GRAND BELIAL'S KEY & ARGHOSLENT Interview

In the first work for Gaping Throats, we sit down for an in depth interview with Gelal, founding guitarist, and songwriter for legendary U.S. Black Metal hooligans, GRAND BELIAL'S KEY. He also happens to be a founding member, guitarist and songwriter in controversial U.S. Death Metal marauders, ARGHOSLENT, where he plays under the moniker Pogrom. For the uninitiated, GRAND BELIAL'S KEY is one of the most important and controversial U.S. Black Metal bands of all time. The band's sound is wholly iconic, and unlike a large portion of other USBM bands founded in the early 90's, and BM bands in general, GBK developed a sound and aesthetic all its own, rather than aping the sound and look of Norwegian bands like DARKTHRONE, BURZUM, IMMORTAL, etc.

Meanwhile, ARGHOSLENT is a Death Metal band from the U.S that is also completely one of a kind. The group's riffcentric approach and exceptional songwriting has garnered the band a dedicated contingent of fans within the Extreme Metal Underground, while the band's choice of lyrics and topics have long been a major source of controversy. What follows is the complete and unabridged interview.

GAPING THROATS: What's the status of GBK currently, with regards to line up, potential live shows and new recordings?

GELAL: Line up remains the same as of 2009 or whenever we played that festival in Leito , Finland .  Demonic (bass), Ulfhedinn (drums), Unhold (vocals), and myself on guitar.  Live shows will resume once something new is released.  California, Texas, Illinois, and New England are on the horizon at the moment.  We turned down this big festival in Finland (I think it’s called STEELFEST OPEN AIR) because we rather not play with an openly homosexual band.  It is unacceptable in every way, shape, or form.  It is completely lamentable for such a thing to occur.  

GAPING THROATS: I had heard a rumor online that you guys had most of a new album recorded other than the vocals? If that is the case do you have label lined up or would you guess self release it?

GELAL: Did you read that in “The Enquirer” or “The Sun” or perhaps in Oprah Winfrey’s Sunday morning blog?  If anything is done it will be on W.T.C. ( Germany ) so in a way it is almost self-released.

GAPING THROATS: If that is the case and you guys are working on new material, lyrically and thematically, do you think it will be a continuation of your assault on Christianity and Judaism, or given the state of the world, is there any possibility of including the 3rd weed of the same root, Islam?

GELAL: Islam is not a new venom to the world.  Pagan Europe was annihilated by Christianity, not by Islam.  The Muslim threat is territorial not ideological at this point.  It matters not to me what other peoples’ belief system may be, especially if they’re not related to our genus.  Against Islam I have to side with Christianity, unfortunately.

GAPING THROATS: As far as live shows go, do you guys anticipate problems with booking or actual performances given the increasing amount of interference from groups like Antifa?

GELAL: No.  Like Flavor Flav used to say ‘Don’t believe the hype’.

GAPING THROATS: You guys have been a fairly controversial band even in the Black Metal world for over 2 decades so you guys have been subject to boycotts and attacks for years, given that what's your take on attacks from certain sites and groups on bands, these days, where it seems that anything these groups don't like is a reason to try to get them publicly destroyed, shows cancelled, etc. It seems that that more and more bands are facing problems like these, even bands with no political agenda simply because they once played a show with a band that might be NSBM or they  put out a split that was carried by a label that also carries NS bands?

GELAL: It’s good for all these fence sitter and apologetic bands to get a taste of their own medicine.  Let everything get banned and make the underground real again by letting is disappear into the gutters like it used to be.  It is mind-boggling to me that there’s such a thing as the Swedish Grammy’s for black metal.  Can this shit get more retarded?  The liberal fags are taking over without any opposition much like the Sharia Law is invading the West with no Gentile response.

GAPING THROATS: How do you see all this playing out in society in general but also within Black Metal and Extreme Metal? Do you think bands will walk on egg shells for fear of offending someone or do you think we may begin to see more and more backlash against this kind of thing? Perhaps even driving many people who historically have been slightly more liberal back towards the right?

GELAL: Fuck all bands and labels, and the whole scene in general has sucked ass since the early 90’s, with %75 of the culpability from labels that released shit bands only to trade cd’s cheaply.  What backlash could any of this have when there are no wolves to counterattack anything?  This is the era of the twitter black metal vaginas.

