by Niklas Göransson

Glorious delight in rivers of blood – from the ruins of Nefandus rose a Swedish monument of orderless evil. In 1998, Belfagor enshrined Ofermod’s black metal legacy in Mystérion Tés Anomias.

 

BELFAGOR: My uncle was a BLACK SABBATH fan, so my initial exposure to heavy metal came from him. At seven, I bought IRON MAIDEN’s “Killers” on cassette, and that’s when my passion for this music truly ignited. Hearing VENOM was another milestone; their rawness struck a chord with me. As a recent convert to the wonderful realm of metal, anything that sounded dark and sinister caught my fascination.

When did you start playing yourself?

BELFAGOR: I got my first guitar at twelve. Sitting at home playing along to MAIDEN songs, I soon realised I had a real knack for it. I took music lessons at school but didn’t learn anything useful – unless you count playing pop music, like Thomas Di Leva and so on, in a band setting. Then my mother bought me a drum kit; she’s always been very supportive.

After starting out as a guitarist, the drums took over and became Belfagor’s primary instrument. In 1991, at thirteen, he co-founded a band called MEPHISTOPHELES.

BELFAGOR: My friends and I were able to rent a practice room in the basement of a church. MARDUK’s “Fuck Me Jesus” demo had recently been released, so we began by jamming parts of their songs and then composed some primitive material of our own. However, nothing significant materialised, and MEPHISTOPHELES remained a hobby project. NEFANDUS was the first band I recorded anything with.

NEFANDUS was founded in 1993 by Belfagor, Blackwinged, and Ushatar – on drums, guitars, and bass, respectively. MARDUK’s Morgan Håkansson suggested the band name. In January 1995, they recorded a demo titled “Behold the Hordes” with former MARDUK bassist Devo Andersson acting as engineer.

BELFAGOR: Devo owned an analogue porta studio with six channels, which was unusual because most models had either four or eight. He brought it to NEFANDUS’ rehearsal space, and that’s where we recorded “Behold the Hordes”. The sound turned out quite satisfactory; in fact, good enough for us to ask Devo to engineer our full-length.

A little over one year later, in April 1996, NEFANDUS recorded their debut album, “The Nightwinds Carried Our Names”, at an early iteration of Devo Andersson’s Endarker Studio. By then, his setup had evolved to include a twelve-channel digital multitrack recorder – meaning the music was tracked directly onto a hard drive instead of analogue tape.

BELFAGOR: The hard drive could store no more than twelve minutes of music, so we were only able to record two songs at a time. After mixing them down, we’d attempt to replicate the same sound before tracking two more. Listen closely, and you’ll hear the production changing gradually throughout the album. All this ruined “The Nightwinds Carried Our Names” for me; after that debacle, I lost interest in NEFANDUS.

 

Following the dissolution of NEFANDUS, a new project took form. Sick of collaborating with subpar musicians, Belfagor decided to handle all the instruments himself. Initially, he meant to sing as well – but in early 1997, he came across Stockholm black metal band MALIGN’s “Demo 1/95” and was impressed by the vocalist, Nord.

BELFAGOR: What moved me the most was Tengner’s (Nord) eerie likeness to Dead. Hearing MAYHEM with him on vocals for the first time felt almost like a religious experience. Dead’s voice is utterly unlike everyone else’s – yet that MALIGN demo came closer than anything I’d encountered before. I met Tengner in person a few months later and grew equally impressed by his personality. Thus, it was especially gratifying when he agreed to take part in my new project: OFERMOD.

Belfagor sourced the band name from a 1953 Tolkien essay, in which the British author used the Old English term ‘ofermod’ to describe a state of mind characterised by excessive pride.

After befriending Nord – who adopted the name Nebiros within OFERMOD – Belfagor regularly visited Stockholm. There, he became acquainted with several of the capital’s emerging black metal bands, such as FUNERAL MIST and WEREWOLF.

BELFAGOR: I spent an entire year working on material for a seven-inch. We kept getting caught up in various non-musical mischief, which left me with neither the time nor the peace of mind to sit down and compose. Nevertheless, once I began, the riffs seemed to flow naturally. The two songs on “Mystérion Tés Anomias” were primarily influenced by MAYHEM.

 

One morning in January 1998, the OFERMOD duo entered Necromorbus Studio – a Stockholm-based operation owned and engineered by Tore Stjerna, then-drummer of FUNERAL MIST.

