Grand Belial's Key was formed in 1992 by guitarist Gelal Necrosodomy and vo… Read Full Bio ↴Grand Belial's Key was formed in 1992 by guitarist Gelal Necrosodomy and vocalist Lord Vlad Luciferian. Lord Vlad was kicked out of the band shortly after the demos and joined the Norwegian band Ancient. A full line-up was completed and they released Mocking the Philanthropist. It was banned, but later re-released as Castrate the Redeemer. The full-length Kosherat, which saw the debut of a new singer and a new drummer. The last official recording is a split with the bands Absurd and Sigrblot titled Weltenfeind, which includes songs recorded during the Kosherat session, at the same studio, with the same members.

As opposed to the aggressive Satanism of many black metal bands, GBK's lyrics take a literate, satirical view of biblical lore. The band is known for incorporating melodic, traditional heavy metal influences while retaining the more unorthodox aspects of black metal songwriting. GBK are one of America's first black metal bands and are true fathers of USBM.

Following the death of Richard Mills (singer on Kosherat) in August of 2006, the band split up, but later reformed to play gigs in 2009-10. The band has been sporadically active and playing gigs ever since with Unhold (Absurd, Luror, Helduntum) taking over as live vocalist. New studio material has been recorded Kohanic Charmers (2022)

Releases

* Goat Of A Thousand Young (1992; demo)
* Triumph of the Hordes (1994; demo)
* A Witness to the Regicide (1996; EP)
* Mocking the Philanthropist (1997)
* The Tricifixion of Swine (2000; EP)
* Judeobeast Assassination (2001)
* Satan is Metal's Master/Sperm of the Antichrist (2001; split)
* Castrate the Redeemer (2001)
* Hobo of Aramaic Tongues/Le Royaume Maudit (2003; split)
* On a Mule Rides the Swindler (2005; EP)
* Kosherat (2005)
* Weltenfeind (2008; split)
* Goat of a Thousand Young / Triumph of the Hordes (2017; compilation)
* Kohanic Charmers (2022)

Demonarchy
Grand Belial's Key Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Music: Gelal/Lyrics: Gelal]

The gatekeepers amputate their arms in torment
Abandoned by the painful shackles of heaven
Their maternal bodies devoured gruesomely
Father of the unconceivable lifts his shield

His name was unknown to me

Until I entered the arcane
Depths of the Demonarchy
Summoning Jehova's Casket

There exists secrecy among the troops
Waiting to besiege the fountain of life
Like torches of a forgotten Kristallnacht
Storming through the city of Nazareth

His name was unknown to me
Until I entered the arcane

Depths of the Demonarchy
Summoning Jehova's Casket

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Grand Belial's Key's song Demonarchy seem to be centered around the idea of a demonic rebellion against heaven, with gatekeepers experiencing torment and having their arms amputated. The imagery of a maternal body being gruesomely devoured along with torches storming through the city of Nazareth also adds to the overall picture of chaos and destruction. The lyrical content seems to suggest that the Father of the unconceivable is leading this rebellion, and his name was unknown to the singer until they entered the arcane depths of the Demonarchy and summoned Jehova's Casket.

This song seems to be a reflection of GBK's anti-Christian, and specifically anti-Jewish views as the lyrics mention Jehova's Casket and the city of Nazareth. It seems to be a critique of religious authority and possibly also a more general criticism of power structures that oppress individuals. The use of violent and grotesque imagery highlights the band's rejection of societal norms and expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

The gatekeepers amputate their arms in torment
The guards at the gateway to hell are in immense pain that they are forced to mutilate themselves to relieve it.

Abandoned by the painful shackles of heaven
Forced to leave heaven, the demons are left with the harsh and agonizing memories of their past lives as angels.

Their maternal bodies devoured gruesomely
Their nurturing angelic forms have been ripped apart in a gruesome manner by Lucifer's commands.

Father of the unconceivable lifts his shield
Lucifer, the ruler of hell, prepares to defend his kingdom by raising his shield of power.

His name was unknown to me
The artist had no previous knowledge or recognition of the devil's true identity.

Until I entered the arcane Depths of the Demonarchy
The singer learned the truth about the devil's identity only when they delved deep into the mysteries of hell.

Summoning Jehova's Casket
The singer is using a powerful, forbidden object to summon and control Jehovah, which is a major reversal of power between heaven and hell.

There exists secrecy among the troops
There is a hidden sense of mystery and intrigue among the demonic soldiers as they plan their next move.

Waiting to besiege the fountain of life
The demons are patiently waiting for the right moment to attack and destroy the source of life.

Like torches of a forgotten Kristallnacht
The demons are charging through the world like the German Nazis during one of their infamous pogroms.

Storming through the city of Nazareth
The demons are attacking the holy city of Nazareth, turning it upside down and destroying everything in their path.

Contributed by Liam W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS