Kev Rowland It has been five years since Austrian Black Metal band Belphegor released their last album, ‘Totenritual, since when drummer Simon Schilling has departed. So, for this release they have brought in session man David Diepold while founder Helmeth provides guitar and lead vocals and Serpenth is still there on bass and backing vocals. There is no doubt that over the thirty years of their existence they have continued to be one of the most uncompromising bands around, so if they want to bring in passages which are incredibly melodic and have nothing to do with the genre, they will do just that, and if they want to bring in clips from horror movies why should we disagree?

They can be blasting along full-pelt at one minute, drop in some acoustic guitar, then keep ramping it up as if there had been no interlude whatsoever. This is particularly effective on “Damnation – Höllensturz” which also features orchestral and symphonic moments which ensure the song has a massive sound. Producer Jens Bogren has allowed the duo to get on with it but has captured all the majesty and passion which only comes from a black metal act on the very top of their game. Yet again they are singing in German, Latin and English, very much following the pattern they set for themselves all those years ago when they started and now they are on the twelfth studio album they are not going to deviate from their course.

It is the variety of styles which makes this such a fascinating release as while it is black metal to its core, there is a great deal happening within it which adds layers of complexity as they refuse to stay inside whatever boundaries many may believe define the genre. “Virtus Asinaria – Prayer” may have the guitar style we expect, but the drums are incredibly basic, and the speed much slower, and all of this is deliberate to create something which is almost at odds with what one might expect, and the Georgian style backing vocals does nothing to change that. Belphegor has been on the scene for 30 years but are still pushing the limits of what one expects from black metal, and the album is all the better for that.