Belphegor and Arkona: 1720 - Los Angeles, CA - 3/29/25
Austrian blackened death metal legion Belphegor and Russian folk/pagan metal band Arkona teamed up for a tour of brutal metal. Neither band had touched US soil in several years, so it was great to see them again. Halfway through the tour, the stop for Southern California was the 1720 warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. Plenty of metal fans showed up to see these two amazing bands back-to-back and with it being a Saturday, it was set to be an explosive night.
Arkona is a folk/pagan metal band from Russia. Their name refers to the last pre-Christianized Slavic city-castle. In 2023, they released their ninth album, Kob’. The lights went out and the now packed venue cheered with excitement as Arkona made their way to the stage. The first song performed was “Kob’”. The band members wore garments to match the style of their music. The next three songs were “Ydi”, “Ugasaya”, and “Mor.” All songs from the latest album. Singer Masha Scream sang her songs to perfection. The next song was one of their most popular songs, “Goi, Rode, Goi!” The mosh pit stayed active throughout the whole performance and Arkona were grateful to have such dedicated fans. The final song of their performance was “Zimushka.” Arkona thanked the audience for coming out then left the stage and made way for the headlining band of the night.
Belphegor is a blackened death metal band from Austria. Their name comes from the demon of the same name. In 2022, they released their twelfth album The Devils. The stage was set for the arrival of Belphegor as the stage was covered in upside down crosses, chains, bones and goblets. The lights went out once again and the fans roared with excitement. After a very long intro, Belphegor finally came out. The first song performed on this hellish ritual was “Baphomet”, the first song from the previous album, Totenritual. Singer/guitarist Helmuth unleashed his hellish vocals onto the audience. The next song was “The Devil's Son”, another song from the Totenritual album. Helmuth dawned white makeup with blood covering his face giving himself a truly diabolical look. The next song was “Sancti Diaboli Confidimus”. This is an unreleased song that they've yet to release, which is unfortunate because it's a brutal song. For now, only live videos of the song exist. As Helmuth introduces the next song, he always speaks in a deep guttural voice as if Satan himself is speaking to the audience. The next song is one of their best songs, “Belphegor - Hell's Ambassador”. The mosh pit was intense and surely, lots of bodies were crushed and bruised. Belphegor kept the blackened death assault going as they played evil tracks like “Stigma Diabolicum”, “Lucifer Incestus”, and “The Devils”. The stage was regularly filled with fog from cannons. The last song of the show seemed to be “Totentanz - Dance Macabre”. The show came to an end and Belphegor left the stage. The fans didn’t go anywhere and chanted the band’s name. After a quick break, Belphegor came back out for one more evil track. The grand finale was “Gasmask Terror.” The mosh pit stayed active, and the fans gave it their all and showed their appreciation for having Belphegor return to the states after several years. The show sadly came to an end. Belphegor thanked the audience for coming out then left the stage for the last time. Lots of happy faces were seen after the show and hopefully it’s not long before Belphegor return to burn down Los Angeles once again.
