Grand Belial's Key

Last updated
Grand Belial's Key
Origin Oakton, Virginia
Genres Black metal
Years active1992–2006, 2009–present
LabelsWorld Terror Committee, Weltenfeind, End All Life, Drakkar, Wood Nymph
Website https://weltenfeind.com/grand-belials-key

Grand Belial's Key (GBK) is a black metal band founded in Oakton, Virginia, in 1992 by guitarist Gelal Necrosodomy and vocalist Lord Vlad Luciferian. [1] Lord Vlad Luciferian was later ejected from the group due to internal differences. [2] To date the band has released four full-length albums.

Contents

History

Early history (1992–1996)

The band started in 1992 with Gelal on guitars, bass guitar and keyboards, and Bestial Luciferian on drums and vocals. By the end of the year, they recorded their debut demo, Goat of a Thousand Young. The next year, they played their first concert with Kommando on bass (from Arghoslent) and Tom Philips (from While Heaven Wept) on keyboards as guests. After the show, Gelal quit the band due to his animosity toward Bestial Luciferian. The band soon split up, but Bestial Luciferian (now Lord Vlad Luciferian) tried to reform GBK, bringing with him Demonic on bass. Tom Philips was set to replace Gelal before Demonic convinced him to rejoin. This lineup then recorded the Triumph of the Hordes demo in 1994.

After the release of the demo, Gelal and Demonic learned that Lord Vlad Luciferian added female voices to one of the songs without asking, and that he had messed up deals with several record companies. Gelal, now even more angry towards Lord Vlad Luciferian, fired him from the band. After this, Demonic quit the band due to lack of time, so Gelal asked The Marauder (guitar player of Arghoslent at the time) to play bass, and recruited The Black Lourde of Crucifixion on drums/vocals (Cazz Grant from Crucifier). This was the lineup which recorded the A Witness to the Regicide EP in 1996.[ citation needed ]

Mocking the Philanthropist (1997–2000)

The next LP made GBK one of the most controversial underground black metal acts in the United States. Bassist Der Sturmer (Der Stürmer was the name of a Nazi newspaper published 1923–1945) replaced the Marauder, and the new lineup recorded the LP Mocking the Philanthropist on the Belgian record label Wood-Nymph. The CD booklet contained pictures of the band wearing shirts of far-right bands (Bound for Glory and Spear of Longinus), leading to tour boycotts and other problems. In their first nine years, GBK had only played nine gigs. The album was refused distribution in Germany due to the offensive booklet. Wood-Nymph refused to print a new booklet and, as a result, the label soon folded due to the poor distribution of the album. The CD would later be repressed by Moribund Cult and Drakkar Productions in 2004 and 2006 respectively.

Judeobeast Assassination to Kosherat (2001–2005)

The follow-up to Mocking the Philanthropist was Judeobeast Assassination, released in 2001. The album's lyrics focused on what the band perceived as the inseparability of so-called Judeo-Christianity, mocking both the New Testament and the Old Testament (Mocking the Philanthropist had focused only on the New Testament). The lyrics were much more provocative and sexually perverse than the ones on Mocking the Philanthropist. The music on the album had a more bass-heavy mix and a thicker sound, unlike Norwegian black metal. The album was almost twenty minutes shorter, in order to fit onto a piece of vinyl.

In 2002, The Black Lourde of Crucifixion left GBK to focus more on Crucifier, and he was not interested in touring Europe. The lineup for the "Pimps of Gennesarret Tour" was Grimnir Wotansvolk on vocals, Gelal Necrosodomy on guitar, Demonic on bass, and The Gulag on drums; the same lineup that would record Kosherat in 2005. Kosherat was released in 2005 on Drakkar Productions, and would be the band's final album before their disbandment. The album's central focus was on Judaism, mocking such rituals as the red heifer and metzitzah b'peh / circumcision. The album also featured four re-recorded tracks from their vinyl EPs, as well as two Chaos 88 covers.

