Belphegor is an Austrian extreme metal band from Salzburg. The band was formed in 1991 under the name Betrayer and adopted the name Belphegor in 1993, taking its name from the demon of the same name.
Vocalist and bassist Maxx, guitarists Helmuth and Sigurd, and drummer Chris founded Betrayer in 1991. The band released its first demo, "Kruzifixion", in April 1991, followed by "Unborn Blood". After changing their name to Belphegor in 1993, the band released the demo "Bloodbath in Paradise" in Maxi-CD format. Maxx subsequently left the band, with Helmuth assuming vocal and guitar duties. Between 1993 and 1996, A-X performed as a session bassist before Mario "Marius" Klausner joined as a permanent member.
Belphegor signed with Perverted Taste Records, which released the demo "Obscure and Deep" in 1994. The release included a cover of Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". The band's debut album, "The Last Supper", was released by Lethal Records in January 1995. Around this time, the band's logo was redesigned to incorporate two inverted crosses surrounded by blood.
The band's second album, "Blutsabbath", was released in October 1997 and featured session drummer Man of Mastic Scum. Belphegor subsequently undertook an 18-date European tour with Behemoth and Ancient in April and May 1998. "The Last Supper" was reissued in 1999 with new artwork and six bonus tracks taken from the "Obscure and Deep" EP.
Belphegor's third album, "Necrodaemon Terrorsathan", was released by Last Episode in 2000, with Man again performing session drums. The band subsequently left the label and criticised its business practices. In January 2001, Belphegor headlined several shows at the "Fuck The Commerce IV", "With Full Force VIII" and "Hell On Earth" events in Germany, with support from Dunkelgrafen and Dawn of Dreams. In 2002, the band performed at the Summer Breeze, Brutal Assault and Morbide Festspiele festivals, followed by further shows in Germany in December. Around this period, drummer Torturer of Mor Dagor and bassist Barth joined the band. Belphegor released the live album "Infernal Live Orgasm" through its own label, Phallelujah Productions, before signing with Napalm Records.
For their fourth album, "Lucifer Incestus", vocalist and guitarist Helmuth, guitarist Sigurd, bassist Barth and drummer Torturer worked with producer Alex Krull of Atrocity. The album was released in December 2003, followed by a European tour.
Belphegor recorded their fifth album, "Goatreich - Fleshcult", at Mastersound Studio in Fellbach in September 2004, again with Alex Krull as producer. The band undertook a short tour with Disastrous Murmur in November and performed at the X-Mass Festival with Napalm Death, Marduk, Finntroll and Vader. "Goatreich - Fleshcult" was released in February 2005 in several formats, including a vinyl edition limited to 1,000 copies. Digipak editions included the instrumental bonus track "Heresy of Fire". Torturer left the band in February 2005 and was replaced by Nefastus, also known as Tomas Janiszewski. In April, Belphegor headlined the 18-date Goatreich - Fleshcult Europe Tour Part I with Arkhon Infaustus, Asmodeus and In Aeternum. The band subsequently left Napalm Records, citing dissatisfaction with the label's support and treatment.
Belphegor signed with Nuclear Blast in 2005 and began recording "Pestapokalypse VI" at Andy Classen's Stage One Studio in November. Classen had previously produced "The Last Supper". Barth played bass on six of the album's nine tracks before leaving the band because of a hand injury that ended his career as a musician. Belphegor withdrew from a tour with Hate Eternal in April 2006. Helmuth recorded the remaining bass parts for the album, while Robin Eaglestone, formerly of Cradle of Filth and Imperial Black, performed as a live bassist between April and October. Serpenth subsequently became the band's permanent bassist.
"Pestapokalypse VI" was released in October 2006. Nefastus left the band, and several session drummers performed with Belphegor, including Lille Grubber, Blastphemer and former drummer Torturer. Nuclear Blast issued a limited edition of the album in an ammunition box containing the CD, a patch, a belt and other items. A limited vinyl edition was also released. Promotional videos were produced for the songs "Bluhtsturm Erotika" and "Belphegor - Hell's Ambassador", directed by Florian Werner.