GAPING THROATS: Obviously as these things have become increasingly common in the Metal scene, it's just a continuation of what's going on in society at large. Are you politically active? What's your take on some of this culture war stuff going on? What's your opinion on Trump? And how different do you think things would be at the moment had Clinton won the election?

GELAL: Well, the metal scene is completely non-important to any of us.  I am more interested in what the weather will be like in Zimbabwe this week than what happens in the black glam rock metal funderground.

GAPING THROATS: Are there any current or newer bands or artists that you're particularly fond of or Impressed by these days, Metal or otherwise?

GELAL: BRONSON (ITA), TERRORSPHÄRA (GER), YOU MUST MURDER (RUS), BUJAK (POL).

GAPING THROATS: The most recent release from the GBK was the reissue of the 2 demos, "Goat Of A Thousand Young" and "Triumph Of The Hordes", were you guys happy with the way that release turned out? I'd read somewhere that that largely came about as a result of you seeing the demos still being in demand by fans and not wanting bootleggers to put out a shitty version of them and make money off your name, was that indeed the case?

GELAL: We are very satisfied with the way this release came to be.  And, yes it is true that we tried to put an end to bootlegging skunks releasing unauthorized items.  There are at least 2 different fake versions of this shit out there.

GAPING THROATS: With the demo reissue, have you even considered doing perhaps a compilation of GBK's non album material that is all long out of print? I know some fans prefer the earlier 7" versions of some of the songs that ended up on "Kosherat" as they are partial to Cazz's vocals. Along the same lines, do you have any unused material that remains unreleased that could potentially see release one day, from the very early days, the Cazz era, or the era with Richard on vocals?

GELAL: Sure, it has been considered.  Actually, a re-mastered “A WITNESS TO THE REGICIDE” is being released again on vinyl by W.T.C but this time with the entire recording.  The original 7”ep only had 2 songs out of 4 because it wouldn't fit.  I don’t think there are any unreleased songs other than covers we’ve done in the past like MOTLEY CRUE’S “Live Wire”, SKREWDRIVER “Unbeliever”, and an old HELLHAMMER and BATHORY cover.

GAPING THROATS: Had Richard not died, do you think the band would have remained active and he would still be fronting the band or do you think you guys would have taken a break again regardless?

GELAL: That is hard to say.  We don’t really take breaks.  It appears so because we release albums many years apart from each other and are not constantly touring or involved on a day-to-day basis.  This is not a career for us.  We have real lives outside of this bullshit.

GAPING THROATS: As far as the band's storied history and classic releases, do you have a specific release or certain era of the band that you look on as your favorite or the one that represents GBK the best in your eyes?

GELAL: I don’t have a particularly favorite period of time or favorite release.  I’m satisfied with the whole gamut of recordings and shows we’ve been involved with.  Our next release continues in the same GBK tradition.  In this dead art called black metal there is no progression for us.

GAPING THROATS: Do you maintain any contact with the former members and/or have any of them tried to distance themselves from the band's name and some the controversy that is attached to it?

GELAL: We’re in contact with most of the members of both bands; however, there are a handful of people that have definitely distanced themselves from the association.    

GAPING THROATS: What's the status of ARGHOSLENT? Any chance of live shows or a new album in the near future? If it is active, what's the current line up?

GELAL: ARGHOSLENT is active and has at least 7-10 songs in the works at the moment.  There are at least 3 or 4 that are complete as well as all of the song titles and lyrics.  The idea is to get everyone together at some point in 2019 to record another full length.  There is also a good possibility the band plays some festivals in the future.  The line up is the same as the one involved in "SEND FORTH THE BEST YE BREED”.

GAPING THROATS: Given the social climate in the U.S. , Do you think you'd have more difficulty and trouble organizing ARGHOSLENT live dates or GBK?

GELAL: We’ve only really had issues in Europe because they don’t have real freedom of speech like we have in the states.  Everyone is really paranoid in places like Holland or Sweden .

GAPING THROATS: I know you've long been a into Football/soccer? Is that still passion of yours? Is Football Hooliganism still as common and as wild in Europe as it was or has it been tamed down in recent years?

GELAL: Yes, that's my real passion since I was young.  Most of my experiences with football ultras have been while living in Argentina .  Traditional soccer violence like in South America or in Europe doesn’t exist in the USA ; however, there seems to be an interest in recent years in the MLS, which is good.

