by Niklas Göransson

1995 saw Grand Belial’s Key entering a new phase: stripped of theatrics, steeped in contempt, and guided by Gelal’s unrelenting hand. A leaner and meaner entity took form, promptly immortalised with A Witness to the Regicide.

 

GELAL NECROSODOMY: Whenever I’m in Europe, people always tell me, ‘I heard your first demo back in the day.’ Valerio (Lord Vlad Luciferian) handled the band mail, so I had no idea until I took over and discovered a whole box of correspondence. Not your average fan letters either – some written in special ink, burnt at the corners, folded all neatly.

GRAND BELIAL’S KEY emerged in 1992 from an unlikely collaboration between Gelal Necrosodomy and Lord Vlad Luciferian. What began in a humid basement quickly evolved into a distinct musical identity; their debut demo, “Goat of a Thousand Young”, fused riff-driven metal with sinister atmospheres, horror-tinged keyboards, and a cinematic sense of pacing and crescendo.

GELAL: People took it seriously, writing about how excited they were. Reading those letters made me realise the true potential of GRAND BELIAL’S KEY. Once I saw all the incoming mail firsthand, I stepped in to keep the band from turning into some vampire garbage.

“Goat of a Thousand Young” circulated widely in the underground, attracting early label interest, but clashing creative visions and mounting personal friction culminated in Gelal’s late 1993 departure from G.B.K . After a brief hiatus, Lord Vlad revived the band – bringing in bassist Demonic and a rejoining Gelal – for the second demo, “Triumph of the Hordes”.

However, Lord Vlad’s fascination with gothic overtones soon became a major point of contention. He viewed vampirism as a core element of his identity, blending it with Satanism and romanticism – and increasingly worked these themes into the band’s imagery and lyrics. In a 1995 interview from Holocaust #8, Lord Vlad declared: ‘It is my ultimate doom to become a real vampire.’

GELAL: That’s why Cacophonous Records contacted us after “Triumph of the Hordes” – they wanted a CRADLE OF FILTH clone. At that point, I had to choose between killing the band or seizing control before Valerio wrecked it. So, I took charge and steered G.B.K. back to where we needed to be.

 

In autumn 1995 – after a GRAND BELIAL’S KEY show in Washington, DC, featuring Tom Phillips from WHILE HEAVEN WEPT on keyboards – Demonic floated the idea of adding a dedicated drummer.

DEMONIC: Tom’s inclusion felt right at the time. There was also some talk about bringing in a second guitarist or even replacing Valerio on drums, so he could focus soley on vocals. Those conversations were happening in the background – at least in my mind.

After discussing the matter with Gelal, Demonic suggested The Black Lourde of Crucifixion, drummer and vocalist of Pennsylvania’s CRUCIFIER.

THE BLACK LOURDE OF CRUCIFIXION: I think Demonic and I first started corresponding in ’92, around the time of CRUCIFIER’s “Crown of Thorns” demo. Wasn’t he in DOOMSTONE back then? Yeah, so we must’ve traded tapes at some point. Then, I met him in person when both our bands played together in Manassas, Virginia.

DEMONIC: CRUCIFIER had their own identity – that’s what always stood out. Nothing about them resembles the likes of MAYHEM, yet they’re easily one of the most evil-sounding bands I’ve ever heard. It wasn’t just another New York-style death metal act.

The 1990s New York death metal scene was known for dense riffing, technical drumming, and a percussive, almost claustrophobic heaviness. CRUCIFIER, in contrast, carved out a more chaotic, occult-driven sound, relying less on precision and more on raw, malevolent energy.

DEMONIC: At one point, Cazz (The Black Lourde) actually invited me to join CRUCIFIER as guitarist. I went up to his place in Pennsylvania a few times, but… I’ll be honest – jamming with him was tough for me <laughs>. His drumming can be hard to follow, and I struggled to stay in sync.

Instead, Demonic suggested his friend, The Marauder – guitarist of ARGHOSLENT and also involved in THOKK with Lord Vlad. He would later appear on CRUCIFIER’s “Powerless Against” EP.

DEMONIC: Once the G.B.K. demos were released, Cazz became a big fan. Knowing he was already into the material made it easier to picture us working together. He lived in Chichester, Pennsylvania – only a couple of hours away – so Gelal and I drove up there to talk it over.

THE BLACK LOURDE: I remember a big snowstorm hit; it was still coming down when they arrived. We went up to my place – the attic where I’d been recording music for years – and hung out, talking about GRAND BELIAL’S KEY. I knew right then this would be a solid move for all of us.

GELAL: Cazz was eager to join – it seemed like he didn’t have much going on besides metal. He had his own rehearsal space with a drum kit, mics, guitar amps… everything we needed.