Belphegor had been scheduled to perform at the X-Mass Festival in December 2006, but the festival was cancelled. The band subsequently supported Danzig on the Blackest of the Black tour in North America in December 2006 and January 2007. In February and March 2007, Belphegor toured North America with Unleashed, Krisiun and Hatesphere. In May, the band headlined the Midvinterblot European Tour Part II, initially with Kataklysm and Unleashed and later with Arkhon Infaustus. Belphegor performed at Wacken Open Air in August and co-headlined most dates of Gorgoroth's South American tour in September.
In January 2008, founding guitarist Sigurd underwent eye surgery, and his future with the band was initially uncertain. Helmuth later confirmed that Sigurd had permanently left Belphegor following the band's European tour in late 2007. Anthony Paulini replaced him for the band's North American tour in February 2008, while Morluch subsequently became a permanent guitarist.
"Bondage Goat Zombie" was released in April 2008, featuring Helmuth on vocals and lead and rhythm guitars, Serpenth on bass and Torturer on drums. The album was issued in several formats, including a limited digipak edition containing a DVD with music videos, behind-the-scenes material, a studio documentary and live footage. Other editions included specialised packaging and a limited red vinyl release. Belphegor performed at the Hellfest Summer Open Air festival in France in June 2008, supported Nile and Grave on the Ithyphallic tour of Europe in September, and toured North America with Amon Amarth in October.
In January 2009, Belphegor announced that it was working on a new album, with Nefastus returning to perform drums. Recording began in February, with Nefastus completing the drum parts. Helmuth subsequently announced that the rhythm guitar and bass parts had also been recorded. The album was initially referred to as "Hexenwahn - Totenkult" and focused lyrically on witchcraft, demonology and occult themes. On 9 June 2009, the title was announced as "Walpurgis Rites - Hexenwahn". Recording was completed in July, with Brazilian artist Marcelo Hvc producing the album artwork. The album was released in October 2009.
Belphegor toured North America in April 2009 on a tour headlined by Kreator and Exodus, with Warbringer and Epicurean also appearing. In November, the band joined the Heathenfest tour in North America with Eluveitie, Alestorm, Kivimetsän Druidi and Vreid. In December, Belphegor toured South America with Obituary.
On 14 January 2011, Belphegor released "Blood Magick Necromance" and subsequently toured the United States with Sepultura. Following a South American tour in 2011, the band went on hiatus until May 2012 while Helmuth recovered from surgery after contracting typhoid fever.
On 23 August 2014, Belphegor performed at the Agglutination Metal Festival in Italy alongside Carcass and Entombed A.D. The band's tenth album, "Conjuring the Dead", was released by Nuclear Blast on 8 August 2014. It reached number 60 on the German albums chart, number 33 in Austria, number 177 in France, number 13 on the US Heatseekers chart, number 52 on the US Hard Music chart and number 58 in Canada.
On 19 April 2016, Helmuth Lehner was attacked at Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg by Anatoly Artyukh, an Orthodox activist and assistant to Russian politician Vitaly Milonov. The incident occurred before a scheduled Belphegor performance in the city.
Belphegor released its eleventh album, "Totenritual", on 15 September 2017.
In April 2022, Belphegor announced that its twelfth album, "The Devils", would be released on 24 June. The release was subsequently postponed twice because of manufacturing delays, first to 8 July and then to 29 July.
In the winter of 2026, Belphegor toured the United States with Incantation, Hate and Narcotic Waste as supporting acts.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belphegor_(band)
Studio albums
The Last Supper (1995)
Blutsabbath (1997, Blood Sabbath)
Necrodaemon Terrorsathan (2000, Necrodemon Terrorsatan)
Lucifer Incestus (2003, Lucifer Incest)
Goatreich – Fleshcult (2005, Goat Realm – Flesh Cult)
Pestapokalypse VI (2006, Plague Apocalypse VI)
Bondage Goat Zombie (2008)
Walpurgis Rites - Hexenwahn (2009, Walpurgis Rites - Witches' Delusion)
Blood Magick Necromance (2011)
Conjuring the Dead (2014)
Totenritual (2017, Death Ritual)
The Devils (2022)
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…shrink me down again