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Behemoth: The satanist
14/02/14 || Ironpants
After gazillions of teasers, who revealed nothing really to be honest, the new Behemoth album is finally here. Do they deliver what you all have been waiting for? Travel with Ironpants and The Duff on a journey (a Double Penetration we could call it, really) and investigate the first really big release of 2014.
The Duff: There is a denouement throughout “The Satanist” which is where it triumphs over the stuttering “The Apostasy” and the by-numbers “Evangelion”. This is a very, very angry record, measuredly chaotic and dark, it is all the ingredients of Behemoth’s past outings, but with a greater sense of direction – thus the band shows it is not afraid of experimentation, but rather slots such meandering, unsettling passages to progress the album, not the song and thus appear utilized to greater effect. On “Evangelion”, nine tracks were disparate – here, they seem to channel together an ordeal, and even those parts of the record that do not sit well with me I cannot fault their placement in the greater scheme of what “The Satanist” embodies.
Ironpants: “The Satanist” – Just taste the word, so obvious and simple, and yet so tasteful. There’s no beating around the bush here. And why should they? I expected total darkness, brutal beatings and black atmosphere poured over me before even listening to this, no, better yet, I expected to be dragged down to hell and inseminated with dark matter. And when I heard “Blow your trumpets Gabriel” the first time I wasn’t that impressed. Actually, I remember thinking something like “OK, just another Behemoth song”. Based on that song, my expectations was pulled down to earth level, and maybe that’s why I am in a state of awe now?
The Duff: The death metal I think we can all agree has evaporated from Behemoth’s sound – I pick up on one death metal riff on the whole record if that, the rest is all fury and atmosphere, what sounds like spoken prayers or incantations in both English and Polish. It is a fresh take, evidently to develop the narrative, but for me I’m left underwhelmed yet unsurprised; the band needed this evolution into darker, more personal domains as they were in danger of becoming stagnant. The rest is Dissection, Bathory, Darkthrone and the flirts with Deathspell Omega as witnessed on tracks “Ov Fire and the Void” and “Alas, Lord is Upon Me” from “Evangelion”.
Ironpants: Indeed, the songs on this album is quite different by Behemoth standard. The second teaser song “Ora pro nobis Lucifer” revealed another direction that is more true to what is on the album. Some songs are almost even melodic, like “O father o Satan o sun” and the title track “The Satanist”, and other songs like “In the absence ov light” sends dangerous vibes about what is going on here.
The Duff: Nergal sounds pissed off, as other reviewers have stated there is a control to his voice on this record that is haunting, despairing as well as rousing. I shan’t speculate on what he has gone through the past years, but the energy he has brought to “The Satanist” has not been heard since the exceptional “Demigod” record – these roars and almost lamentations come deep from the bowels. Also of note are the solos – Nergal has always been a very chaotic player, outstanding but nondescript; here we finally see him slowing it way down, bluesing it up and the results are beautiful when contrasted against the black metal; this is the soul we knew the man always to be writing from, the dedication and passion.
Ironpants: Yeah, couldn’t agree more here, the vocals are still very bombastic and conquering but also with more feeling. I’ve always liked Nergals attitude when he sings, and you feel almost insignificant when he roars out his creed. This time around he is even more convincing, and it’s almost scary to listen in headphones, he fills the room with his presence. I have the same thoughts about the solos, some of them strikes me with a “heavy metal vibe” never heard before, for example the solo in “Messe noir” sounds almost misplaced in the black fury going on around it, but that actually makes it perfect. Top notch!
The Duff: Finally, on the past two records Inferno to me sounded like a drummer for hire; here we get more for a sense of the man’s style, again as witnessed on “Demigod” – he truly completes some of the songs, he shines appropriately I think while holding back to the guitars elsewhere. Mixed with the artwork which is sublime, the packaging which is not short of expense this is a very tight album, the best since their career highpoint for me being “Demigod” where they became a focused medium of energy, greater than the sum of its parts; here we do not find a metal band playing riffs, but thankfully the rage, power, the self-affirmation of Nergal’s earlier days, and thus as he has said none more appropriate a title for a record supposedly symbolic of standing one against all, in peace and in control (or something to that effect – I am not a Satanist myself but a wanker so I cannot say for definite).
Ironpants: Inferno has definitely stepped up a notch (if that’s possible?) and I must say that the drum sound is really great, just listen to the toms in the beginning of the title track. Also Orion is worth a mention here, his driving bass-work is allowed to shine through in the production, and such manners is always welcome in my book. The album is transformed from their original, more tight and sterile framework to a more open minded and organic mindset. The songs are more diverse and natural, this is really a behemoth and I was surprised by how great it is, the album is like a big outlet of emotions, which I guess Nergal just had to get out of his system? This album will grow on you and possess you more and more for every listen, and it is the first release in 2014 that actually made me give a fuck.
The Duff:
Ironpants:
- Information
- Released: 2014
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: www.behemoth.pl
- Band
- Nergal: vocals, guitars
- Seth: guitars, backing vocals
- Orion: bass, backing vocals
- Inferno: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Blow your trumpets Gabriel
- 02. Furor divinus
- 03. Messe noire
- 04. Ora pro nobis Lucifer
- 05. Amen
- 06. The Satanist
- 07. Ben Sahar
- 08. In the absence ov light
- 09. O father o Satan o sun!
