A condensed version of this interview was published in Fistful Of Metal Magazine (available in all good newsagents). This is the full transcript in Q&A format celebrating the return of melodic Swedish BM forerunners Lord Belial and their first album in 14 years Rapture. All questions answered by Niclas Pepa Green
AN: Greetings and congratulations on the new forthcoming album.
Firstly, the obvious question. It’s been a long gap since last full-length release ‘The Black Curse’ in 2008. I believe the band were laid to rest due to motivation, ill health including tinnitus problems for drummer Micke. Obviously, health comes first and it must have been near impossible to continue. How have these issues been dealt and was the break necessary for you to come back refreshed and firing on all cylinders?
Pepa: By now, we all have tinnitus – but we have learned to live with it. We have pretty advanced equipment in the rehearsal room nowadays, we don’t play as loud as we used to because we have a monitor system in which you can choose what you need/want to hear more/less of – it is like being in the studio more or less! In the old days, we just turned up the volume more and more on the guitars in particular, so in the end, it was a very chaotic sound (which has its charm of course) with feedback noise from every speaker, it was cool but it hurt like hell after every rehearsal.
We all have studio equipment at home, I have six guitars, Thomas has eight, we have Pro Tools, Kemper, Mesa Boogie, different microphones, and so on, so the demo we made for Rapture was rather much the finished work, that is why it was a somewhat speedy process in the studio – we all knew what to do. The rhythm guitars and add-on guitars were rather quickly recorded with the sound we set in the studio.
AN: Why after a period of 14 years have you decided that now is the time to return?
Pepa: Life evolved around other matters and we followed for some time (wives, kids, work, and so on). Also, we stagnated a bit in the rehearsal room, we did not progress as fast as we wanted for some unknown reasons, rehearsing became a must, we had to do it to keep up and a must is not very exciting – it became stagnant. Then, one night, I drove to Micke for a coffee and we talked about making a Vassago-album, which we did (NWN Prod, Sonic Train Studios, produced by Andy) and after that, we talked about jamming a little with Lord Belial and after the first jam, it was like riding a rocket, it all went so fast and suddenly we were in the studio recording again.
AN: How long have you been working on the new material and has it been gestating over quite a long period of time?
Pepa: Most of the material derives from the summer/autumn of 2021. We rehearsed quite intensely for a period of time, and before entering the studio we rehearsed almost every day.
AN: After all this time, did you have to start from scratch again as far as labels were concerned. Was there a lot of interest in the group still, did you send demos around and what was it about Hammerheart that led you to signing with them?
Pepa: We have all been around in different bands during this time, so we have not really lost touch with the industry. When we put the word out, we got a lot of different deals and we thought Hammerheart came up with the best deal, I think the cooperation with Hammerheart works splendidly so far.
AN: It’s always interesting when brothers are involved in a band. There are two Backelin siblings in the group and were at one time three. Do you all contribute when it comes to writing and composing material. Do you sometimes find yourself stuck in the middle and perhaps even a peacekeeper when it comes to making decisions? I am guessing after all this time you all know each other pretty much inside out?
Pepa: That’s right! We all know each other very well. Most of the riffs came from Thomas, then we ran them through in the rehearsal room, changed here and there in our studios at home, we were clear with the idea that everybody should participate in the making of the music, just as we did on e.g. Enter The Moonlight Gate.
AN: During the time away the music industry and technology and the way of working have changed considerably. Are things easier now or harder? Do you have to constantly find yourselves having to keep up with things and learn how to utilise new recording methods?
Pepa: That part of music-making has changed tremendously! But we have kept up with everything, plugins, different sounds, databases of guitar sounds, etc. I have 17.000 sounds for my guitar, but I only use about 8-10 of them. Micke downloaded a lot of different sounds for his drums, then in the studio, we downloaded a new sound for his snare drum, that we tweaked until we were all happy with the sound.
AN: You are back with Andy LaRoque who mixed and mastered Rapture, you have worked with him in the past. Was he your first choice and how closely did you collaborate with him? Were you all together at Sonic Train Studios during the recording process and did things click together quickly or take a while to put everything together?