GAPING THROATS: When writing, do you intentionally set out to write for one band at a time, like placing yourself in a certain mindset to write for AGHOSLENT vs GBK or do you just work on music generally and then divide riffs, melodies, etc upas they fit? Is it more challenge crafting ARGHOSLENT material or GBK? I was curious as both have such unique sounds how you are able to keep you playing so distinct for each, as often when an individual is in multiple bands, sometimes they can be somewhat interchangeable but that isn't the case at all with you're work?

GELAL: After thinking about your question I will have to say that I usually just write music and depending on how the riff or song develops it gets assigned to either band accordingly.  People say there’s a particular style to my writing, or Demonic’s, or Holocausto’s, and it may be true, however I don’t sit down and say “ok, I have to write GBK riffs now”.  For the most part, ARGHOSLENT riffs are more likely to be in major scales whereas the GBK riffs tend to be in minor ones, if that makes sense.  There are definitely riffs that could have been used for either band if played differently.  ARGHOSLENT is more triumphant and glorious whereas GBK is more dissonant and incongruous.  You have to keep in mind that ARGHOSLENT has the input of Holocausto who brings his prominent and distinct sound to the formula.  GBK, on the other hand is very moldable to Demonic’s riffs and ideas.  He’s a guitarist before he’s a bassist and a great songwriter as well.  ARGHOSLENT is harder to play in a live setting but this doesn’t mean it isn’t a challenge to play some GBK songs with only one guitarist.

GAPING THROATS: When working on new ARGHOSLENT material, do you create the music first, and then write lyrics to fit, or do you have lyrics already written that you then craft music to? Speaking of ARGHOSLENT's lyrics, it has always struck me as how well written they are. How do you go about deciding on themes and topics? I think the lyrics often make it harder for people to write off ARGHOSLENT even if they find the subject matter distasteful because of the depth to the lyrics and the fact that its at a much more intelligent and nuanced level than a lot bands that you guys can be lumped in with. Have you studied a lot of world history, and specific conquests and such?

GELAL: The way we work is perhaps not how other bands operate.  Song titles and lyrics are written separately from the music itself.  It is only after everything is finished do we assign lyrics to a particular song.  After we decide which song is which we'll adapt the lyrics to the finished song and go from there.  Sometimes it is very obvious what songs should go with what titles due to the feel of these songs.  Once in a while we write a song that is too good for putting death metal vocals over so it ends up being and instrumental.  ARGHOSLENT has always been interested in history, philosophy, and religion.  They are the stimulants for the lyrical themes which can be any type of historical revisionism, militarism, enslavement, colonization, eugenics, misogyny, genocide, tyranny, culture, discovery, paganism, and homophobia. I think it is only natural for anyone to be interested in these sciences.  ARGHOSLENT sings about our history.

GAPING THROATS: With both bands it seems that you guys have always been more into playing short runs of a few shows or even one off dates here and there. Do you or would you ever consider doing a full on tour, say going out for weeks at a time, playing every night? Or do you prefer doing it in smaller amounts? Is this because everyone involved has more regular obligations, ie careers, spouses, children, etc?

GELAL: Do you really think either band could do a whole tour without people having pre-menstrual cramps about it?  Keep dreaming. 

GAPING THROATS: As mentioned your bands have often been somewhat controversial and some people would say "offensive", is there ever a line or subject matter that shouldn't be crossed in music or art in general? Is there anything that's too extreme?

GELAL: The underground exists to anchor these acts that are too extreme for mainstream or that crossed that line you’re referring to.  It is contradictory to say we’re too offensive for the extreme underground.  It doesn’t make any sense to say something is too brutal in the scene regardless of you approving of it or not.  The problem people have with our bands is that they know we really think this way.  When people think of Cannibal Corpse they know that the band doesn’t really rape women with knives and shit like that.  That’s the difference.

GAPING THROATS: Ok man, I just want to thank you for your time and for doing this interview. Anything you would like to add?

GELAL:  www.weltenfeind.com

***NOTE*** Since this interview was done, GBK & ARGHOSLENT's Weltenfeind page has been updated and the ARGHOSLENT portion now notes that the band is indeed working on a new album and titles of some of the new, finished songs include: "Hyenas of the Aurunci", "The Curse of San Domingo", "The Eugenic Fumigant", and "Terra Nullis".

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