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the satanist

BEHEMOTH’s NERGAL: ‘The Satanist’ Is ‘More Human Than Any Other Record We’ve Made’

Manos Spanos
"The Satanist", the long-awaited new album from Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, will be released on February 3 in the U.K., February 4 in North America and Poland, February 5 in Japan, and February 7 in the rest of the world. BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski tells Decibel magazine about the writing process for the new CD: "When we started working on 'The Satanist''s first themes, we decided not to overthink or overanalyze things. "To me, it was clear that it's the first time in my musical career that I'm gonna play only the notes that naturally come out of my system. There's gonna be no single sound on the record that is not coherent with my inner self — with my needs, aspirations, expectations. "[2009's] 'Evangelion' was a monster of a record. I'm still very proud of it… but it's a reflection of what we were. We are way more conscious these days… and so is this record. "Maturity, sincerity, quality — 'The Satanist'." According to Nergal, BEHEMOTH's tenth album is their most fully realized to date and then some — in part thanks to his battle with leukemia in 2010 and early 2011. "I remember when l left hospital and started my recovery (which took a few months), I was saying to myself, as well to my doctors and friends, 'Cancer happens for a reason,' he said. "I was quite an aware individual before, but afterwards, I realized how much l suffered from old programming — automatic reactions that were part of my being, but wouldn't make my life any happier. "I worked on myself a lot, mentally, spiritually and physically. But I'm happy and very much thankful for this lesson of self-awareness I was given. "'The Satanist' is a fruit of this enhanced and expanded consciousness. It's more to the core, more carnal… more human than any other record we've made. "I'm super proud of myself and my bandmates. "But what I wanted to say in the first place is that l experienced this sickness so that I can come out stmnger than before. There was no other option for me in life. "I know there are a lot of people who, after a near-death experience, they kinda hide in the shadow of life praying for every next day. I am not afraid of life, as I am not afraid of death. I'm an integral part of the Universe that surrounds me. I embrace it and make one perfect entity with it." BEHEMOTH's video for the new single "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" can be seen below. This visual masterpiece was produced by Grupa 13 and is one of BEHEMOTH's most unsettling and unique works to date. "The Satanist" deluxe box, which is available in North America as an European import, includes: CD/DVD digibook in silver mirror slipcase with a high-quality 44-page booklet (with gold foil, UV gloss lamination), supersize poster flag (approx. 3.5' x 5'), wooden black inverted rosary cross, metal pin, black envelope with black communion wafers. The DVD, "Live Barbarossa", includes a professionally filmed show in Ekaterinburg, Russia, as well as 30-minute documentary about the creative process behind "The Satanist". "The Satanist" was produced by BEHEMOTH, Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawscy and Daniel Bergstrand at Hertz Studio. The CD was mixed by Matt Hyde (SLAYER) and mastered by Ted Jensen (METALLICA, AC/DC) at Sterling Sound in New York City. The cover art for "The Satanist" was painted by renowned Russian painter and occultist Denis Forkas. The paint used included some of Nergal's own blood. Additional art and design was completed by Metastazis (PARADISE LOST) and Zbigniew Bielak (WATAIN, GHOST). "The Satanist" track listing: 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!
04 min read

