In fact, Demigod, as brutally relentless as it is, is actually one of the most pleasant black metal albums you’ll ever hear. However, underneath the cacophony lurk plenty of sly guitar harmonies that snake in and around the songs, and riffs that sound more indebted to late 1980s underground acts like Death and Kreator. Sure, many of the characteristics of black metal are present: the rapid-fire rat-tat-tats of drummer Inferno, the guttural spewage of vocalist/guitarist Nergal (which, quite frankly, is more impressive than your usual extreme metal vocals), some great song titles such as “Mysterium Coniunctionis (Hermanubis)”, and band members named Inferno and Nergal.
Now, with the release of their seventh album, Demigod, Behemoth not only stake their claim as the finest metal outfit in Eastern Europe, but they now stand as one of the best bands in the genre today, period.Īs opposed to the highly theatrical, symphonic, over-the-top satanic antics of the two most popular purveyors of black metal in the world, Norway’s Dimmu Borgir and England’s Cradle of Filth, Behemoth simplify things, downplaying the ostentatiousness of it all, and focus on nothing more than crisply produced, immaculately executed, and surprisingly accessible aggressive music. Plying their trade since 1991, the black metal trio turned heads with their 2001 album Thelema ’s Zos Kia Kultus (Here and Beyond), the increased attention in the metal community due in part to the band’s signing to Olympic Records, allowing North and South American audiences to find out for themselves just what the big deal was. Vader have long been regarded as the finest metal band to come out of the healthy Polish heavy metal scene, but over the past few years, Behemoth have amassed a catalogue that’s become every bit as impressive.
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