Behemoth

[satan 59]

http://m.metalhammer.co.uk/news/polish- ... e-on-stage http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/oc ... ring-stunt

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Behemoth Can't say that I'm surprised, the Polish were the ones to come down hard on Gorgoroth for the whole nude crucifixion thing too.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Re: Behemoth limitations on freedom of speech and expression, doesn't that violate several United Nations treaties? if he'd done the same thing in Australia he would also be in this positionas much like Poland we do not hve any constitutional protection of fundamental human rights, nor any legislation to prevent the blatant disregard of these rights

[Amebix]

What's your opinion on this album?

I've really been enjoying it, but opinions seem split. On its fastest, thrashiest tracks it's really good and empowering, in an almost Motörhead-like way. The vocals are fantastic and heavy, and parts of the album are absolutely pummeling. The backstory with Nergal's struggle with cancer is also really interesting.

That said, it does feel somewhat light weight and bright, especially for a blackened death metal album. It lacks the dark atmosphere of black metal, and again it's a little light, at least in tone, for death metal. There are also a couple bluesy hard rock solos that feel sort of goofy in the mix.

 

[fjm]

3 minutes ago, Amebix said:

What's your opinion on this album?

I've really been enjoying it, but opinions seem split. On its fastest, thrashiest tracks it's really good and empowering, in an almost Motörhead-like way. The vocals are fantastic and heavy. The backstory with Nergal's struggle with cancer is also really interesting.

That said, it does feel somewhat light weight and bright, especially for a blackened death metal album. It lacks the dark atmosphere of black metal, and again it's pretty light for death metal. There are also a couple bluesy hard rock solos that feel sort of goofy in the mix.

 

I think overall it is a good album and I am not dissapointed. After Behemoth's tour this year they are recording another album. Personally I prefer albums like Evangelicon, Los Zios Kultas and The Apostacy. I think Nergal's voice changed for the worse after his cancer. You notice this as when live he often breaks his screams/growls by shouting.

[Natassja]

never got into Behemoth.

[ChainsawAkimbo]

Just an amazing album, there is just something that got its hooks on me right away from the first listen, and the attraction haven´t gone away. Messe noire is not just my favourite track on the album, but one of my favourite tracks of all time. Definitely bit of an "odd" album, but that just makes it special to me.

[BlutAusNerd]

never got into Behemoth.

 

Not even their old black metal albums? I would have thought that this would be right up your alley.

 

 

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[Natassja]

I know...they kinda passed me by..I know everyone digs them so maybe try again.

[MacabreEternal]

16 hours ago, GrayscaleDawn said:

Just an amazing album, there is just something that got its hooks on me right away from the first listen, and the attraction haven´t gone away. Messe noire is not just my favourite track on the album, but one of my favourite tracks of all time. Definitely bit of an "odd" album, but that just makes it special to me.

This basically.  I revisit it regularly and can play most of it in my head such is its level of memorability.  I only owned "From The Pagan Vastlands" prior to this record from a Behemoth point of view.  2 very different releases indeed.  "O Father, O Satan, O Sun" is one of my favourite tracks ever.

[Skull_Kollektor]

I tried out some tracks of it. I did not enjoy them. It felt like Hollywood black metal. When I want Hollywood, I get me some hair metal. When I want black metal I get me some first wave stuff... or stuff like the track posted above.

Polished polish black metal (sorry for the pathetic pun) ain't my thang.

[FatherAlabaster]

Never been a huge Behemoth fan, and until I saw this thread I hadn't thought to put the album on in about a year, but I do enjoy it. It doesn't feel like a black metal album to me - more like blackened DM with symphonic elements. I agree that the solos stick out like a sore thumb. I don't think the production is "light", but it is bright and modern-sounding, and with the predictable nature of some of the parts and transitions, and the hooky songwriting, it can make the whole package come off as a bit shallow. I think that's unfortunate, because there's some cool stuff going on there, and (somewhat ironically) it's easy to miss that behind the slick production and bombastic vocal delivery.

[Requiem]

Maybe I should get around to hearing this album, but I find it hard to get excited by Behemoth. I own maybe three or four of their albums and I only really like a couple of songs on each. 'Demigod' is an ok album. I hardly ever spin them though.

Amazing live band when I saw them maybe ten years ago. 

[BlutAusNerd]

I tried out some tracks of it. I did not enjoy them. It felt like Hollywood black metal. When I want Hollywood, I get me some hair metal. When I want black metal I get me some first wave stuff... or stuff like the track posted above.

Polished polish black metal (sorry for the pathetic pun) ain't my thang.

 

They have some pretty first wave material on their early albums, the newer ones don't have much to do with black metal. This song is their ode to Venom and Bathory, I'd bet you'll dig it.

 

 

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[Skull_Kollektor]

Thanks! I did not know this song and I am fucking loving it indeed!

It's like the speed metal tracks sung by Nocturno Culto in the Darkthrone albums from FOAD onwards! Might be even better!

I wish Behemoth had stayed true to this... Of course, they can play whatever they want and that Nergal dude has turned into a celebrity, so money and fame wise he cannot be blamed... but wait a second? Money? Fame? We are talking black metal, screw that!

[Amebix]

6 hours ago, Skull_Kollektor said:

I wish Behemoth had stayed true to this... Of course, they can play whatever they want and that Nergal dude has turned into a celebrity, so money and fame wise he cannot be blamed... but wait a second? Money? Fame? We are talking black metal, screw that!