THE BLACK LOURDE: Gelal gave me a bunch of tapes with riffs he’d written. As soon as they left, I started learning the material so we could work everything out together once rehearsals began.

GELAL: We knew Cazz hit hard – that alone was a huge contrast to Valerio. Still, there’s something similar about those two. Both were genuinely talented drummers who’d been listening to older music long before black or death metal, like 1970s rock and so on. You’d play a riff, and they’d instinctively hit the right beat, just from a lifetime of musical exposure.

THE BLACK LOURDE: Yeah, I come from a Gen X radio rock background, so I got my start with VAN HALEN, BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN – even straight-up rock ’n’ roll like Pat Benatar.

DEMONIC: None of us thought Valerio was a bad drummer – far from it – but the band needed a proper frontman. And given his dramatic inclinations, freeing Valerio from the kit would’ve let him go all in; I think he’d have loved that, honestly.

Did you ever rehearse with that line-up?

GELAL: No, I don’t think Valerio ever came up for it. Might’ve been interesting – he was a decent frontman, and people liked his vocals. G.B.K. weren’t playing live, but Valerio and that faggot Aphazel – who I already had issues with – were roaming the country, performing their vampire act.

DEMONIC: That ANCIENT guy, Aphazel, turned up in Virginia and immediately started feeding Valerio’s ego. Gelal and I were around them more than we wanted to – neither of us was a fan. Valerio had always been annoying, but it got worse once he became frontman for ANCIENT.

On the strength of their 1994 debut “Svartalvheim”, Norway’s ANCIENT became one of the first black metal bands to sign with a major label – Metal Blade. The following year, founder and guitarist Aphazel relocated to the US and assembled a new line-up featuring Lord Vlad on vocals.

GELAL: I’ve never listened to ANCIENT – no idea what they even sound like, and I’m glad. People say the first album is good, but I think, ‘Who cares?’ Fuck that Aphazel clown. I threatened him at some point, but he refused to meet me.

 

Leading up to and in the immediate aftermath of “Triumph of the Hordes”, the band remained a reasonably functional unit. However, by late 1995, relations had begun falling apart.

DEMONIC: When we first met Valerio, he was painfully aware of his social awkwardness – how he didn’t quite fit in. But once GRAND BELIAL’S KEY started gaining traction, things changed. He’d always been a chubby kid, but after slimming down, girls started noticing him. That went straight to his head.

GELAL: By then, Valerio had been corresponding with G.B.K. fans for several years. Everyone praised him, and he’d developed this inflated sense of being some kind of musical mastermind. I just waited for a reason to explode – and one day, I got it.

DEMONIC: Valerio showed up in spandex pants, and Gelal really tore into him. You could tell it had been building for a while – he just needed an excuse to unload. Valerio tried defending himself, like, ‘Cronos from VENOM wears spandex!’ <laughs> But Gelal wasn’t having it; he kept calling Valerio every name under the sun, shouting, ‘Don’t ever come to practice again!’

GELAL: Demonic was like, ‘Oh fuck, not again.’ After that, there might’ve been a phone call or something, but we ended up at a club in DC where I tried to attack Valerio. The police threw us out, and I never saw him again.

DEMONIC: I believe some time passed between the spandex blowout and that club incident. I wasn’t there, but I remember hearing about it. By then, Gelal had hit his limit – he was done with Valerio.

GELAL: I can’t even recall what pissed me off that night. He was so insignificant; we just laugh about him now. I think I’ve since been proven right to boot him, ‘cause he’s a fucking loser. Doesn’t he live in Tel Aviv now? Well, there you go <laughs>. Imagine if he were still with us, DJing bar mitzvahs and shit.

 

With Lord Vlad ousted, The Black Lourde took over both the drumming and oration. The new GRAND BELIAL’S KEY trio began rehearsing at CRUCIFIER’s headquarters in Chichester, Pennsylvania.

THE BLACK LOURDE: I lived in the attic of what we here in the States call a row home – a pair of three-storey houses built side-by-side, sharing a wall. That’s where I rehearsed with all of my bands. I often think, ‘How the hell did we pull this off for over twenty years, and the cops only showed up twice?’

GELAL: You’ve seen those G.B.K. photos where the ceiling slants? That’s the roof. It was nuts – his bed, drum kit, amps… everything crammed in up there. Some parts were so low you couldn’t even stand upright. I also remember a window right where Cazz’s head would be when he drummed.

How did the new line-up feel once you started jamming?

GELAL: Cazz’s drumming was so fucking heavy – exactly what I wanted. His vocals leaned lower, more death metal in approach; I knew plenty of listeners wouldn’t like that, which made me enjoy it even more. People always complain about something. Because air is free, everyone thinks they’re entitled to an opinion.

