{"product_id":"belfegore-belfegore","title":"Belfegore - Belfegore","description":"\u003ch6 class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBelfegore arrived at the midpoint of the 1980s sounding like post-punk had been rebuilt from heavier machinery. Their sole major-label album fused cold European atmosphere with metallic guitar, electronic rhythm, and an industrial weight that anticipated where alternative music was heading.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReleased in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1984 on Elektra Records\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBelfegore\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was the self-titled second and final album from the German band led by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMeikel Clauss\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. After an earlier German-language LP, the group relocated to London and radically sharpened its approach, working with producer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eConny Plank\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, whose résumé already included Kraftwerk, Neu!, D.A.F., and Killing Joke. The resulting record sits in a fascinating space between \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003epost-punk, industrial rock, gothic rock, and new wave\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe album’s centerpiece is “All That I Wanted,” a pounding collision of distorted guitar, mechanical rhythm, and Clauss’ severe vocal delivery. Its memorable video, directed by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZbigniew Rybczyński\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, received rotation on MTV and gave Belfegore their greatest international exposure. Yet the rest of the album is considerably more than a vehicle for its best-known single. “Questions,” “Love,” “Wake Up With Sirens,” and “Seabird Seamoan” explore the same tension between abrasive guitars and electronics, sometimes turning colder and more atmospheric, elsewhere approaching the physical force of industrial rock before that term had fully settled into its later meaning.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePlank’s production is crucial. Rather than smoothing out the band’s aggression, he gives every element space to hit: basslines loom, drums carry a stark mechanical punch, synthesizers add unease, and Clauss’ guitar can shift from angular post-punk to dense sheets of noise. There are echoes of Killing Joke and D.A.F., but Belfegore’s combination of heaviness and electronic austerity remains strikingly individual.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe band dissolved not long after the album’s release, leaving \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBelfegore\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e as both their international breakthrough and final statement. That short lifespan has only made the record more intriguing in retrospect.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor listeners interested in the connective tissue between \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEuropean post-punk, industrial, goth, and the heavier alternative music that followed\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBelfegore\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a compelling artifact of 1984: dark, muscular, mechanical, and still remarkably potent.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Belfegore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47235562209334,"sku":"960 378-1","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0674\/2592\/7222\/files\/belfegore-st.jpg?v=1792344678","url":"https:\/\/greycatrecords.com\/products\/belfegore-belfegore","provider":"Greycat Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}