Lord Belial

Lord Belial was formed in 1992 in Sweden by Thomas Backelin (guitar, vocals), Micke Backelin (drums), Anders Backelin (bass) and Niclas Andersson (guitar). The same night they were formed they also recorded their first demo, "The Art of Dying". It received positive reviews and in 1993 they returned to the studio to record their second demo, "Into the Frozen Shadows". This led to a deal with No Fashion Records. In 1994 they recorded their debut album "Kiss the Goat" and released it in 1995. A lot of great reviews and tours followed. In 1996 they once again entered the studio to record "Enter the Moonlight Gate". It was released in 1997 and, of course, more tours were arranged. In 1998 the third album "Unholy Crusade" was recorded and released the following year. After several tours and gigs Niclas Andersson decided to leave the band in 2000. He was replaced by Fredrik Wester. The band then returned to the studio to record "Angelgrinder" and before recordings were done Niclas Andersson returned. In 2002 the album was released and the band then embarked on a tour called "Angelgrinder Tour". Shortly after Fredrik Wester was forced to leave the band. The band decided to officially split-up in January 2009. The main reason for this is a hearing problem (tinnitus) that has grown into a quite big problem for Micke in the last years. The other members in the band were not forced to put an end to the band, but instead mutually agreed that finding another drummer was not a solution for the future. They eventually reunited with the original line-up a year and a half later. On November 18th, 2015, the band announced the following on their Facebook page: "We have decided to cancel all our coming live shows due to health issues and lack of motivation within the band. Only time will tell if we ever decide to start playing live again. No interviews will be answered." The band continued touring and Micke Backelin took a break and was temporarily replaced by Daniel Moilanen and Niclas Andersson once again left the band. During the recordings of the new album Micke returned and Daniel left. The MCD "Scythe of Death" was released in 2003. In 2004 the fifth album, "The Seal of Belial", was released.