Grand Belial's Key
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Grand Belial's Key (GBK) is an American
black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
band founded in
Oakton, Virginia Oakton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 36,732 at the 2020 census. Located in Northern Virginia, its center is west of Washington, D.C. Geography Oakton is located in central Fa ...
, in 1992 by guitarist Gelal Necrosodomy and vocalist Lord Vlad Luciferian. Lord Vlad Luciferian was later ejected from the group due to internal differences.''Biography''
.
To date the band has released four full-length albums. The band is considered to be a part of the
National Socialist black metal National Socialist black metal (also known as NSBM or Nazi black metal) is a small movement within the black metal music genre that promotes neo-Nazism, neo-fascism, and white supremacist ideologies. NSBM artists typically combine neo-Nazi im ...
(NSBM) scene.


History


Early history (1992–1996)

The band started in 1992 with Gelal on guitars, bass guitar and keyboards, and Bestial Luciferian on drums and vocals. By the end of the year, they recorded their debut demo, ''Goat of a Thousand Young''. The next year, they played their first concert with Kommando on bass (from
Arghoslent Arghoslent (meaning "Slave of the Universe" in Ancient Greek) is an American melodic death metal band from Oakton, Virginia, formed in mid-1990. While acclaimed in the metal underground for their traditional metal-influenced brand of galloping ...
) and Tom Philips (from While Heaven Wept) on keyboards as guests. After the show, Gelal quit the band due to his animosity toward Bestial Luciferian. The band soon split up, but Bestial Luciferian (now Lord Vlad Luciferian) tried to reform GBK, bringing with him Demonic on bass. Tom Philips was set to replace Gelal before Demonic convinced him to rejoin. This lineup then recorded the ''Triumph of the Hordes'' demo in 1994. After the release of the demo, Gelal and Demonic learned that Lord Vlad Luciferian added female voices to one of the songs without asking, and that he had messed up deals with several record companies. Gelal, now even more angry towards Lord Vlad Luciferian, fired him from the band. After this, Demonic quit the band due to lack of time, so Gelal asked The Marauder (guitar player of Arghoslent at the time) to play bass, and recruited The Black Lourde of Crucifixion on drums/vocals (Cazz Grant from Crucifier). This was the lineup which recorded the ''A Witness to the Regicide'' EP in 1996.


''Mocking the Philanthropist'' (1997–2000)

The band's debut album, ''Mocking the Philanthropist'', made Grand Belial's Key one of the most controversial underground black metal acts in the United States. Bassist Der Sturmer (
Der Stürmer ''Der Stürmer'' (; literally, "The Stormer / Stormtrooper / Attacker") was a weekly German tabloid-format newspaper published from 1923 to the end of World War II by Julius Streicher, the '' Gauleiter'' of Franconia, with brief suspension ...
was the name of a Nazi newspaper published 1923–1945) replaced the Marauder, and the new lineup recorded the LP ''Mocking the Philanthropist'' on the Belgian record label Wood-Nymph. The CD booklet contained pictures of the band wearing shirts of
far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
bands (Bound for Glory and Spear of Longinus), leading to tour boycotts and other problems. In their first nine years, GBK had only played nine gigs. The album was refused distribution in Germany from the national imprint of
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...
due to the offensive booklet. Wood-Nymph refused to print a new booklet and, as a result, the label soon folded due to the poor distribution of the album. The CD would later be repressed by Moribund Cult and
Drakkar Productions Drakkar Productions is a French record label that has released many recordings of black metal bands throughout the world, on CD, cassette and vinyl. They have usually limited the prints to 1,000 copies or less, but some have been known to vary. ...
in 2004 and 2006 respectively.


Judeobeast Assassination to Kosherat (2001–2005)

The follow-up to ''Mocking the Philanthropist'' was ''Judeobeast Assassination'', released in 2001. The album's lyrics focused on what the band perceived as the inseparability of so-called Judeo-Christianity, mocking both the New Testament and the Old Testament (''Mocking the Philanthropist'' had focused only on the New Testament). The lyrics were much more provocative and sexually perverse than the ones on ''Mocking the Philanthropist''. The music on the album had a more bass-heavy mix and a thicker sound, unlike Norwegian black metal. The album was almost twenty minutes shorter, in order to fit onto a piece of vinyl. In 2002, The Black Lourde of Crucifixion left GBK to focus more on Crucifier, and he was not interested in touring Europe. The lineup for the "Pimps of Gennesarret Tour" was Grimnir Wotansvolk on vocals, Gelal Necrosodomy on guitar, Demonic on bass, and The Gulag on drums; the same lineup that would record ''Kosherat'' in 2005. ''Kosherat'' was released in 2005 on Drakkar Productions, and would be the band's final album before their disbandment. The album's central focus was on Judaism, mocking such rituals as the
red heifer The red heifer () was a reddish brown Cattle, cow sacrificed by Temple priests as a ritual purification, purification ritual in biblical times. Ritual in the Torah The red heifer offering is described in Book of Numbers, Numbers 19. The Tora ...
and
metzitzah b'peh The ''brit milah'' (, , ; " covenant of circumcision") or ''bris'' (, ) is the ceremony of circumcision in Judaism and Samaritanism, during which the foreskin is surgically removed. According to the Book of Genesis, God commanded the biblica ...
/
circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...
. The album also featured four re-recorded tracks from their vinyl EPs, as well as two Chaos 88 covers.