Recent history (2006–present)

Vocalist Richard P. Mills died in 2006 of drug overdose. Mills, who also went by the names Grimnir Wotansvolk and G. Heretik and was the owner of the National Socialist black metal record label and distributor Vinland Winds. [3] He released Pantheon's Ergriffenheit 10" vinyl record as well as Spear of Longinus and Graveland vinyl records. The label's last release was an exclusive US release of Russian far-right thrash metal band Corrosia Metalla in 2008. The same year, the last GBK recordings were released as a split album with Absurd from Germany and Sigrblot from Sweden; the tracks were recorded during the same session as the Kosherat album and were "exclusively planned for this split". [4]

The band became active again as of 2009, with Sven "Unhold" Zimper of Absurd on vocals, and Ulfhedinn of Arghoslent on drums. In December 2009, they played Chicago's Hooligan Black Metal show, along with Heathen Hammer, Martial and Absurd. [5] The band also performed at Hammer Open Air Festival at Finland in 2010, and at Hell's Headbash III in September 2016. [6]

In 2017, World Terror Committee, label owned by Unhold, released the demo compilation Goat of a Thousand Young / Triumph of the Hordes, and also reissued the band's EP A Witness to the Regicide in 2019. Gelal Necrosodomy, through his new label Weltenfeind also reissued the band's split of the same name with Absurd and Sigrblot on digipak. The band's fourth album Kohanic Charmers was released on April 15, 2022, exclusively through Weltenfeind on CD. A vinyl version was released in September of the same year. It is the first album to feature Unhold and Ulfhedinn and was originally recorded in 2016 on Germany.

Politics and far-right views

Grand Belial's Key has been considered to be a part of the National Socialist black metal (NSBM) scene, [7] a label in response to which the band has argued that its lyrics are simply "anti-Jewish/Christian and/or anti-religion"." [2]

Members

Current members

Past members

Live Members

Timeline

Grand Belial's Key

Discography

Studio albums
EPs
Demos
Compilations
Split releases

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient (band)</span> Norwegian black metal band

Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, formed in 1992. The band released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records to date and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works. Beginning with The Cainian Chronicle, they moved towards a more Nordic/atmospheric black metal sound, akin to Emperor and a cleaner production. After a period of turmoil concerning their line-up, they went on to add gothic-style instruments such as violins, a female vocalist, and synthesizers to their music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokturnal Mortum</span> Ukrainian folk-black metal band

Nokturnal Mortum are a Ukrainian black metal band from Kharkiv. They were one of the founders of the Ukrainian black metal scene and pioneers in the early National Socialist black metal ("NSBM") scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thou Shalt Suffer</span> Musical artist

Thou Shalt Suffer were a band that was part of the early Norwegian black metal scene. It formed in 1990 at Akkerhaugen, Norway, under the name "Dark Device". Its style was mainly death metal, though it included some black metal traits, alongside Ihsahn's trademark keyboard melodies. The band split up in late 1991 when its members formed Emperor and Ildjarn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graveland</span> Polish pagan black metal band

Graveland are a Polish neo-Nazi pagan black metal band which was formed in 1991 by Rob Darken. They began as a black metal band before adopting a pagan and Viking metal style. The lyrics and imagery of Graveland are strongly inspired by European mythology, nature, winter and war. Their early work focused on Celtic and Slavic mythology, while their later work focuses on Norse mythology and Wotanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agathodaimon (band)</span> German gothic/symphonic black metal band

Agathodaimon are a gothic/symphonic black metal band from Mainz, Germany. Their early material can be categorized as Symphonic Black Metal and their later musical pieces can be categorized as Gothic/Black Metal.

Absurd is a German black metal band that has been classified as a "right-wing extremist" group by the Thuringian Landesbehörde für Verfassungsschutz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horde (band)</span> Australian unblack metal group

Horde is an unblack metal solo project of Australian musician Jayson Sherlock, formerly of Mortification and Paramaecium. In 1994, the only studio album, Hellig Usvart, was released on Nuclear Blast Records. With a session line-up, Horde played live in 2006 in Norway and in 2010 in Finland and Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drudkh</span> Ukrainian black metal band

Drudkh is a Ukrainian black metal band. It currently consists of Roman Saenko, Thurios, Krechet, and Vlad. All four also were members of Blood of Kingu until it was disbanded. Their lyrics and artistic themes embrace Slavic mythology and Ukrainian nationalism. Many of the band's lyrics are derived from the works of nineteenth and twentieth-century Ukrainian poets and especially Taras Shevchenko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opera IX</span> Italian symphonic black metal band

Opera IX is an Italian symphonic black metal band, founded in the city of Biella by the guitarist Ossian in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horna</span> Finnish black metal band

Horna is a Finnish black metal band formed Lappeenranta, Finland, in 1994. The band has appeared on over fifty releases including splits, demos, EPs and albums since 1995, which have been released through numerous record labels.

