Blasphemy. Interview with Gerry Joseph Buhl

Interview by Jay Parker

Hails evil hordes, this is Jay reporting from Bogota Colombia... Today I’m lucky enough to be talking with Nocturnal Grave Desecrator and Black Winds, vocalist with one of the founding fathers of what we today call Black Metal, and creators of the sub-genre war metal, Blasphemy. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, and for sharing your wealth of dark wisdom and your experiences with our readers.

1 - Let’s start at the beginning.... why did you decide to form Blasphemy? Who was in the original line up? What made you decide to become a Black metal musician?

I decided to form Blasphemy So as Vancouver Canada could have a Black Metal band and to get some extra heavy music on the scene. I decided to become a BM musician after going to a few punk shows then I listened to early stuff like Bathory, Genocide, Sodom, Destruction, Razor Onslaught (Power From Hell and their Punk stuff) but I wanted to play faster and more aggressive music... Our original line up was Caller Of The Storms (guitar), Black Priest Of The 7 Satanic Blood Rituals, 3 black Hearts Of Damnation and Impurity, and myself, Nocturnal Grave Desecrator and BLack Winds.

2 - What was the first track you wrote and what was the inspiration behind it?

Whoooah! Hard question... we kinda wrote a song each at the same time… The first track I wrote was Ritual, inspired by our Black Metal lifestyle!

3 - You’re famous for your hyper speed shredding and blitzkrieg drums...what bands did you listen to growing up? Where did that musical anger and aggression come from?

I listened to a of couple thousand more bands like Portal and Deathlord, Goatpenis, BGC and many more. Behemoth. Bestial Raids awesome band. To many more to list off the top of my head.

4 - Your first demo, Blood upon The Altar (which was in my tape collection back in the day) was unleashed from Hell in 1989... It was something undeniably new at that time and was quite a shock to the scene… Tell us about that devastatingly aggressive, genre forming cassette... how, where and when did you record it? Tell us about that first recording experience...

That was our exact intention to shock the scene at least in our city... we recorded starting in late 88, finishing in 89 and a studio called ‘Fiasco Bros. Recording’. They were already known for recording such bands as Death Sentence and Witches Hammer, Antichrist and many more. We made 500 cassettes at first but they were flying out the door quickly so we made many more. I think 5000 in total.

5 -The first full album, from 1990 Fallen Angel Of Doom is a legend in Black Metal folklore...a frantic diabolic spin through the darkest realms... and was the first contact for most people with Blasphemy... where did you pull that album from? It’s a real black jewel. Tell us what it was like taking that step up? Where did you record FAOD? Who wrote those legendarily blasphemic tracks?

Well, like I mentioned we recorded at a great studio called... Fiasco Bros. A lot of songs were written by Caller of the Storms and myself.

6 - Gods Of War was released in 1993, another rip roaring slab of pure aggression and hatred, if not even more so than FOAD... ... It must have been hard to repeat the level you achieved on FAOD... Gods Of War is noted for a more polished sound, nowhere near as raw as FAOD, but without losing that frantic satanic energy... first, which is your favorite of the 2 first albums and why? Where was Gods recorded? What was the reception like compared to FOAD?

Well, personally I prefer F.A.O.D. for the pictures and brutal art work but a lot prefer FAOD. Gods of War was also recorded at Fiasco Bros Studio.

7 - Now you’ve garnered quite a reputation for your live shows over the years, full of blood, beatings and all kind of abominations if stories are to be believed... The Fuck Christ tour from 93 is, I think one of the most infamous in history haha... Tell us about that legendary tour...what happened guys? Haha spill the blood...

Well, it’ wasn’t as philthy as some of the bloody festivals. Allthough it was a good tour I could only be around for 8 or 9 of the shows we had a hired bass player who didn’t work out to well, we told him here’s the box of artillery and spikes don’t show up to the airport with our it son! And he showed up without it ffffuuucking hell&damnation. Can you believe that bullshit bro?! So as for the last half of the tour I showed him the lyrics and said learn fast son because I cannot be seen playing naked anymore without my bullet straps army helmet and spikes but anyway a lot of people definitely still liked it we tried to keep it dirty bloody and as desecrating as possible.

8 - You’ve released a few live albums and you have a load of live shows on YouTube... you obviously love playing live, and there is clearly a massive connection with the crowd. You have a heavy and commanding stage presence... Tell us about your first ever gig, and the best shows you’ve played around the world...

Wwhhooaa ahahaha... the first might be at 1 of our rehearsal places we didn’t charge people to get in just had a couple or a few parties in this warehouse where we practiced and drank beer by the flats and car loads. Best shows...NWN Victoria B.C. with the Dayglow Abortions). Black flames of Blasphemy fest in Helsinki Finland. Mexico City was a viscous and Victoria’s crowd. The very last show we played in Austria was pretty bloody and had countless great bands such as Mortuary Drape, Black Witchery and Bolzer. Another great show was with Nifelheim, Archgoat and Watain in Stockholm Sweden! With a few other great bands on the Bill. Countless more. 1 of our very first shows in a theater would have been with…Witches Hammer and O.O.C. 88 I think.

9 - You guys split up for a while (twice)... why? Did you stop everything? Writing/recording? Or were you just resting from the tours?

Pretty much just a rest waiting for more brute bands to hit the scene for us to charge forth with honor and victory.

