UMUR "Thelema.6" is the 5th full-length studio album by Polish death metal act Behemoth. The album was released through Avantgarde Music in November 2000. It´s the successor to "Satanica" from 1999. There´s been one lineup change since "Satanica (1999)" as guitarist Leszek "L-Kaos" Dziegielewski had a rather short tenure with the band. He is replaced here by Havoc. The bass on the album is handled by session musician Novy. Drummer Zbigniew Robert "Inferno" Promiński and lead vocalist/guitarist Adam "Nergal" Darski complete the lineup.

"Thelema.6" is a continuation of the blackened death metal sound on "Satanica (1999)", but with an increased focus on the death metal part of the band´s music. Nergal´s intelligible growling vocals are high in the mix and they are quite brutal and effectively convey the anti-christian/occult themed lyrics. Much of the album is played at a high pace, featuring high speed tremolo picking and blast beat drumming, but Behemoth do lower the pace on occasion and play heavy mid-paced sections too.

"Thelema.6" is relatively well produced although the drums feature a clicky artificial sound, which could easily have been replaced by a more organic drum sound, and the album would have greatly prospered from the that choice. The high in the mix growling vocals are probably also an aquired taste, but personally I appreciate their dominant place in the mix.

Upon conclusion "Thelema.6" is a quality death metal album by Behemoth, which further strengthened their position as one of the leading Polish acts on the scene. I can´t help feel that some of the tracks flow together and lack a bit of identity though. It´s like the same features are repeated again and again on every track, and there aren´t many tracks off "Thelema.6", which truly stand out after listening to the album. It´s not a major issue because each track individually are as strong as they are, but more variation in the songwriting could have made the album even more interesting. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is still more than deserved though.

Warthur With Thelema.6 Behemoth consolidate their blackened death metal sounds and make further significant technical advances in the evolution of their style. This time around, I'm actually pretty taken with Novy's bass guitar playing, where on some tracks he achieves a particularly unusual and distinctive bass sound which gives this strange, alien air to the compositions. That said, more or less the whole band are on decent form this time around, and the album is another fine blackened death metal piece.

The influence of Deicide and Morbid Angel is still evident, and with two strong death metal albums in a row Thelema.6 marks the point where Behemoth seems to have fully committed to their new death metal direction, largely breaking from their black metal past. At the same time, it does feel a little like Satanica Part 2, and risks veering into generic death metal-by-numbers at points.

arcane-beautiful With Behemoth, they have so many dimensions and moods that you would have to compare and contrast their movement through time. With this album, their was a slight more progression into death metal territory, as they were slowly descending out of the earlier black metal era.

This album is quite different, with a lot more paced rhythms, giving the songs a more Behemoth and double bass pedal feel, instead of a constant flurry of blastbeats (which I don’t mind, to be honest). This wouldn’t be my favourite Behemoth album, but to be honest, these guys never really seem to disappoint me, there are some strong and weak moments, but that’s expected.

The album also deals with issues such as Thelamatic issues, Crowley related stuff and some interesting philosophies (again dealing with non theistic Satanism, and the odd attacks on Christianity).

1. Antichristian Phenomenon – Great quote at the start. Amazing intro and fierce riffs. 10/10

2. The Act Of Rebellion – Very angry and very powerful. Some nice black metal elements. 10/10

3. Inflamed With Rage – Amazing vocals. Some great lyrics and impressive instrumental work. 9/10

4. ΠΑΝ ΣΑΤΥΡΟΣ – Love the build up throughout. Interesting lyrics. 10/10

5. Natural Born Philosopher – Interesting arrangement. Very Death influenced (it’s kind of given away in the title). 9/10

6. Christians To The Lions – A very frantic and quick song. Love the main riff. 9/10

7. Inauguration Of Scorpio Dome – Love the chorus. Great technical instrumental sections. 10/10

8. In The Garden Of Dispersion – Quite frantic and a wee bit random. 7/10

9. The Universe Illuminations (Say “Hello” To My Demons) – Some pretty cool rhythmic patterns. Interesting lyrics. 9/10

10. Vinvm Sabbati – Very Gojira. Nice arrangement. 9/10

11. 23 (The Youth Manifesto) – Odd arrangement. Good dramatic ending, and I like the personal nature of the lyrics. 9/10

CONCLUSION: They never fail to amaze me. This is one of their more forgotten works, and it’s a shame, because it is a great album.