Recent history (2006–present)

Vocalist Richard P. Mills died in 2006 of drug overdose. Mills, who also went by the names Grimnir Wotansvolk and G. Heretik and was the owner of the National Socialist black metal record label and distributor Vinland Winds. He released Pantheon's ''Ergriffenheit'' 10" vinyl record as well as Spear of Longinus and
Graveland Graveland are a Polish neo-Nazi pagan black metal band which was formed in 1991 by Rob Darken (born Robert Fudali). They began as a black metal band before adopting a pagan and Viking metal style. The lyrics and imagery of Graveland are str ...
vinyl records. The label's last release was an exclusive US release of Russian far-right
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
band Corrosia Metalla in 2008. The same year, the last GBK recordings were released as a
split album A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "v ...
with Absurd from Germany and Sigrblot from Sweden; the tracks were recorded during the same session as the ''Kosherat'' album and were "exclusively planned for this split". Also in 2006, a GBK concert in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
was canceled following protests. They were supposed to play in the Portobello neighborhood, which was the traditional home of Dublin's Jewish community and the location of the Irish Jewish Museum. The band became active again as of 2009, with Sven "Unhold" Zimper of Absurd on vocals, and Ulfhedinn of Arghoslent on drums. In December 2009, they played Chicago's Hooligan Black Metal show, along with Heathen Hammer, Martial and Absurd. The band also performed at Hammer Open Air Festival at Finland in 2010, and at Hell's Headbash III in September 2016. In 2017, World Terror Committee, label owned by Unhold, released the demo compilation ''Goat of a Thousand Young / Triumph of the Hordes'', and also reissued the band's EP ''A Witness to the Regicide'' in 2019. Gelal Necrosodomy, through his new label Weltenfeind also reissued the band's split of the same name with Absurd and Sigrblot on digipak. The band's fourth album ''Kohanic Charmers'' was released on April 15, 2022, exclusively through Weltenfeind on CD. A vinyl version was released in September of the same year. It is the first album to feature Unhold and Ulfhedinn and was originally recorded in 2016 on Germany. In January 2025, a show in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
that Grand Belial's Key was billed on was canceled in the middle of the event because the venue's owners learned about the band's Nazi affiliations along with the local police department receiving several bomb threats.


Politics and far-right views

Grand Belial's Key has been considered to be a part of the
National Socialist black metal National Socialist black metal (also known as NSBM or Nazi black metal) is a small movement within the black metal music genre that promotes neo-Nazism, neo-fascism, and white supremacist ideologies. NSBM artists typically combine neo-Nazi im ...
(NSBM) scene, a label in response to which the band has argued that its lyrics are simply "
anti-Jewish Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
/
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
and/or
anti-religion Antireligion is opposition to religion or traditional religious beliefs and practices. It involves opposition to organized religion, religious practices or religious institutions. The term ''antireligion'' has also been used to describe opposi ...
"." Upon the release of the band's debut album ''Mocking the Philanthropist'' in 1997, Grand Belial's Key faced widespread controversy and boycotts. The band has been criticized for having "used strongly
anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
language in lyrics and titles" and for having "covered songs by openly Nazi punk band Chaos 88." Grand Belial's Key has also displayed modified Nazi flags at their shows. The band has also released antisemitic merchandise, including a shirt with a Jewish caricature and a back design that reads "Poisoned Rituals of the Levi Tribes" above a menorah. The
Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
in 2014 named Grand Belial's Key as a "
white power White pride and white power are expressions primarily used by white separatist, white nationalist, fascist, neo-Nazi, and white supremacist organizations in order to signal racist or racialist viewpoints. It is also a slogan used by the promi ...
" band. Following the white supremacist Charlottesville terrorist attack,
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
removed GBK's music from their platform.


Members


Current members

* Gelal Necrosodomy (Alexander Halac) – guitars (1992–1993, 1993–2006, 2009–present), bass (studio only) (1992–1993, 1995-2000), keyboards (1992, 1994) * Unhold (Sven Zimper) – vocals (2009–present) * Ulfhedinn – drums (2009–present)


Past members

* Lord Vlad Luciferian (Valério Costa) – drums, vocals (1992–1993, 1993–1995) * Demonic (John Chamot) – bass (1993–1995, 2000–2006, 2009–2024), keyboards (1994) * The Marauder (Nick Mertaugh) – bass (1995–1996), guitar (2002) * The Black Lourde of Crucifixion (Cameron "Cazz" Sproul Grant III) – drums, vocals (1995–2003) * Lilith – keyboards (1995–1999) * Der Stürmer – bass (1996–1999) * Grimnir Heretik (Richard Mills) – vocals (2002–2006; his death) * The Gulag (Matt Sylvester) – drums (2002–2006)


Live members

* Kommando (Thomas Huff) – bass (1992–1993, 2001) * The Invocator of Eternal Weeping (Tom Phillips) – keyboards (1992–1993, 1995) * Anxietous Nero (Daniel Huddleston) – bass (2024–present) Timeline


Discography

; Studio albums * ''Mocking the Philanthropist'' (1997) * ''Judeobeast Assassination'' (2001) * ''Kosherat'' (2005) * ''Kohanic Charmers'' (2022) ; EPs * ''A Witness to the Regicide'' (1996) * ''The Tricifixion of Swine'' (2000) * ''On a Mule Rides the Swindler'' (2005) ; Demos * ''Goat of a Thousand Young'' (1992) * ''Triumph of the Hordes'' (1994) ; Compilations * ''Castrate the Redeemer'' (2001) * ''Goat of a Thousand Young / Triumph of the Hordes'' (2017) ; Split releases * ''Satan Is Metal's Master / Sperm of the Antichrist'' (2001) – split with Nunslaughter * ''Hobo of Aramaic Tongues / Le Royaume Maudit'' (2003) – split with Chemin de Haine * ''Weltenfeind'' (2008) – split with Absurd and Sigrblot


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control American black metal musical groups American neo-Nazi propagandists National Socialist black metal musical groups Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Musical groups established in 1992 Heavy metal musical groups from Virginia