage, most often as a trio or quartet. The early albums The Last Supper (1995) and Blutsabbath (1997) laid down a sonic foundation of fast rhythms, cutting riffs, and a blend of cavernous and screamed vocals, which Belphegor further developed with Necrodaemon Terrorsathan (2000) and Lucifer Incestus (2003). Joining the Nuclear Blast roster with Goatreich – Fleshcult (2005) ushered in a period of intensive touring across the European and North American extreme circuits, accompanied by records such as Bondage Goat Zombie (2008), Blood Magick Necromance (2011), and Conjuring the Dead (2014). Despite a hiatus due to Helmuth’s health issues in the early 2010s, Belphegor quickly resumed activity, honed a sound still rooted in death and black metal, and continued along that path with Totenritual (2017) and The Devils (2022), confirming an aesthetic continuity marked by direct structures, a taste for dark atmospheres, and subverted religious imagery.