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Radio Metal : Hello! The new song from Walpurgis Rites – Hexenwahn, available on your MySpace, is in the tradition of the previous albums, with melodic riffs and lots of blast. Is this song representative of the album? What can we expect from the other tracks?[/b]
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Helmuth (frontman)[/b] : As always BELPHEGOR to the bone, expect a punch in your face music-wise. Becoming mightier, more intense with every opus has always been our aim since 1993, we all have practised our instruments a lot in the last years. To improve our playing and composition abilities, raise intensity and dynamics, to just get better in all musical aspects. Stagnation = death. It’s our most varied album yet. WALPURGIS RITES – HEXENWAHN stands for more shredding, colder melodies, more epic harmonies, more magic.

[b]What does the title of the album mean?[/b]

Its about the WALPURGIS night, the occult sabbath on the mountains in the wood. HEXENWAHN is and old word, it doesn’t exist anymore. It was created by the damn church against free-thinking people, witches, whatever. The meaning is like witch plague, or insanity.

[b]You have spent quite some time on the road since the release of Bondage Goat Zombie. How did you find the time to compose and record a new album in only one year and half?[/b]

It’s been great. We did the studio recordings again devided in five sessions, in between the touring process. It was challenging to create this album and we gave everything of our energy to explore our sound and take it to the next level. I´m really more than proud of WALPURGIS RITES – HEXENWAHN.

[b]It’s obvious that you take pleasure in composing songs that are always quicker and more brutal that the previous ones, while still being highly melodious. Do you sometimes speed up the tempo for the sake of it, just to see “if you can play faster”?[/b]

We work hard on each song til we have the perfect tempo. We also rehearse with click track. I mean we could play the tracks faster, but there is no use for it. It’s important that the guitar harmonies and the voice fit. You always can play faster!

[b]What’s the theme of the album? Did you stick to the usual “sex, satan and war” tryptich?[/b]

It’s about witches and the devil. About the ceremonies and orgies on the broken mountain, the celebration on 30th april and the walpurgis night. The verses are in latin, german and english as always. 80% are from archaic books and scripts. It’s intense and very offensive stuff.

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(Helmuth) : « [i]It’s about witches and the devil. About the ceremonies and orgies on the broken mountain, the celebration on 30th april and the walpurgis night. The verses are in latin, german and english as always. 80% are from archaic books and scripts. It’s intense and very offensive stuff. [/i]»[/center]

[b]The sound seems to be denser and dirtier than on Bondage Goat Zombie, the production of which was relatively smooth. In a way it reminds me of the production of Pestapokalypse. Where did you record it, and who produced it?[/b]

We recorded again in the Stage One studios, with producer Andy Classen. That was the masterplan as we entered the studio, to sound more organic than before. We tried as always a few new things, made some experiments, added some new elements. Experimenting a bit is important for BELPHEGOR, to take the sound further and to keep things sounding fresh, everything is allowed know.

[b]The song “Der Geistertreiber” is going to be graced with a video. A few pictures on your website show that there will be some charming young ladies involved. Can you tell us more about it?[/b]

It was amazing, it was the first time we had a professional camera team for a video. We rented a cottage on the mountain, in the wood, spent three days there. Took a lot of substances and had a great time, the clip is amazing. Worldwide premiere 30th september 2009… be prepared.

[b]Gas masks are proeminent in your imagery. Do you have a gas mask fetish or something?[/b]

A trademark man… Sure, gasmasks are more than cool.

[b]Why did you include a hand grenade in the special edition of your latest album? Will the box set contain bonuses or any other kind of goodies?[/b]

It fits perfectly to BELPHEGOR, it’s limited to 500 copies, so be fast if you wanna get your hands on that sick stuff. There is also the digipak version including a video clip of the song « Der Geistertreiber » and the cool wooden box with logo.

[b]There are different attitudes in the metal world regarding Satanism : some bands are really serious about it, while others use the Satanist imagery for fun. You seem to be somewhere in the middle: you do have this hatred of religion, but you seem to be very nice people who enjoy the pleasures of life. Is that true?[/b]

BELPHEGOR is all about magic, freedom, rebellion. The message is clear, do what you want, take your own decision and follow your path.

[b]I met you once at the VIP bar at the Hellfest, and you seemed very accessible. Is chatting and having a few beers with fans something you enjoy?[/b]

The Hellfest was amazing. Yeah, we are into drinking, and its cool to meet up with metal people and all that stuff!

Interview conducted in September 2009 by email
MySpace Belphegor : [urlb=http://www.myspace.com/belphegor]myspace.com/belphegor[/urlb]