Totenritual

Led by vocalist, guitarist and noted bondage enthusiast Helmuth Lehner—who refers to his band duties as “heretic grunts” and “chainsaw”—Belphegor drop some relentless black/death metal on album 11. Invoking Satan and occultism at almost every lyrical turn, the Austrian trio reveal fleeting strains of dark melody on “Swinefever – Regent of Pigs” and “Embracing a Star”, but rarely stray from the ferocious, uncompromising extremity and bestial bellowing of songs like “The Devil’s Son” and “Baphomet”.