Grand Belial's Key

{{Short description|American black metal band}} {{More citations needed|date=July 2011}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Grand Belial's Key | background = group_or_band | origin = Oakton, Virginia, U.S. | genre = Black metal | years_active = 1992–1993, 1993–2006, 2009–present | label = World Terror Committee, Weltenfeind, End All Life, Drakkar, Wood Nymph | spinoff_of = Arghoslent | current_members = Gelal Necrosodomy Ulfhedinn Unhold | past_members = Lord Vlad Luciferian Demonic The Marauder The Black Lourde of Crucifixion Lilith Der Stürmer Grimnir Heretik The Gulag | website = https://weltenfeind.com/grand-belials-key }}

'''Grand Belial's Key''' ('''GBK''') is an American black metal band founded in Oakton, Virginia, in 1992 by guitarist Gelal Necrosodomy and vocalist Lord Vlad Luciferian.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+states/virginia/oakton/grand+belial+27s+key |title=MusicMight :: Artists :: Grand Belial's Key |work=MusicMight |accessdate=September 19, 2012 |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021054852/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+states/virginia/oakton/grand+belial+27s+key |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lord Vlad Luciferian was later ejected from the group due to internal differences.<ref name=biography>[http://www.drakkar666.com/drakkarproductions/bands/gbk.htm ''Biography''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091117055259/http://www.drakkar666.com/drakkarproductions/bands/gbk.htm |date=2009-11-17 }}.</ref> To date the band has released four full-length albums.

The band is considered to be a part of the National Socialist black metal (NSBM) scene, although the band has rejected this classification.<ref name="biography" /><ref name="decibel" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2014-11-21 |title=Music, Money & Hate |url=https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/music-money-hate-0/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en-US}}</ref>

==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) 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.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

=== ''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 Stürmer (Der Stürmer 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 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 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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Soit |first=Honi |date=2021-03-02 |title=Black sun over sunburnt country - Honi Soit |url=https://honisoit.com/2021/03/black-sun-over-sunburnt-country/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=honisoit.com |language=en-AU}}</ref> The CD would later be repressed by Moribund Cult and Drakkar Productions 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 and metzitzah b'peh / circumcision. 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.<ref>J. Bennett: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080208184453/http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/may2006/nsbm.aspx ''NSBM Special Report''].</ref> He released Pantheon's ''Ergriffenheit'' 10" vinyl record as well as Spear of Longinus and Graveland vinyl records. The label's last release was an exclusive US release of Russian far-right thrash metal band Corrosia Metalla in 2008. The same year, the last GBK recordings were released as a split album 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".<ref>[http://www.drakkar666.com/gbk/news.html ''Ol' Skool Gangsta Style, Bitch!''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407074922/http://www.drakkar666.com/gbk/news.html |date=2014-04-07 }}.</ref> Also in 2006, a GBK concert in Dublin 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-02-06 |title=Nazi rock band banned from playing in Dublin venue |url=https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/nazi-rock-band-banned-from-playing-in-dublin-venue |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=World Jewish Congress |language=EN}}</ref>

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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091120173912/http://www.drakkar666.com/gbk/shows.html ''Ol' Skool Gangsta Style, Bitch!''].</ref> The band also performed at Hammer Open Air Festival at Finland in 2010, and at Hell's Headbash III in September 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/grand-belials-key.asp|title=GRAND BELIAL'S KEY – Products In Stock|last=DISTRIBUTION|first=HELLS HEADBANGERS RECORDS &|website=shop-hellsheadbangers.com|access-date=2016-10-14|archive-date=2016-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018233141/http://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/grand-belials-key.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Neavling |first=Steve |title=Harpos owners apologize for hosting neo-Nazi metal show |url=https://www.metrotimes.com/music/harpos-owners-apologize-for-hosting-neo-nazi-metal-show-38430887 |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Detroit Metro Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Harpo's concert theater |title=ns2d9t8p8kfe1 |date=2025-01-27 |url=https://archive.org/details/ns2d9t8p8kfe1 |access-date=2025-04-20}}</ref>

