Belphegor – Walpurgis Rites – Hexenwahn

In our fast-paced times, there are only few constants, but those that do exist shine like a beacon in the night: Muskoxen smell bad, Mondays are followed by Tuesdays, … and Belphegor albums always kind of sound the same.

This is not to say that the latter is necessarily a bad thing, given the veteran status of our Austrian brothers in arms, but they increasingly seem to be running out of new ideas. Sure, “Bondage Goat Zombie” from their eponymous album is definitely a windmill-inducing song, but they seem to have liked the chorus melody so much that they made it an integral part of “Veneratio Diaboli”. “Walpurgis Rites”, the title track of this album, also follows down well-traveled paths. In other words: if you’re looking for fresh and innovative stuff, look somewhere else. Agreed, songs like “Hail The New Flesh” and “The Crosses Made Of Bone” provide a bit of variety and “Walpurgis Rites – Hexenwahn” is an album that will certainly raise a cheer or two amongst die-hard Belphegor fans.

After all, this IS a well-paced album with good riffs and without unnecessary bullshit. Nevertheless, there are a few doubts whether it will make the charts in Hell, despite all the blastbeatish homage to The Wicked One. He’s just heard it all before.