Kev Rowland
Behemoth have been punishing the ears of the masses for more than 30 years, with the trio of Nergal (vocals, guitars), Inferno (drum, percussion, orchestrations samples) and Orion (bass, vocals, keyboards, samples) coming together in time for 2004’s ‘Demigod’ and have not looked back since. Over the last decade there have been quite a few live releases, and this is only their third full-length studio album in more than a decade, but what they have lacked in quantity they have more than made up for in quality. In some ways they have become more mainstream, but perhaps that is because the rest of the world is catching up with them, and there is no doubt there are elements of Dimmu Borgir here and there in their more symphonic black metal moments, while to my ears there is no doubt this is a powerful continuation on from 2022’s ‘Opvs Contra Natvram’. Some reviewers were not huge fans of that one, but I felt it was one of their finest albums for years, and here we find again a band who are continuing to move and not stand still while continuing to do their best to pummel us into the future.
It is polished and controlled, and credit must be given to Jens Bogren for the work he has undertaken on the final mix as it loses none of its power but there is real clarity and distinction in the layers. Is this my favourite Behemoth album yet? Hard to say, and difficult to assess when a band has been around as long as this one and have released so many important albums, but what I can say is that here we have a group of guys who are showing no sign at all of slowing down, and are still as hungry as when they released their debut 30 years ago. Some may despair of the rawness of the days of yore, but people grow and change and there is no doubt here is a black metal album delivered by a band who still really mean it.