Pepa: Micke and I worked with him on the Vassago-album that was recently released (actually the release was when we were in the studio with Lord Belial) a procedure that was perfect all the way. Yes, we even slept in the studio, so we were there the three of us all the time. Also, we did not allow visitors, we wanted to be in our own bubble. Moreover, we are constantly in touch via a personal messenger group, etc. Working with Andy is a procedure that is described as a perfect fit. The man hears our ideas, he understands the riffs, solos, harmonies, the final product + he brings new ideas to the table. He also hears immediately if something is off + he has a profound understanding of how to differentiate frequencies from each other so that e.g. the guitars meet up instead of colliding in frequency. Imagine parts where we have the full drum kit + four different rhythm guitars + two clean guitars + choir + strings + two harmony leads at the same time! Andy manages that situation with a smile and just makes a quick joke about something that makes us all laugh. That’s the kind of guy we need. Andy is truly one in a million, he gets us, and we get him.
AN: The production here is absolutely massive, compared say to an album like ‘Nocturnal Beast’ this has a much more multi-layered sound to it and some big dynamic explosions which really boost the extremity of the overall sound. Is this what you were looking for? Is it simply that now it is easier to achieve a much thicker and ballsy sound than it was in the past?
Pepa: Much thanks to Andy and his equipment, he can make frequencies combine instead of colliding, which makes everything so much clearer, and even though previous albums have had the same amount of added guitars + choirs, etc – this time they can be heard in all those competing frequencies, a clearer sound but still brutal, without being a mess of things.
AN: Has it maybe made you want to go back and revisit some of the early material and re-record any of the old stuff, possibly in the future? Or do you consider is the past best laid to rest?
Pepa: I think previous albums could benefit immensely from today’s equipment, some songs are just a mess of things and the ideas are not heard at all. Yet, it is nothing that is in the pipeline right now as we speak.
AN: Of-course you have retained the melodicism of before even if it is amidst a more brutal sound palette. It’s something that has always been a prevalent feature of the Swedish style of black and indeed death metal. Personally, I find it adds texture and all-important atmosphere to the music, do you agree? Why is melodicism so important to you?
Pepa: I agree it adds to the atmosphere, especially when you can hear it, like this time. Some riffs we use today wouldn’t have emerged back in the 1990s because they were too complex to play- we could not know about them because we were not on that level. Today, we have grown as musicians and have a deeper, more profound, understanding of harmonies / disharmonies and we are more technically skilled on our instruments. Even though we have always strived for perfection in terms of tuning, playing it tight and right, the equipment we use today was not around back then e.g 8-stringed Ibanez, Strandberg Boden, Kemper, and so on. Sounding the way we want to sound is easier today, not only because we have developed as musicians and persons, but also because of the equipment we use today. We experimented with melodicism, harmonic rhythm guitars + piano + strings + Georgian choirs, and a variety of disharmonic guitars on top of that – we kept what we thought sounded disturbing enough to cause discomfort but not enough to exasperate ourselves.
AN: Do you keep abreast of what is going on as far as black metal is concerned, in Sweden and beyond or did you completely cut yourselves off when you took a break? Obviously, you are elder statesmen, do you still follow developments with those you developed around and the new breed of bands that are springing up?
Pepa: We have stayed in touch with the scene to some extent, people we have been on tour with, followed their careers and such. Also, new bands emerging can sometimes catch our attention. Even though we may have had a break with Lord Belial, we have still kept up with our guitar playing on and off, in periods quite intensely, even though I do not seek inspiration in other Black Metal-bands (I get inspired by tv-series and travel).
I think this album is a fresh restart for Lord Belial. Sure, we have been around for 30 years and we have seen many bands come and go. It is very flattering that other black metal bands make cover versions of our songs these days! We get a lot of feedback from people that ask about how certain riffs are played, they want to show us their own riffs and we communicate a lot with the fans via email, messenger, facebook, instagram.
You also grew up in the pre-internet era, do you remember how totally different it was – we had to write letters via the underground movement and we met other “metalheads” at parties before a show, during a show, and after a show. We had to listen to taped vinyl or the actual vinyl itself and then word of mouth spread via underground magazines. Today, it is spread globally with access to anyone, instantly. In that aspect, Black Metal has lost a lot of the mystique surrounding the genre in the early years. Like, going to East Germany to play before the wall fell. Quite the adventure compared to clicking on a Spotify link.
AN: Are there any particular underlying themes and narrative to ‘Rapture?’ The title alone is a bit of an eye-raiser especially in the times of disease and conflict we are currently living in. Is it a cry out to what the world is going through, do you believe that we may well be approaching the end-times as it were?
