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Interview
Deutsche VersionInterview mit Lord Belial (18.10.2004)
HH: Hi, good to see you back with your new record The Seal Of Belial. How do you feel?
Micke: Hello! It is very satisfying that the album is finally released. It was some problems with the promo CD's and the promotion for the album, but everything is solved by now and it feels just great.
HH: What feedback did you get from the press so far?
Micke: I have not read that many reviews yet, but the reviews I have read this far has been just great!
HH: Is there a lyrical concept behind The Seal Of Belial?
Thomas: No there isn't any conceptual idea regarding the lyrics, still they are more or less about the same topic but without any bonds between each and other.
HH: Can you tell us more about them?
Thomas: All lyrics are about hate towards religions and other weak subjects... towards the weak and fucked-up fundamentalism in all religions worldwide which still is allowed to spread even though it should be erased from the face of the earth. The lyrics also points out to certain feelings such as despair, panic and grief and other very common emotions which colors the music itself.
HH: How was your time in the studio? Were there any major problems?
Thomas: As always there were very small obstacles as we once again were recording in Los Angered Studios together with Andy LaRoque, everything went really smooth and painless during the whole process.
HH: Did you have all your songs ready when you started recording or did you write during the recording process also?
Thomas: All songs were complete when we entered the studio; some stuff is always removed or added during the recording which is important since you hear everything different in a studio than in a rehearsal-room. Andy also has some ideas for the arrangements sometimes which we listen to and consider whether or not we should apply those ideas or leave the song as it is.
HH: The sound on The Seal Of Belial is more organic than on your previous album Angelgrinder, especially the drums sound more powerful. Was this a concious step?
Thomas: Yes, this was a well thought-out step since our last album Angelgrinder which had a sound that was very compact and diffuse, this time we were very careful with the compressors/limiters and stuff like that and this time we didn't use triggers for the drums which increased the dynamic feeling for the whole sound!
HH: This is the third album in a row you recorded at the Los Angered Studios. Has the studio become sort of a living room for you in this time?
Micke: Yes! We really enjoy the Los Angered Studio and it is an honor to work with Andy LaRoque, he knows what we want it to sound like... And it is located just 80 km from home so it is only positive things to say about it.
HH: Which one of all of your albums do you rate the best and which the worst, if there is something like the best or the worst?
Micke: It differs from time to time so it's hard to say... generally I think that "Unholy Crusade" is the album I like the most, maybe just because it is really fun to play those songs. The album that I don't like that much is "Kiss the goat" and that is just to blame on the cover art. Of course it could be a better production and we could perform the songs in a better way, but wtf, it was our debut album and there is nothing we can do about it now anyway hehe.
HH: Lord Belial had some serious member fluctuations: Fredrik left after the tour with Corporation 187 and Satanic Slaughter in 2002. What happend?
Micke: I think we have been more stable in the lineup than many other bands; we did have the same lineup from the start in 1992 until 2000 when Pepa left the band. Fredrik joined us right after that and after about a year Pepa rejoined again and we had 3 guitarists which was really cool in live situations. Fredrik decided to quit just because he wanted to do other things in life.
HH: Then there were different changes on drums. Can you please tell us more? What's the current situation?
Micke: Yes, I decided to leave the band in June 2003 just because I was so tired of it all, I could not find any inspiration to go on, so I decided that the best thing for me and the band was that I just quit. Lord Belial recruited the drummer Daniel who was in the band for just a few months, until the beginning of October 2003. Then they asked me to rejoin, which I did.
Pepa quit Lord Belial shortly after my departure in June and the new guitarist Hjalmar was recruited in September 2003, so the current lineup is; Thomas Backelin - vocals and rhythm guitars, Anders Backelin - bass, Hjalmar Nielsen - lead guitars, and me, Micke Backelin - drums
HH: Did all these changes have influence on the songs or on the songwriting?
Micke: Thomas wrote some of the songs for "The seal of Belial" all by himself so he had the opportunity to write things without any other guitarist to "interfere". In any other way I don't think it has influenced anything.
HH: What does music mean to you?
Micke: Life and Death. Music is my absolute biggest interest, I think music 90% of the day and almost everything I do is about music in some way or another.
HH: What do you think of all these Metalcore bands which have a lot of sucess at the moment?
Micke: Great for them, but I do not support that kind of music at all. I think that music is quite uninteresting.
HH: Imagine The Seal Of Belial is a plant. What plant would that be and why?
Micke: A big metal factory, creating the biggest and meanest war machines ever seen by man!
HH: Final question: on the promo sheet there's this introduction to Lord Belial and the beginnings of t heband.Itsays...cametogether...tocreateBlack/Death Metal dedicated to the one without a master." People would say this description only fits God... ;-)
Micke: Could be if you are not into the occult at all, the one without a master is BELIAL!
HH: Thanks for your time and good luck for the future! Any last words?
Micke: Thanks for your interest in Lord Belial!