The combination of vocalist and drummer is quite rare, so finding a second one was rather lucky.

THE BLACK LOURDE: The first incarnation of CRUCIFIER, around ’89, had two guitars tuned way down, me on drums, but no vocalist. I figured as a drummer, I’m already exhaling – so why not scream at the same time, right? And it worked. We were all shocked I could pull that off, and I’ve stuck with it ever since.

What did you have in mind musically for G.B.K. at that point?

THE BLACK LOURDE: I’m sure we discussed arrangements and worked through things together, but Gelal handled all the core writing. That suited me fine – I had my hands full with CRUCIFIER anyway. And his material was just phenomenal; honestly, my input would’ve been pointless.

GELAL: I’m not sure how the second G.B.K. demo would’ve sounded if I’d been in control – but in a way, that’s what pushed me to make a really filthy seven-inch. I don’t know what direction Demonic imagined. He definitely wasn’t into Valerio’s vampire nonsense, but maybe he didn’t fully resonate with my path either.

DEMONIC: That was a rough period for me. I had a different vision of what G.B.K. should be, and when the three of us started jamming, it just didn’t click. I wasn’t feeling it. I remember working on “Reflections of the Coffin Lid” – which, looking back, is a great track but not what I wanted to do creatively at the time.

GELAL: I suspect it wasn’t only about music, though. Maybe other parts of Demonic’s life started to outweigh whatever band disagreements we might’ve had.

DEMONIC: Part of it, too, was that I still felt like a guitarist at heart. Playing bass didn’t give me the same satisfaction, which became a struggle in itself. Also, my first child had just been born, which meant a lot of energy and focus went there. So, I stepped down from G.B.K.

GELAL: We never lost touch – Demonic is a great person, on and off the stage. He was the one who kept G.B.K. alive with Valerio after I left, and he brought in Cazz. And then Demonic realised he didn’t like what he’d helped create. I just kept forging ahead.

 

In November 1996, the GRAND BELIAL’S KEY duo recorded “A Witness to the Regicide” at Crucifier Studios – which, judging by the sound, was some kind of four-tracker setup.

GELAL: Yeah, the same machine we used for “Goat of a Thousand Young” and “The Imperial Clans” (ARGHOSLENT). But “A Witness…” doesn’t sound raw and dirty because of limited equipment; it’s exactly what I’d envisioned. As long as I can hear the kick, snare, and guitar – plus the bass is noticeable – I’m good. I don’t need fancy dynamics. It’s black metal.

The session yielded four tracks – “Mourners Flock to Gethsemane”, “Conspicuous Imagery Adorns the Nunery”, a re-recording of “Goat of a Thousand Young”, and an outro titled “The Hexenhaus Vigil”. The songs boast a vicious guitar tone, amazing vocals, and a heavy low-end sound.

GELAL: The bass came out thicker and far more American-sounding than “Triumph of the Hordes”, and rightfully so. This is the land of death metal – you need to hear the damn bass. Also, Cazz weighs 320 pounds; you can’t have some flimsy Norwegian tremolo thing with that monster on drums. It must sound huge.

THE BLACK LOURDE: I’d probably describe my drumming as more snappy than hard-hitting. Maybe it felt heavier because of the cramped space – the attic was long but kind of narrow, so everything resonated more. I tend to play faster and lighter than most, but it worked.

The Marauder played bass on the re-recording of “Goat of a Thousand Young”, while Gelal handled the remaining tracks.

GELAL: Since I’m not really a bassist, I took more of a death metal approach – basically just doubling the guitars. If you listen to older bands like BLACK SABBATH or MERCYFUL FATE, the basslines weave around the drums, but I had no concept of that at the time.

 

Did you have any plans in terms of labels?

GELAL: We sent the EP material to Cacophonous – CRADLE OF FILTH’s label, who’d wanted to sign GRAND BELIAL’S KEY before Valerio left. But the guy said, ‘No, man, we don’t like the new direction.’ That was perfect in my mind; it confirmed we were on the right track.

To be fair, Cacophonous Records released some classic black metal entirely devoid of vampirism around that time – like the debut albums of GEHENNA and PRIMORDIAL, as well as a reissue of ROOT’s “Hell Symphony”.

GELAL: Sure, when the offer came in after “Triumph…”, it felt like a huge deal. That must’ve been the point where I realised G.B.K. had surpassed ARGHOSLENT in popularity, partly because black metal was on the rise while death metal declined. ARGHOSLENT didn’t attract any kind of label interest until “Arsenal of Glory” – six years into the band’s existence.