BEHEMOTH: First ‘The Satanist’ Trailer

Manos Spanos
The first of four videos on the making of "The Satanist", the long-awaited new album from Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, can be seen below. "The Satanist" will be released on February 3 in the U.K., February 4 in North America and Poland, February 5 in Japan, and February 7 in the rest of the world. Pre-order bundles, include: CD, LP, t-shirt, as well as the deluxe box set, and are available at metalblade.com/behemoth in North America, nuclearblast.de/behemoth in Europe, and on behemoth-store.com (digibook and box). BEHEMOTH's video for the new single "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" can be seen below. This visual masterpiece was produced by Grupa 13 and is one of BEHEMOTH's most unsettling and unique works to date. BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski states about the video: "Yes, we took all the time in the world to complete this project. And we did everything that was humanely possible to accurately express our vision. We crossed the Rubicon. "'Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel' is an ecstatic manifest of our unrestrained artistic will, where we dare to reach out beyond the limitations of the heavy metal genre. And it's only the beginning." "The Satanist" deluxe box, which is available in North America as an European import, includes: CD/DVD digibook in silver mirror slipcase with a high-quality 44-page booklet (with gold foil, UV gloss lamination), supersize poster flag (approx. 3.5' x 5'), wooden black inverted rosary cross, metal pin, black envelope with black communion wafers. The DVD, "Live Barbarossa", includes a professionally filmed show in Ekaterinburg, Russia, as well as 30-minute documentary about the creative process behind "The Satanist". "The Satanist" was produced by BEHEMOTH, Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawscy and Daniel Bergstrand at Hertz Studio. The CD was mixed by Matt Hyde (SLAYER) and mastered by Ted Jensen (METALLICA, AC/DC) at Sterling Sound in New York City. The cover art for "The Satanist" was painted by renowned Russian painter and occultist Denis Forkas. The paint used included some of Nergal's own blood. Additional art and design was completed by Metastazis (PARADISE LOST) and Zbigniew Bielak (WATAIN, GHOST). "I wanted to incorporate some of my DNA into the art," Nergal told Australia's Heavy magazine about having his blood included in "The Satanist" artwork. "This album seems to be so defining of who we are now as people and as individuals, and considering all the instances in recent years, [we wanted] to make it more 'ours' than it is usually." In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, Darski described BEHEMOTH's new songs as "very atmospheric" and "very emotional." "Think BURZUM meets NEW ORDER meets KILLING JOKE," he added. But at the same time, fans shouldn't expect the album to sound too far removed from BEHEMOTH's past efforts. "Take SLAYER, for example," Darski said. "Whatever genre they deal with, they still end up sounding like SLAYER. Even when they were flirting with nu-metal, it was a SLAYER record. Same with BEHEMOTH." According to Darski, at least some of the inspiration for the new BEHEMOTH album came from his five-month bout of leukemia he overcame in January 2011, after receiving a bone-marrow transplant. "When I was in the hospital, I was collecting experiences and emotions," he said. "I'm pretty sure that it's coming out now. There are moments I catch myself thinking about how my state was back then. It was me versus life, me versus death. It definitely changed my thoughts a lot. It's 100 percent being reflected in the record and songs I'm writing nowadays. I'm way more radical than I used to be." "The Satanist" track listing: 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!
04 min read

BEHEMOTH: ‘The Satanist’ Cover Painting To Include NERGAL’s Blood

Manos Spanos
Tennille Secomb of Australia's Heavy magazine recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski of Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. On the artwork for BEHEMOTH's new album, "The Satanist", which will contain Nergal's own blood blended into a painting by Russian symbolist painter Denis Forkas to give it "a more organic feel": Nergal: "I wanted to incorporate some of my DNA into the art. This album seems to be so defining of who we are now as people and as individuals, and considering all the instances in recent years, [we wanted] to make it more 'ours' than it is usually. "[The cover is] very arty; it's very artistic and it really has no heavy metal clichés in it. Expect something very special and spectacular, and deeper than all of the other products that are in the market." On producer Colin Richardson quitting "The Satanist" mixing process afer four weeks following creative differences and being replaced by Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED, CHILDREN OF BODOM): Nergal: "We just couldn't agree [with Colin] on certain concepts and visions of what the record should sound like. [Colin] did a great job actually — but Matt was always supposed to be the main mixing guy for the record. Within a week or two weeks with Matt, I had the whole record mixed and believe me, it's the best-sounding BEHEMOTH record for sure. It's very organic, it's very different — I love it." On being diagnosed with and overcoming leukaemia in 2010: Nergal: "I have always been ahead of others, so to speak. I'm very much into hard work and being motivated, and I'm more than ever like that. It's the conscience that life is just a temporary thing — it has taught me to appreciate life more than anything else, you know. I am a fucking life-worshipping motherfucker. "All of the so-called negatives that have happened in my life recently — I turn them into positives and
02 min read