Belphegor – Helmuth Lehner

Formed in 1991 under the moniker of Betrayer, and a name change in 1993 became as we now  know as Belphegor, have survived line-up changes and shifts to various record labels over their 19-year history. Now with their new album Walpurgis Rites-Hexenwahn, out on Nuclear Blast, Belphegor have demonstrated that the experience of the past 19 years has only made them stronger.

Metal Obsession got a chance to speak with Helmuth about the new album, witches, and Walpurgisnacht among other things…

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Metal Obsession: How are you?
Helmuth Lehner: Yeah, going okay, it’s late. I’ve been up three hours and I’m pissed. [drunk? Damn, I should have had a beer before the interview! -M.]

MO: What’s been happening for Belphegor lately?
HL: We have a US tour soon, so we will start rehearsing for that.

MO: You’ve released Walpurgis Rites – Hexenwahn, how has the feedback been for that album?
HL: It’s been cool. It was great to create this album and writing the songs… we spent a long time in the studio, we are very pleased with it.

MO: With the lyrics in the album, what’s the general theme?
HL: It’s about the celebration of Walpurgisnacht, it’s about witches, the Devil and all that stuff.

MO: You did a video for Der Geistertreiber, tell us a bit about it.
HL: It was the first time we had a professional crew for it, and it’s a great video. The lyrics are all in the German language, good experiment.

MO: What is the English translation to Der Geistertreiber?
HL: It’s an old word, it means something along the lines of “The Devil came out from the lungs of Hell”, about the celebration of Walpurgisnacht.

MO: Who did the cover artwork for the album?
HL: It was a guy from Brazil, he did a good job.

MO: You worked with Andy Classen on this record, as with your previous two albums. What were your reasons for staying with Andy for Walpurgis Rites – Hexenwahn?
HL: It was very good to work with him. He has got good equipment and very experienced, knows exactly how our guitars should sound. We worked with him on the previous two albums, we always developed a good sound.

MO: You’re signed to Nuclear Blast, how do they compare to previous labels you’ve been signed to?
HL: Nuclear Blast have been really good to us, we’ve had a few labels before them, who had been too shit. Nuclear Blast are perfect, they are better with distribution and they let us do what we want with no restrictions. That is the most important thing I think.

MO: Will there be a re-release of The Last Supper?
HL: At the moment we have no plans, but we may do it, you never know. Many people have asked for the first three albums to be re-released. Maybe we will, maybe in 2010. Are any of those albums available in Australia?

MO: The later albums on Nuclear Blast are more accessible, but the earlier albums are not as easy to find.
HL: At the moment, the new album is the most important thing, but we might re-release the earlier albums.

MO: Will there be an Australian tour in the future?
HL: I hope so! There has been talk for six years now, we have talked about getting a tour booked but it’s been seldom serious. We really want to tour Australia, it will be very interesting, a challenge for us, playing in new countries, and I hope that [in 2010] we can do it.

MO: That wraps up the interview, any last comments for the Australian fans?
HL: Hopefully we can play there next year, and check out the new album! Thank you for the interview.

Q’s: Megan Masters
A’s: Helmuth Lehner (Vocals)
Date: 10/01/2010
Origin: Austria

www.myspace.com/belphegor

www.belphegor.at

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