Cerberus. Interview with Beleth

Interview by Andrew Stanton

Cerberus is a really cool one-man Black Metal project from Germany. Andrew Stanton talked to the man himself, Beleth about his new album.Hello and welcome to Inside the Darkness.

“Hi. Am Beleth from Cerberus. Let's start the interview.”

- Can you tell our readers a bit about your history, please?

“I started with the band Cerberus in the winter of 1998. In 2001 we signed a contract with Schwarzdorn Production and released the first songs. In 2003 Cerberus released the first album "Chapters of blackness". Our second album "Klagelieder - Grabesgesang" was released 2006. We played a lot of concerts with bands like Sarkom, Koldbran, Shining, Bethlehem, Secrets of the moon, Tankard and a lot more bands. I cut with the old band members and started to make my music alone.”

- What bands did you like growing up?

“Satyricon, old Dimmu Borgir, old Behemoth, Gorgoroth, Emperor and bands like that. There were a lot of great bands.”

- What are your lyrics about?

“About Demons, Hell and thinks like that. In my lyrics, I create an intermediate world of reality and fantasy.”

- Why does Black Metal have so many solo artists?

“I've been talking about this question with some of the scene for quite some time. If we take a closer look, the Black Metal scene consists entirely of people who want to differentiate themselves from the broad norm. Why are they doing this? It is a behavior that is typical of depression. And people who suffer from depression like to isolate themselves from others. I think that's how so many solo projects come about.”

- How do you think modern Black Metal compares to early Emperor or Darkthrone?

“Modern Black Metal? What is that? I think Black Metal is Black Metal. Black Metal is diverse. In the first line are the emotions you have when composing. Therefore, I do not want to categorize the style.”

- What can fans expect from your new album?

“Black Fucking Metal. That's all. Especially in the Black Metal scene you should not meet any expectations in their place and also not the expectations of others.It is about the realization of one's own interests and needs. Not those of the others.”

- Are you planning a tour anywhere?

“I am a solo musician so I think no.”

- Can Black Metal really survive without the help of mainstream media?

“Black Metal has never needed the mainstream and won't. It's music. No business. I know that some bands have made a business out of it. That's fine, too. They depend on the mainstream and cannot survive without the mainstream. But Black Metal as such is absolutely independent of it.”

- Do you have a message for our readers?

“My only thoughts on this are that you should keep an eye on the underground scene. It is the bands that will determine our future of the Black Metal scene. These need a little support. Many prefer to listen only to the old stuff or the old bands because they are so used to it and lose focus on the music as such. If only the big bands get support, the small bands will die and Black Metal, too.”

Thank you for your time.

“Thank you for your questions and support!”