As they got started, Nebiros had no inkling of what to expect. There had been no rehearsals, and the material was never demoed. When Belfagor – who’d long since stopped drumming regularly – began warming up behind the kit, Nebiros did not anticipate greatness. If memory serves, he said it ‘sounded like absolute shit’.

However, Belfagor then took a smoke break before returning to deliver a flawless percussion performance.

BELFAGOR: I suppose it’s something akin to a trance-like state. I don’t consider myself a conventional musician – I wield my instruments like magical tools, much as I might employ a staff, a cup, a dagger, or a pentacle in other ceremonial contexts. Listening back to the drums I’d recorded, I thought, ‘Damn, this sounds really good.’

It certainly does. Without bordering on plagiarism, “Mystérion Tés Anomias” captures the sacredly diabolical essence of “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” in a manner that few other works have touched.

BELFAGOR: I recorded all the music on our first day. Then, we brought instrumental rough mixes back to Tengner’s place and spent the evening working out his vocal arrangements. He didn’t sing loudly but rather mumbled the lyrics. I remember the following day, as we wrapped up in the studio and headed up the hill to Tore’s house to mix the EP, I felt immense pride in what we’d just created.

 

In May 1998, Nebrios’ label Pounding Metal released OFERMOD’s debut EP in five hundred copies. The seven-inch is adorned by the phrase ‘Orthodox Religious Black Metal’ – a term promoted by Belfagor in both online publications and traditional underground fanzines of the time. Shortly thereafter, Belfagor recruited bass player Mist, who was also a member of OPHTHALAMIA and MALIGN.

The initial response was quite tepid; several years passed before “Mystérion Tés Anomias” became part of the general black metal consciousness. It’s interesting to speculate on the outcome if the EP had instead enjoyed immediate success. Should the OFERMOD members have started touring back then, in their early twenties, I’d wager they’d still be incarcerated somewhere in mainland Europe.

BELFAGOR: <laughs> Yes, probably. I honestly have no idea why it took so long for “Mystérion…” to gain recognition. As far as I remember, everyone who heard the EP liked it. People said there was a great flow to the music – that everything sounded coherent and solid in a way that few other bands had achieved. However, OFERMOD received no offers for live gigs, no coverage in the metal press, or any other indications that we’d created something memorable.

Following closely on the heels of “Mystérion Tés Anomias” came two equally iconic Swedish releases: FUNERAL MIST’s mini-LP “Devilry” and MALIGN’s “Fireborn”. Both were recorded at Necromorbus Studio and then released by Shadow Records.

BELFAGOR: “Fireborn” is where MALIGN truly distinguished themselves musically. It’s raw and primitive, but the mediocre riffs that characterised the demo are largely gone. They were maturing as composers… or rather, Mörk was – because I imagine he wrote all the music. I consider “Fireborn” to be MALIGN’s true induction into the annals of Swedish black and death metal royalty, alongside FUNERAL MIST and OFERMOD.

 

In a 1998 interview, Blackwinged stated that NEFANDUS was undergoing a resurgence. Apparently, he and Belfagor had written and then discarded a considerable amount of new material.

BELFAGOR: We recorded a rehearsal track called “Chosen and Cursed” – a very good song that I wish someone would release someday. The sound quality is ghastly, though. It has strong DØDHEIMSGARD vibes; Blackwinged and I liked their debut, “Kronet til konge”, and were highly inspired by it. Apart from that, I can’t recall any old NEFANDUS material.

By 1999, OFERMOD had joined the Shadow Records roster and began working on their debut album, “Mystery of Iniquity (Luciferian Evanglium Cantata)”. However, at the turn of the century, Belfagor disappeared from the scene for several years. This period, marked by self-destructive habits and several stints in prison, was discussed in the more personal OFERMOD feature in Bardo Methodology #8.

It wasn’t until mid-2004 that Belfagor decided to stage a comeback. Wanting to focus on guitar, he recruited Tore Stjerna to handle percussion.

In November of that year, nineteen-year-old Emil Lundin of DÖDFÖDD received a phone call from Belfagor. The young man was spiritually devoted, a student of Latin, and into both weightlifting and boxing, making him an ideal candidate for OFERMOD.

BELFAGOR: I discovered Emil through Acerbus of ONDSKAPT. I genuinely liked Emil – I found him intelligent and exceptionally well-read, but he never flaunted his knowledge. Tengner, in contrast, was thoroughly unimpressed. When he recorded vocals for “Khabs am Pekht”, Emil corrected the pronunciation of ‘primum mobile’. ‘No, it should be MOH-bee-lay!’ Tengner thought, ‘How dare this black metal novice tell me how to sing?’

