Behemoth
The Satanist

[colored_box color=”grey”]Rating: 9
Label: Nuclear Blast records
Website: Link
Author: John Savvidis[/colored_box]

We were first given samples of their new album with the new video and opening track of the record “Blow Your Trumpet Gabriel“. Trademark epic track for Behemoth, in the vein of “Ov Fire And The Void” and “At The Left Hand Ov God”. As for the video, it’s the Behemoth video you’d expect: exceptionally provocative with the sinister atmosphere all over the place, creating the image of a dark ritual. We also witness something else: the increased use of Black metal themes in the songs. Behemoth have always used these disarmonic chords on every record but here it’s clearly more intense as a part of the overall atmosphere. “Furor Divinus” shows some Mayhem influence being a fast paced track blasting and thrashing through our ears (a concert favorite no doubt about it). Coming up next we have “Messe Noire” with its more atmospheric parts towards the end even though it starts with some blastbeats.

“Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer” brings more mid-tempo headbanging groove into the album including some great soloing. This track was the second track officially released from the album. “Amen” is another 100% trademark fast Behemoth track, reeking of opened heads in mosh pits and blood upon christian crosses including a great groovy part in the middle. The title track comes to bring down the tempo, as a more atmospheric and heavy track with disarmonic chords reminding me of the slower tracks of Marduk (Imago Mortis for instance): eating away your soul with melancholy and misanthropy for 5,5 minutes. The tempo remains at that point with “Ben Sahar” being a bit less melancholic and rather majestic in its own way mesmerizing the listener.

Time to come back to the blasting with “In The Absence Of Light” one more fast track including a kick ass headbanging chorus and an acoustic break with some narration in Polish only to come back at your face showing you how blackened death metal is done ending with a majestic way! The closing track “O Father O Satan O Sun!” seems like the equivelant of “Lucifer” off “Evangelion: slow, rotten and sinister as the depths of Hell with some hellish soloing (even rocking for the Behemoth standards)! What we have here is a different record for Behemoth, yet to the high standards they got us used to! No other words needed for this one, buy it, download it, anyway LISTEN TO IT. HAIL BEHEMOTH!