Austrian blackened death metal veterans Belphegor have dropped a new single, ‘Scarlet Beast – Leviathan’, via Reigning Phoenix Music, and it’s a heavy, doom-laden beast of a track.
Rather than going for the throat with speed, this one takes the slower route, built on massive, lumbering riffs that feel like they’re dragging you through scorched earth. It’s more suffocating atmosphere than blastbeat frenzy, fusing ritualistic black metal with the crushing weight of death metal in a way that commands your attention rather than chases it.
The single was mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studio, with guitars, vocals and bass recorded at Studio Mischmaschine in Austria, and drums laid down at Michael Zech’s Church Of Sound Studio in Munich.
The accompanying music video, directed by Thomas Keplinger, has sparked some debate online, with some fans taking issue with the use of AI elements in the visuals. Honestly? It’s not that bad. If you were to commission equivalent CGI work from a professional studio, you’d be looking at twenty times the cost, if not more. For a band operating outside the mainstream, it’s a practical choice, and the dark, ritualistic tone of the video still fits Belphegor‘s aesthetic. The gritty imagery and shadowy atmosphere do the job.
‘Scarlet Beast – Leviathan’ arrives as Belphegor kick off their Praise The Beast North American tour, with support from Incantation, Hate, and Narcotic Wasteland. The run hits 17 cities from Brooklyn to Anaheim through to March 10th. The band are also working on their thirteenth studio album for Reigning Phoenix Music, with details still under wraps.
Since forming in Salzburg in 1993, Belphegor have carved out over three decades of uncompromising extreme metal, from early records like The Last Supper and Blutsabbath through to 2022’s The Devils, which earned them the 2023 Amadeus Austrian Music Award in the Hard and Heavy category. They’ve graced stages at Wacken, Bloodstock, Hellfest and beyond, and show no sign of slowing down.
You can stream ‘Scarlet Beast – Leviathan’ now and watch the video on YouTube. Tour tickets are available at belphegor.at.