This exchange occurred in December 2004, as OFERMOD tracked two songs – “Khabs am Pekht” and “Rape the World” – for a re-release of “Mystérion Tés Anomias”. J.K. of MORTUUS had been recruited as OFERMOD’s bass player but did not participate in the recording.

BELFAGOR: “Khabs am Pekht” came to me as I sat on the floor of my apartment, playing guitar without an amplifier, as I used to in those days. The lyrics had been lying around for a few years before I set them to music; they were inspired by a lucid dream in which I emerged from black chaos – a formless dragon – and descended, emanation by emanation, until I became flesh.

The EP opener, “Khabs am Pekht”, could be described as a natural progression from “Mystérion Tés Anomias”. The second track, “Rape the World”, on the other hand, sounds entirely out of place – almost like a half-hearted CELTIC FROST homage.

BELFAGOR: CELTIC FROST? If only! I’d say it sounds more like PANTERA. I wrote that one during a temporary leave from prison. I was highly influenced by DARKTHRONE’s “Panzerfaust” era and wanted to pay tribute to my black metal roots – to showcase what we listened to in our youth.

 

The CD edition of “Mystérion Tés Anomias” – released by and dedicated to French label NoEvDia – came out in March 2005. Its booklet was designed by Timo Ketola, who helped shape the visual representation of bands like FUNERAL MIST, WATAIN, KAAMOS, and DEATHSPELL OMEGA.

As OFERMOD prepared their debut album, Nebiros was replaced by Moloch – also known as NSK from Spanish black/death band TEITANBLOOD.

BELFAGOR: I fell in love with TEITANBLOOD after Timo gave me their “Genocide Chants to Apolokian Dawn” demo. I’d just started a fanzine, so I reached out to Nasko (Moloch) and did an interview with him. It was never actually printed, but that’s how he and I got to know each other. Once it became clear that Tengner would no longer participate in OFERMOD, I asked Nasko to step in.

In the summer of 2005, the line-up gathered in Stockholm to prepare for the recording of OFERMOD’s debut album, “Pentagrammaton”. Unfortunately, Belfagor – who had not entirely left the criminal world – arrived with broken hands, unable to show his riffs to anyone.

Six months later, the “Pentagrammaton” session commenced at Necromorbus. Famously, it was a disaster – one Belfagor is notoriously reluctant to discuss.

A post on the OFERMOD website from the fall of 2006, after Belfagor had landed himself back in prison, stated that “Pentagrammaton” was incomplete and not expected to be released until the following year. However, this never happened.

BELFAGOR: No, I simply wanted to forget the entire episode. NoEvDia felt it sounded more like a pre-production demo than an actual album, and I could only concur. It wasn’t until much later – in 2020, when Tore did such a terrific job remixing it – that I finally deemed “Pentagrammaton” worthy of release.

 

I’ve found no traces of activity for all of 2007 – what did you get up to?

BELFAGOR: There’s not really much to say about this; I spent that whole year in prison.

In the spring of 2008, a free man once again, Belfagor shifted into another gear. OFERMOD’s debut album, “Tiamtü”, was recorded at Devo Andersson’s Endarker Studio – which had come a long way since “The Nightwinds Carried Our Names” – in April of that year.

Nebiros was back on vocals, whereas Belfagor handled all instruments. Some of the songs are reinterpretations of “Pentagrammaton” material. What I find the most intriguing here is that Belfagor wrote and recorded the entire thing without demoing or even rehearsing the music.

BELFAGOR: Indeed, I had all the song arrangements in my head; that’s how I still work to this day. Playing my guitar, I sort of envision what the full production with all the remaining instruments should sound like. When I arrived at Endarker, I hadn’t so much as touched a drumstick in several years.

Curiously, Devo Andersson’s recollection of the Endarker drum tracking matched Nebiros’ account of “Mystérion Tés Anomias” to a tee. As Belfagor began warming up behind the kit, Devo facepalmed in anguish, convinced that the project would end in catastrophe, much like “Pentagrammaton”. However, Belfagor stepped outside for a smoke and then returned to nail almost all drums on his first take.

BELFAGOR: Yep, I’d say Devo gave you an accurate summary. There wasn’t much more to it.

I don’t understand how anyone pulls off all that technical drumming without practice. Were you smoking meth out there?

