The Hellpreacher, the third album from demented Southern death metal supergroup Birds of Prey through Relapse Records, is a concept album, as band frontman Ben Hogg discussed in his prior article on how it all came together, posted on this site. After getting the disc, listening through while reading along to the lyrics and even reviewing it the other day, I found I had a couple questions left over for the man himself, and since he’s a generally amenable sort, he was happy enough to oblige me with the conversation after the jump.

For anyone not caught up, Birds of Prey is comprised of Hogg (also of Beaten Back to Pure and Plague the Suffering), catalyst/guitarist Erik Larson (Parasytic, ex-Alabama Thunderpussy), guitarist Bo Leslie (Throttlerod), bassist Summer Welch (Baroness) and drummer Dave Witte (Municipal Waste, Burnt by the Sun, damn near everyone else). The Hellpreacher follows 2008′s Sulfer and Semen and centers around a character first introduced in the song “Lice Halo” from that album. For the rest of the story, we’ll turn it over to Mr. Hogg:

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On last year’s Sulfer and Semen they treated us to some “Brutal rape and constant drilling,” and now with The Hellpreacher, the deathly Southern metal supergroup Birds of Prey are — appropriately enough — taking to the underground. Marking the return of ubiquitous drummer Dave Witte (Burnt by the Sun, Municipal Waste, etc.), The Hellpreacher is the third Birds outing for Relapse, and unlike its two predecessors is a full-on narrative concept record.

Seems like a lot to chew for the band who offered up “Buttfucked with a Shotgun Barrel” on 2006′s debut Weight of the Wound, but with the triplet-heavy riffage of guitarists Erik Larson (Axehandle, Hail!Hornet, ex-Alabama Thunderpussy) and Bo Leslie (Throttlerod) and the gut-punting vocals and lyrical depravity of Ben Hogg (Beaten Back to Pure, Plague the Suffering), they pull it off and horrify and disgust in the process. As was likely intended.

The first person titular narrator of The Hellpreacher begins the album by discussing a childhood of rape and abuse, eventually leading to prison time, more rape and abuse, then a religious conversion that finds him cruelly leading a militaristic death cult underground, blinding all his followers, killing at will and ultimately destroying himself and everything he’s built. As rife with senseless violence and sadism as anything Birds of Prey has produced in the past, even the protagonist’s getting born again is tainted by memories of beatings and bloody underwear.

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A couple days ago, I sent Birds of Prey vocalist Ben Hogg (also of Beaten Back to Pure and the even more extreme Plague the Suffering) an email, asking him if he would kindly write up a feature on his experience making The Hellpreacher, the third BOP album, due out in April via Relapse. His response was a reassuring, “I’m down. Gimme a few days,” and I knew then the right choice had been made.

True to his word, a couple days later, Ben sent the following report on the origins of the band and the coming together of The Hellpreacher. After the jump, bear witness to the one and only Ben Hogg.

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It doesn’t answer the question of where the hell is my new Beaten Back to Pure record, but Relapse sent out the following report yesterday:

“Birds of Prey, the band featuring Erik Larson (Alabama Thunderpussy, Hail!Hornet), Bo Leslie (The Last Van Zant), Summer Welch (Baroness), Ben Hogg (Beaten Back to Pure) and Dave Witte (Municipal Waste) has completed work on its third full-length album. Entitled The Hellpreacher, the full concept effort that tells the story of an inmate-turned-priest is set for an April 28 North American release (May 4 internationally) via Relapse Records.

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