== Politics and far-right views== Grand Belial's Key has been considered to be a part of the National Socialist black metal (NSBM) scene,<ref name="decibel">{{Cite web|url=http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/may2006/nsbm.aspx|title=NSBM Special Report|last=Bennett|first=J.|date=May 2006|website=Decibel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208184453/http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/may2006/nsbm.aspx|archive-date=8 February 2008|access-date=17 July 2019}}</ref> a label in response to which the band has argued that its lyrics are simply "anti-Jewish/Christian and/or anti-religion"."<ref name=biography/> Upon the release of the band's debut album ''Mocking the Philanthropist'' in 1997, Grand Belial's Key faced widespread controversy and boycotts.<ref name=":1" /> The band has been criticized for having "used strongly anti-Semitic language in lyrics and titles" and for having "covered songs by openly Nazi punk band Chaos 88."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-28 |title=Read an Exclusive Book Excerpt from 'USBM: A Revolution of Identity in American Black Metal' |url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2020/10/28/read-an-exclusive-book-excerpt-from-usbm-a-revolution-of-identity-in-american-black-metal/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Decibel Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Grand Belial's Key has also displayed modified Nazi flags at their shows.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fascism and Black metal {{!}} libcom.org |url=https://libcom.org/article/fascism-and-black-metal |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=libcom.org |language=en}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-05-29 |title=Shirt Stains: I Did Nazi This Coming |url=https://toiletovhell.com/shirt-stains-i-did-nazi-this-coming/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=The Toilet Ov Hell |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Southern Poverty Law Center in 2014 named Grand Belial's Key as a "white power" band.<ref name=":0" /> Following the white supremacist Charlottesville terrorist attack, Spotify removed GBK's music from their platform.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flanagan |first=Andrew |date=2017-08-17 |title=Spotify Removes Racist Music In Response To Charlottesville |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/17/544240096/spotify-removes-racist-music-in-response-to-charlottesville |access-date=2025-01-29 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Resnikoff |first=Paul |date=2017-08-14 |title=I Just Found 37 White Supremacist Hate Bands on Spotify |url=https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/08/14/white-supremacist-hate-spotify/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Digital Music News |language=en-US}}</ref>

==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 (Nicholas Mertaugh) – bass (1995–1996), guitar (live) (2002) * The Black Lourde of Crucifixion (Cameron "Cazz" Sproul Grant III) – drums (1995–2003), vocals (1995–2003; live 2025) * Lilith – keyboards (1995–1999) * Der Stürmer – bass (1998–1999) * Grimnir Heretik (Richard Mills) – vocals (2003–2006; his death; live 2002) * The Gulag (Matt Sylvester) – drums (2003–2006; live 2002)

=== 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''' {{#tag:timeline| ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:130 bottom:80 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1992 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album id:other value:gray(0.6) legend:Demo,_EP id:bars value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1992 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1993

LineData = layer:back color:studio at:06/01/1997 at:12/01/2001 at:12/20/2005 at:04/15/2022

LineData = layer:back color:other at:12/01/1992 at:12/13/1994 at:06/01/1996 at:12/01/2000 at:12/08/2005

BarData = bar:Richard text:"Richard Mills" bar:Sven text:"Sven Zimper" bar:Alex text:"Alexander Halac" bar:Demonic text:"Demonic" bar:Nick text:"Nick Mertaugh" bar:Der text:"Der Sturmer" bar:Lilith text:"Lilith" bar:Valerio text:"Valério Costa" bar:Cameron text:"Cameron Sproul Grant III" bar:Matt text:"Matt Sylvester" bar:Ulfhedinn text:"Ulfhedinn"

PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Richard from:07/01/2003 till:08/27/2006 color:vocals bar:Sven from:11/01/2009 till:06/01/2010 color:vocals bar:Sven from:09/01/2016 till:end color:vocals bar:Alex from:01/01/1992 till:04/01/1993 color:guitar bar:Alex from:07/01/1993 till:09/01/2006 color:guitar bar:Alex from:11/01/2009 till:end color:guitar bar:Alex from:01/01/1992 till:04/01/1993 color:bass width:3 bar:Alex from:01/01/1992 till:12/20/1992 color:keys width:7 bar:Alex from:05/01/1994 till:12/20/1994 color:keys width:3 bar:Demonic from:07/10/1993 till:06/01/1995 color:bass bar:Nick from:06/01/1995 till:08/01/1996 color:bass bar:Der from:08/01/1996 till:06/01/2001 color:bass bar:Demonic from:06/01/2001 till:09/01/2006 color:bass bar:Demonic from:11/01/2009 till:end color:bass bar:Demonic from:06/01/1994 till:12/20/1994 color:bass bar:Valerio from:01/01/1992 till:04/01/1993 color:drums bar:Valerio from:01/01/1992 till:04/01/1993 color:vocals width:3 bar:Valerio from:07/01/1993 till:12/01/1994 color:drums bar:Valerio from:07/01/1993 till:12/01/1994 color:vocals width:3 bar:Cameron from:02/01/1995 till:07/01/2003 color:drums bar:Cameron from:02/01/1995 till:07/01/2003 color:vocals width:3 bar:Matt from:07/01/2003 till:09/01/2006 color:drums bar:Ulfhedinn from:11/01/2009 till:end color:drums bar:Lilith from:06/01/1995 till:04/01/2005 color:keys }}

== 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 == {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://weltenfeind.com/grand-belial-s-key Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414173526/http://weltenfeind.com/grand-belial-s-key |date=April 14, 2023 }}

Category:American black metal musical groups Category:American neo-Nazis Category:National Socialist black metal musical groups Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Category:Musical groups established in 1992 Category:Heavy metal musical groups from Virginia