Belenos (band)

Belenos is a French pagan black metal band from Brittany.

For the Celtic deity, see Belenus.
Belenos
The French Black metal band Belenos at the Dark Troll Open Air 2017 in Bornstedt/Germany
Background information
OriginBrittany, France
GenresBlack metal, pagan metal
Years active1995–present
LabelsNorthern Silence Productions
Associated actsAborted
Websitebelenos.biz
MembersLoïc Cellier
Past membersSee below

Biography

Belenos was brought to life as a one-man-band by Loïc Cellier in 1995. Influenced by the early black metal scene of Norway, the music of the band always was and remains a mix of black and pagan metal with Celtic choirs.[1] The original line-up consisted of Loïc (guitars, bass, vocals, programming) and Nathalie (guitars, lyrics). After releasing three demo tapes (in 1996, 1998 and 1999) Belenos turned into a full band and began to play live. The first live appearance took place in Lille, October 1999 as an opening act for Marduk and Enthroned. Yann Desaulty on bass was replaced by David Foulon, as well as Raphael Fontaine left the band due to a lack of motivation.[2] In August 2000 the band signed with Sacral Productions and released the first full album Errances oniriques in March 2001. After a couple live performances Belenos recorded their second album Spicilège with the new drummer Marc Devillers, since Denis Sokowicz had been fired. The album was released again on Sacral Productions. The same year Marc Devillers was replaced by Gilles Delecroix. In 2004 Sacral Productions released a 2-CD demo compilation L'ancien temps. By the end of 2004 Belenos became a one-man-band and stopped all live activities.

In 2006 Adipocere Records released the third album Chants de bataille on which Loïc had been working since 2002. Drums for the album, recorded in 2004, are provided by Gilles Delecroix, then a member of Aborted. In 2007 Belenos signed with Northern Silence Productions and the same year released the fourth album Chemins de souffrance which features some completely rerecorded versions of the songs from the second 1998 demo Allégorie d'une souffrance.

In 2009 the debut full album Errances oniriques, completely rerecorded, was reissued by Northern Silence Productions. The new version contains two exclusive cover songs with lyrics reworked in French. In 2010 Belenos with three session members returns on stage to play four festivals in France. The next full length album Yen sonn gardis was recorded between December 2009 and April 2010 and mastered in June 2010 at the band's home studio. The album features the whole lyrics in Breton, an old Celtic language of Brittany. In early 2012 the second album Spicilège was reissued in a digipack format limited to 1000 copies and including new artwork, original remastered sound and seven bonus tracks.

The final recording of the next studio album Kornôg was to start in January 2014,[3] but it was postponed with no release date planned. [4]

Kornôg was released September 9th 2016.

Lyrical themes

The band's lyrics usually deal with classical themes such as winter, death, pride, nature, Celtic legends and rituals, ancient battles.

Line-up

Current members
  • Loïc Cellier - guitars, vocals, bass, drums (1995–present)

Past members
  • Nathalie - guitars (1995-1997)
  • Yann Desaulty - bass (1998-2000)
  • Denis Sokowicz - drums (1998-2001)
  • Raphael Fontaine - guitars (1998-2000)
  • David Foulon - bass (2000-2006)
  • Guillaume Dallery - guitars, vocals (2000-2006)
  • Marc Devillers - drums (2001-2002)
  • Gilles Delecroix - drums (2002-2006)

Live musicians
  • Yohann Mahé - bass, backing vocals (2010–present)
  • Marc le Gall - drums (2010–present)
  • Antoine Guibert - guitars (2012–present)
  • Vrath - guitars (2012–present)
  • Camille Lepallec - guitars (2010)

Discography
Studio albums
  • Errances oniriques (2001)
  • Spicilège (2002)
  • Chants de bataille (2006)
  • Chemins de souffrance (2007)
  • Yen sonn gardis (2010)
  • Kornôg (2016)
Compilation albums
  • L'ancien temps (2004)
  • Celtic Pagan Black Metal from Bretagne/France (2013)
Demo albums
  • Notre amour éternel (1996)
  • Allégorie d'une souffrance (1998)
  • Triste pensée (1999)

References
  1. "BELENOS - Celtic Black Metal - Bretagne / France". Belenos.biz. 2014-01-25. Archived from the original on 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  2. "Belenos - Biography". Metal Storm. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  3. "BELENOS - Celtic Black Metal - Bretagne / France". Belenos.biz. 2014-01-25. Archived from the original on 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  4. "Belenos - The 2 last concerts of 2014 will take place in... | Facebook". Fr-ca.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
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