10 - Since 2018 you’ve put out a killer rehearsal CD and some belting live shows from Brazil... well worthy of inclusion on another album... Is that on the cards? Will we see a 3rd full length in the future? (it’s what we all want haha) What are you plans for the future?

If it was up to me and the others yes, there would be a 3rd full-length... however I put down the bass a few years back and storms and other guitarist don’t seem to want to write anything for Blasphemy so...Deathlord formed...Deathworship, as a recording and I did a little bit of vocals on it. Also I put out Blasphamagoatachrist with bass player and vox from Goatpenis and nuke metal guitars from the ugly (Goatpenis) Trevor nuclear drums explions and Blood drippings from Trevor (Antichrist) Vancouver. Me vocals Blasphemy so you can see where we get the name Blasphamagoatachrist...for those who haven’t already heard of Goatpenis from South Brazil I highly recommend getting some or all of their 16 LPs and splits... unfortunately 51-year-old Evandro from GP and BGC passed away last year RIP... As you can see our ritualistic war names are at the bottom demo on nuclear war now is (black metal warfare) LP...Basterdising the purity.

11 - Tell us the best experience, and the worst experience you’ve had as a band over the years.

Best experiences playing in our favorite countries such Australia with Vomitor and other countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Finland, Poland and New Zealand, Tasmania Italy, London, Berlin, Belgium, Holland, a couple in the U.S. Only were not allowed in the country...oh yyeeaahh, Sweden was brutal and Norway, Austria was nice and bloody and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few like France that was a killer fest. Worst Experience? Putting down the bass or there would be a few more LPs out, as well as the long break we took.

12 -Which Blasphemy track is your own personal favourite and why? Who wrote it?

Hmm...hard question. Maybe Darkness Prevails written by Caller of the Storms. I like it for its pure raw fury it was always great to rehearse too. Lyrics written by me and Black Priest.

13 - Getting technical for the musicians that are reading... tell us about the instruments... What guitars and basses and drums do you use? What amps/ heads/rigs do you prefer for gigs? What instruments did you start with back in 84?

Guitars: B.C Rich mostly and Ibanez and Mozer. Bass: B.C Rich, Mocking Bird&Iron Bird, Gibson. Drums: Mostly Sonor. Back in 84...guitars B.C Rich&Ibanez. Bass B.C. Rich Mockingbird. Drums Slingerland Amps Marshall.

14 - Tell us about the scene in Canada when you started out... What bands were around? What bands supported you and played live with Blasphemy? Which bands are still around today?

Bands around today would be Witches Hammer and the last gig I saw...was Demonic Apparition they put out a split with Goatpenis a while ago. When the BM scene started we were the first Black Metal band we played with everything from punk and Death Metal, Speed Metal.

15 - What is the modern scene like in Vancouver today? How has it evolved over the years?

Well, since covid hit...it’s been shitty as fuck! Before that we were having gigs mostly out of town bands every couple of weeks at hmm usually the rickshaw...sometimes at the commodore...and yes, it’s evolved quite a bit since mid-80s now you can choose from hardcore punk to death metal or black metal. But now with covid there’s only been a few gigs on May 22 we have Exciter and Witches Hammer playing. Should be a great show. Last gigs we were playing in Italy we bumped into Jeff and the guys from Exciter playing 1 night before us in Rome at the same place we played the next night with Necromorbid. FFFFUUUCK. Those guys are great!!! Actually both bands are great!

16 - What bands do you listen to today? How have your own personal tastes changed over the years? Recommend some new bands for our readers.

I listen to fuckload of music... Necromorbid, Necrosounds Mausoleum, Beherit, Mystifer, Deathlord, Bathory, Hellhammer, Crude SS. Onslaught (Power from Hell), old Samael and Sarcofago mostly (inri) revenge. G.B.H. (City Baby Attacked by Rats), Watain and Possession, D666, Nifelheim, Archgoat, Goatpenis, Vomitory and Bestial, Warlust… ffffuuuck another great band from Queensland Australia why can’t I remember their name. FFFUUUCK!

17 - What’s your alltime favourite black metal album and why?

Hmmmm. Very hard question...maybe the very first Bathory because of the brute looking Goat on the cover and the maniac vocals on the first few LPs before he turned from Black Metal to Viking Metal. I don’t mind the Viking Metal but I didn’t run out and by them like in 84-85 with Bathory. Also Hellhammer Apocalyptic Raids and Sodom in the sign of evil where up there too. And of course Destruction “Sentence of Death”. I bought that cassette the same day as the first Bathory… first I seen Destruction “Sentence of Death” and looked at the cover and said wwhhooaa look at this nuke metal freaks. Then I was about to leave the store and out of the Corner of my eye I seen the Goathead of the first Bathory and I quickly grabbed it read the song titles and said sweet mother of fire. I better have enough for both cassettes and I did later I bought them on LP on put them on my wall.

18 - Do you have any advice for our younger readers who may have ambitions of following in your footsteps?

Yyyeeaah... keep it true, keep it real brothers of the true ideology of Black Metal.

19 - Would you like to add anything for our readers?

20 yes I’d like to thank you for the interview. I hope the answers weren’t too boring and for you Black Metal maniacs that haven’t listened to the bands I’ve mentioned do it quickly you’ll thank yourself.

A massive thanks to Nocturnal Grave Desecrator and Black Winds for his time, wise words and the diabolically divine sense of nostalgia he has left me with... Hail fucking Blasphemy!!! 666