BELFAGOR: <chuckles> No, it was probably just a regular cigarette. What can I say? I suppose I have the soul of a black man.

 

In conjunction with “Tiamtü”, Belfagor commissioned OFERMOD merch from Stonehard Design, a printing business operated by former NEFANDUS bass player Ushatar. This led to a revival of their friendship and a subsequent NEFANDUS reunion – but without Blackwinged.

The duo visited Endarker in the autumn of 2008 to record the second NEFANDUS album, “Death Holy Death”. Belfagor brought five songs – some containing unused riffs from “Pentagrammaton” – whereas Ushatar wrote two and Henry Möller of ARDITI, formerly PUISSANCE, contributed an instrumental piece.

BELFAGOR: Reuniting with Ushatar felt fantastic; after ten years of mutual disdain, it was like a brotherhood rekindled. In fact, Ushatar and I wanted to create a NEFANDUS record with the original lineup. But for some reason, Blackwinged wanted nothing to do with me. I honestly don’t know where his aversion came from.

“Death Holy Death” was released in February 2009; Germany’s World Terror Committee handled the vinyl version, and Belfagor’s own label, Left Light Emanations, issued the CD.

At the time, Belfagor had ambitious plans for Left Light Emanations, signing acts like DØDSENGEL and SERPENT NOIR. I recall some astonishment upon learning that Andreas Herrlin of Satanic Propaganda Records had abandoned his own label to join forces with Belfagor. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall during those deliberations.

BELFAGOR: That was a short-lived collaboration. Andreas called me one day and said he’d been plagued by recurring nightmares of demons coming for him, should he continue with our joint venture. I advised him to leave the black metal scene altogether, which he did. I kept going on my own.

How did that go?

BELFAGOR: Let’s just say it didn’t take long for me to realise that the record industry wasn’t my calling in life. Selling “Death Holy Death” turned out to be quite challenging. Daemon Worship Productions from Russia bought about seventy CDs, but that was probably the only significant order. The remaining discs just collected dust at home.

 

“Tiamtü” was released by NoEvDia in September 2008, ten years after the “Mystérion Tés Anomias” seven-inch. Described in the booklet as ‘Orthodox Religious Death Metal’, OFERMOD’s debut album boasts cover artwork by Timo Ketola and layout by Holy Poison Design, courtesy of Daniel Rostén of FUNERAL MIST.

BELFAGOR: I was convinced that “Tiamtü” would propel me into instant stardom, which is obviously not what happened. In fact, nothing went as expected. At the very least, I believed we’d receive numerous offers for festivals and tours. However, it didn’t amount to much at all.

For OFERMOD’s concert lineup, Belfagor brought in a local bass player named Rudra. Lars Broddesson from MARDUK – now HILD – was invited to play the drums.

BELFAGOR: I first got to know Lars through MARDUK and later discovered that he was a fellow Dragon Rouge member – making him a perfect fit for OFERMOD. Lars is a great man and an exceptional drummer; we are still in sporadic contact.

Dragon Rouge is a magical order dedicated to the Draconian Tradition. It was founded in 1989 by Swedish esotericist and author Thomas Karlsson, who still heads the organisation today. Belfagor joined Dragon Rouge in 2008.

OFERMOD’s stage debut took place in Germany – at Hell’s Pleasure, one of that era’s best underground open-air festivals – in July 2009.

If memory serves me, Belfagor had been on the festival grounds for no more than an hour before he lost his temper and punched a drunken metalhead. To be fair, the gentleman was repeatedly told to get lost but insisted on debating the merits of religious devil worship.

Shortly thereafter, I made the mistake of introducing Belfagor to KK Warslut of DESTRÖYER 666. One could say it was a brief yet spirited exchange, which went something along the lines of, ‘OFERMOD? Right, so you’re the fella who sells heroin to kids?’ ‘I don’t do that anymore.’ ‘Oh – so you wimped out?’

Once I had physically separated the combatants and exercised some verbal diplomacy, KK noted that Belfagor was ‘surprisingly animated for a Swede’, to which he responded, ‘Fuck off! I’m Finnish.’

BELFAGOR: <laughs> Hell’s Pleasure would’ve been the first time I set foot at an open-air festival since the 90s, and I thought it was an overall pleasant experience. I don’t recall punching anyone, but – as you’re aware – that has been known to happen. The performance itself went smoothly, and I have no complaints. THE DEVIL’S BLOOD played the same year, but Selim had to leave before we arrived.