Satanic Warmaster is a Finnish black metal solo project formed in 1998 by Lauri Penttilä in Lappeenranta, who performs under the stage name Werwolf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baptism (band)</span> Finnish black metal band

Baptism is a black metal band from Finland. The band was formed in 1998 by vocalist/guitarist Lord Sargofagian and drummer Demonium. The summer of that year the band released their first demo, Satanic Rituals, although very few copies were released. Following a two-year hiatus the band released their second demo, Sons of Ruin & Terror, in 2000. Similar to the last demo the release was limited. After the addition of bassist Slaughterer the band released their first full-length album, The Beherial Midnight, on June 12, 2002. The band release three more albums in 2004; a split CD with Uncreation's Dawn, and the EPs Wisdom & Hate and Black Ceremony. Slaughterer and Demonium left the band following the release of Wisdom & Hate, leaving Lord Sargofagian as the only official member. The band has continued with various session musicians, and have released four more full-length albums.

Necromantia was a Greek black metal band that was founded in 1989 in Athens. Alongside Rotting Christ and Varathron, they are considered to be pioneers in establishing the Greek black metal scene in the early 1990s. The band is notable for the complete lack of rhythm guitar in their music, which is substituted by an eight-string bass guitar. Another notable feature is the band's frequent use of musical instruments not usually associated with black metal, such as the saxophone and flute.

Arghoslent is an American melodic death metal band from Oakton, Virginia, formed in mid-1990. While acclaimed in the metal underground for their traditional metal-influenced brand of galloping riffs and bluegrass-style guitar leads, the band's white supremacist lyrics have been the source of much criticism. Arghoslent's primary lyrical themes include historical racism, apologia for the transatlantic slave trade, medieval warfare, eugenics, imperialism, and European genocide efforts against Native Americans.

<i>Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends</i> 1997 studio album by Ancient

Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends is Ancient's third full-length release. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered in Cue Recording Studios, Falls Church, Virginia during September 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peste Noire</span> Black metal band

Peste Noire are a French black metal band from La Chaise-Dieu, France. The band was formed by "La sale Famine de Valfunde", also known simply as "Famine", in 2000. Their music uses standard black metal elements mixed with traditional Gallic instrumentation, and influences from genres like punk and electronic music. The band is sometimes referred to as P.N. or K.P.N.

<i>The Defeat of Satan</i> 2003 compilation album by Antestor

The Defeat of Satan is an album by the Norwegian band Antestor. The album consists of their first two demos Despair (1993) and The Defeat of Satan (1991). The songs were remastered and remixed in 2003 and was published by the Norwegian label Momentum Scandinavia. The demos on this album are historical since they were one of the few Christian metal releases during the time when the black metal movement was developing significantly and drew media attention with violent actions such as the church burnings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archgoat</span> Finnish black metal band

Archgoat is a Finnish black metal band formed in 1989 by twin brothers Ritual Butcherer on guitar and Lord Angelslayer on bass and vocals. It was one of Finland's first black metal bands along with Barathrum, Impaled Nazarene and Beherit. The members of Archgoat openly identify with the philosophy of Satanism and the occult as expressed in their lyrical content, which also consists of anti-Christian themes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demonic Resurrection</span> Indian blackened death metal band

Demonic Resurrection is a symphonic death metal band from Mumbai, India, formed in 2000. Its current line-up consists of Sahil "The Demonstealer" Makhija on vocals and rhythm guitar and Virendra "Viru" Kaith on drums. Since its formation, the band has released five studio albums and one EP. The band's fourth album, The Demon King, was released on 13 July 2014 in India, 14 July in Europe and 15 July in the US by Candlelight Records and distributed in India by Universal Music.

Impaler is an American horror-themed heavy metal/speed metal band from Minnesota. The band has a theatrical show which features fake blood, cages, coffins, latex severed heads and a finale that includes a mock disemboweling of victims.

References

  1. ↑ "MusicMight :: Artists :: Grand Belial's Key". MusicMight . Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Biography Archived 2009-11-17 at the Wayback Machine .
  3. ↑ J. Bennett: NSBM Special Report.
  4. ↑ Ol' Skool Gangsta Style, Bitch! Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine .
  5. ↑ Ol' Skool Gangsta Style, Bitch!.
  6. ↑ DISTRIBUTION, HELLS HEADBANGERS RECORDS &. "GRAND BELIAL'S KEY – Products In Stock". shop-hellsheadbangers.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  7. ↑ Bennett, J. (May 2006). "NSBM Special Report". Decibel . Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.