I also feel strange about Nergal's celebrity, but in a way it makes sense. Metal is one of the most international genres, and Anglophone countries like the US and UK don't have the near monopoly on the metal market like they do in, say, alternative rock (there are of course lots of exceptions, but speaking for the majority). Polish pop music doesn't seem to have any international reach. Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if Behemoth is Poland's most internationally successful music act, or at least one of them. So because of black metal's international appeal, Nergal was elevated to possibly Poland's biggest rock star. It's a little weird, I know, but I could see the same thing happening to Rotting Christ in Greece. I'm sure if it weren't for Nergal, I never would've heard of Voice of Poland. 

That said, I've watched clips of Nergal cleaned up like an American idol judge, guitar soloing next to pop singers, and the whole thing makes me cringe really hard. His appearance on such an awful show and his tabloid relationship with a pop star add some strange background when listening to an album with drums that sound straight out of 80s pop rock.

Honestly, I really like this album. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. But as I listen to it more, the criticisms of it become clearer and clearer, like the ones pointed out in this thread (i.e. the slick production). The "Hollywood black metal" comparison is an interesting one.

I guess this all raises one question I doubt anyone previously saw coming: what does going mainstream mean for blackened death metal?

[Requiem]

On 13/03/2017 at 1:37 AM, Amebix said:

I also feel strange about Nergal's celebrity, but in a way it makes sense. Metal is one of the most international genres, and Anglophone countries like the US and UK don't have the near monopoly on the metal market like they do in, say, alternative rock (there are of course lots of exceptions, but speaking for the majority). Polish pop music doesn't seem to have any international reach. Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if Behemoth is Poland's most internationally successful music act, or at least one of them. So because of black metal's international appeal, Nergal was elevated to possibly Poland's biggest rock star. It's a little weird, I know, but I could see the same thing happening to Rotting Christ in Greece. I'm sure if it weren't for Nergal, I never would've heard of Voice of Poland. 

That said, I've watched clips of Nergal cleaned up like an American idol judge, guitar soloing next to pop singers, and the whole thing makes me cringe really hard. His appearance on such an awful show and his tabloid relationship with a pop star add some strange background when listening to an album with drums that sound straight out of 80s pop rock.

Honestly, I really like this album. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. But as I listen to it more, the criticisms of it become clearer and clearer, like the ones pointed out in this thread (i.e. the slick production). The "Hollywood black metal" comparison is an interesting one.

I guess this all raises one question I doubt anyone previously saw coming: what does going mainstream mean for blackened death metal?

Firstly, nice use of 'anglophone'.

Secondly, I just see Behemoth joining the more mainstream bands like Dimmu and Cradle. Remember when Dani Filth was on Never Mind the Buzzcocks? There's a certain novelty for sure but it never really leads anywhere. 

 

[Amebix]

3 hours ago, Requiem said:

I just see Behemoth joining the more mainstream bands like Dimmu and Cradle. Remember when Dani Filth was on Never Mind the Buzzcocks? There's a certain novelty for sure but it never really leads anywhere. 

 

I think the thing that might make this less comfortable, though, is that the symphonic black metal of those bands is such a different animal from the underground black metal sound. Of course, even among the tougher black metal bands, Behemoth is far from the first to use clean, slick production, Rotting Christ again coming to mind as a good example.

[Requiem]

On 17/03/2017 at 11:16 PM, Amebix said:

I think the thing that might make this less comfortable, though, is that the symphonic black metal of those bands is such a different animal from the underground black metal sound. Of course, even among the tougher black metal bands, Behemoth is far from the first to use clean, slick production, Rotting Christ again coming to mind as a good example.

Despite the first few albums, I have a hard time even considering Behemoth as black metal. Even the awesome 'Satanica' back in 1999 wasn't really black metal. I guess they are blackened death metal, but I'm not sure if I'm even keeping their albums in the black metal section of my CD collection. 

For the record I own: 'Satanica', 'Demigod', 'The Apostacy', 'At the Arean of Aion - Live', and 'Evangelion'. I guess I got them at their death metal end. I have the first albums on a hard drive somewhere but I'm not counting that as ownership. Some tracks like 'Ov Fire and the Void' are amazing though. I need to drag a few of these CDs out and put them in my car for the weekly commute to relive them a little bit. I usually get a bit bored with them after three or four songs though. 

[BlutAusNerd]

On 17/03/2017 at 11:16 PM, Amebix said: I think the thing that might make this less comfortable, though, is that the symphonic black metal of those bands is such a different animal from the underground black metal sound. Of course, even among the tougher black metal bands, Behemoth is far from the first to use clean, slick production, Rotting Christ again coming to mind as a good example.

Despite the first few albums, I have a hard time even considering Behemoth as black metal. Even the awesome 'Satanica' back in 1999 wasn't really black metal. I guess they are blackened death metal, but I'm not sure if I'm even keeping their albums in the black metal section of my CD collection. 

For the record I own: 'Satanica', 'Demigod', 'The Apostacy', 'At the Arean of Aion - Live', and 'Evangelion'. I guess I got them at their death metal end. I have the first albums on a hard drive somewhere but I'm not counting that as ownership. Some tracks like 'Ov Fire and the Void' are amazing though. I need to drag a few of these CDs out and put them in my car for the weekly commute to relive them a little bit. I usually get a bit bored with them after three or four songs though. 

 

Yeah, you definitely have the death metal side of their discography, but they were black metal for the first few years of their existence.

 

 

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[Amebix]

Just to follow up, despite all my BS criticisms about the overly glossy production, I've been listening to this album constantly lately. Those solos still make me feel a little funny, but I love this record.