Pepa: The concept of “Rapture” in its essence for us is that Belial is exalted, the beast is unleashed in its purest form. Then, there is also the concept from the bible, about Paul, in which he uses the Greek word harpazo, meaning “to snatch away” or “to seize,” a concept where believers in Jesus christ would be snatched away from earth into the air – YES PLEASE. It is an end-of-all-time thing for christians and christianity. There are a number of people that have looked into the concept through history; e.g. Edward Irving’s idea about the snatching of christians being followed by the rise of the Antichrist. The concept of the album reflects the idea behind the concept of the rapture, and also, the cover art; it reflects the concept in a phenomenal way.
AN: Does age lead to higher knowledge, understanding and devotion? It seems with you that this is a flame that still burns deep. You are I believe 53 (same age as me and I am not being derogatory here) so I’m particularly interested on your thoughts about this as I am sure you have heard the words ‘haven’t you grown up yet’ thrown around by friends and family? What would be your answer to them?
Pepa: I am keen on learning new things about old things, in that aspect age leads to a higher understanding – to be able to zoom out and see things from a third-person perspective. I know a lot of things about a lot of things, and my working as a licensed teacher in upper secondary school could perhaps be seen as an unwieldy task by people on the outside looking in, but my pupils think it is cool that I play the guitar, and my colleagues ask “when is the next tour?”. I just do what I want to do and I have grown to see beyond people that have a problem with me being who I am.
AN: Although suitably gnarly Thomas sings in English and vocals are quite easily decipherable. Is this important as far as getting the message across?
Pepa: Singing in Swedish would not fit, it would disconnect from the music, it would be an ill match. We have talked about it, and we all agreed it would not suit us well. English is the universal language, I think Lord Belial benefits from using English as a means to get the message out.
AN: If any further proof of devotion to the left-hand path were needed you and Micke are both in Vassago; latest album ‘Storm Of Satan’ being a track-by-track ode to the devil himself. How do you differentiate working practices between the two bands?
Pepa: Vassago is raw and simple, straightforward, nothing fancy, it is supposed to be straight in your face, simple lyrics, simple riffs, high-end guitar solos, blasting drums. One idea, one song. Lord Belial has more layers, is atmospheric and melodic. Sometimes, we just need to cleanse and go full throttle, then we have the Vassago-project.
AN: Are there any plans to tour new Lord Belial material be it at festivals or shows, am sure offers have been forthcoming?
Pepa: In fact, we get offers every week! There are some deals we have discussed, but as of yet, nothing is decided.
AN: Come to think of it I can’t remember you ever playing the UK or am I wrong? Is this something you would like to do, or is that really difficult right now (Brexit has ruined us all).
Pepa: I have only played once in the UK, in London, at The Garage(?) with Sacramentum. Sure, I would like to play in the UK, I don’t think Brexit would be that much of a problem for us as long as we get the paper works in order. We run Lord Belial as a company, I am sure playing in the UK could be done.
AN: Any plans for the future, are you waiting to see how things go, or already thinking about further music?
Pepa: We already have a demo with seven new songs and an eighth in the making, we will record them in our rehearsal room and take it from there, but we will enter Sonic Train Studios sometime in 2022, that is for sure.
AN: Finally, anything I have not asked that you would like covered?
Pepa: Rapture is in many ways a salutation to Belial, for instance in “Rapture of Belial”:
“Northern prince of evil, unleash your power onto this withering earth of human filth, Trample its burning soil”
Also, the song titles spell out Lord Belial:
L(egion)
O(n a throne of souls)
R(apture of Belial)
D(estruction)
B(elie all gods)
E(vil Incarnate)
L(ux Luciferi)
I(nfinite Darkness and Death)
A(lpha and Omega)
L(amentations
We have made a salutation to Belial, and the lyrics and the music reflect and represent our way.
There is a common concept of Rapture in its true meaning on the album; to make way for the antichrist and it is communicated not only in the lyrics but also in the music. “They shall cover the world in flames, The higher the flames, the greater the shadows” (from “On a Throne of Souls) “Lust and power for absolute annihilation, Winds of obliteration, fire, and death, Storms of destruction reaping all mortal souls” (from “Destruction”). The frustration of being caught in the age and in the system/social function we all have to be caught up in is also reflected upon and is also from that same theme of Rapture “Possessed by a thousand burning souls, Bound in human flesh, torment, and confusion, Centuries spent in chains” (from “Legion”), etc, there are many more examples I could show you from each song, trust me (but you will have to get the album to see the rest!).
AN: Many thanks for your time
Pepa: Thanks for your questions!
I would love to have a beer and a chat with you sometime.
(Interview Pete Woods)
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