Behemoth

Behemoth‘s ascent is a story that can be told in many ways and from many perspectives. When one writes about a band that has written and rewritten the book on extreme metal for over 30 years that much is inevitable. However, it would be difficult to really capture the story’s essence without focusing on the ambition and power which drive the band. While both power and ambition, as terms, can be tied in some way and some meaning to every story – their interpretation here is exact and carefully chosen. Ambition is the charioteer, navigating ever forwards to new horizons and visions and power are the horses, without whose prowess those horizons would be but a distant dream.

The new opus, The Shit Ov God is emblematic of that. Here’s a band that, 34 years in, is releasing its most inflammatory and extreme record to date. 8 songs that go into the fathoms of humanity, divinity and what defiance means in an age where individuality is prized but everyone is clinging to their saviors.  Musically, politically, or otherwise. The title of the album is in line with those sensibilities. Intentionally polarizing, founder and frontman Nergal, says of the title ” We chose this provocative title deliberately, rejecting subtlety in favor of a direct and polarizing statement. It’s a defiant plunge into the depths, daring to seek the absolute even in the gutter.”

Artistically, bringing such a striking sonic vision to life is no small feat. Aside from the band in se, Behemoth meticulously chose the audiovisual artists involved on the album. Production on the album was helmed by the inimitable Jens Bogren of Fascination Street Studios (Emperor, Enslaved, Kreator, Rotting Christ et al.) Working closely with the band, Bogren’s deft hand underscored the band’s natural sound while sacrificing none of the mayhem and ferocity which permeates the band’s essence. As is always the case with Behemoth, the visuals were as carefully constructed as the sound. The band tapped long-time collaborator and partner in crime Bartek Rogalewicz (BLACK.LODGE.IS.NOW) as well as Dark Sigil Workshop to make the beautifully ominous and unique cover-art.

This commitment to innovation has long been solidified into the band’s DNA. Each album has its own personality, its own way of building upon and disconnecting from the rest of the band’s work. It leads to a discography where no two albums are interchangeable. From the very early days of Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) and all the way to The Shit Ov God, Behemoth never repeats itself while remaining prolific and true to itself.  This does not happen by accident and is not merely a game of luck. It is an ambitious artistic discipline where, love it or hate it, things must and will evolve. Of this evolution and dodging the drudgery which afflicts so many bands, Nergal remarked – “it’s not about skill, it’s about soul. It’s about making a statement (sic) by who you are… it’s thinking “how can I expand those death metal/black metal spectrums?” And if we can’t go any further or faster – we’ll go sideways. That’s what Behemoth has done for the last few records.”

This mentality often brought the band into conflict with all kinds of agents of orthodoxy and mediocrity. Whether it’s the Catholic Church in Poland, which was nonplussed about the band’s vibrant “love” of their dogma or different black metal circles that weren’t happy the band developed its own personality, acrimony was certainly all around. But as Nergal is quoted as saying “play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”  So far, the winner of these disputes is clear. Catholic institutions have tried time and again to silence the band through the courts and the pile of cases that have gone the band’s way is only getting taller. As for the underground circles, Behemoth has spearheaded the international popularity of Polish extreme metal. The band enters this new age on the back of the award winning and enduringly impactful Opvs Contra Natvram, which saw them headline shows from as far west as California to as far east as Tokyo and Sydney. Playing prestigious festivals such as Hellfest and Wacken and even more prestigious occasions such as being the first extreme metal band to shake the Paris Philharmonic. Meanwhile most of their opposition have…uh, written angry Facebook posts and turned tail.

If that sounds confrontational, well, it is. Power and ambition attract derision. But that derision, that dialogue, is fundamental to the power dynamics of the band and its audience. It’s part of why The Shit Ov God can be so honest and eye level about its subject matter while not shying away from loftier topics. Tracks like ‘To Drown the Svn in Wine’, dealing with grief and death, can stand shoulder to shoulder with bellicose and vitriolic attacks like ‘Sowing Salt’ precisely because of this multifaceted relationship. The band is not, nor was ever, one single-minded approach. The die is cast – and now the metal world holds its breath.