Behemoth - Evangelion

Poland’s Behemoth has traveled far since their origin as an atmospheric black metal band, releasing a steady succession of brutal occult-themed death metal albums in the first decade of the twenty-first century. The latest of these, Evangelion, is anti-Christian as it intends to represent the resurrection and reclamation of the self rather than of the figurehead of self-serving preachers concealing hypocrisy behind empty rhetoric and professed righteousness. It’s a sonic depiction of man becoming his own lord and master while distancing himself as far from organized religion as possible. The process is set to soul-tearing, light crushing death metal that effortlessly builds on and surpasses all their releases of the past decade. I suspect Behemoth are slowly but steadily heading toward a pantheon of extreme music unheard of in the 90s. The band can not even be considered just death or black metal anymore, and considering them a fusion of both would be grossly understating their potential for the future. Behemoth goes as long a way toward redefining metal on Evangelion as on Zos Kia Kvltvs, Demigod and The Apostasy, bringing as many fresh elements into it as Nile and Akercocke have done in the last handful of years, and the intensity seems to increase with each album. What’s more, from reading frontman Nergal’s thoughts on the album you have to read deeply into the lyrics in order to experience the man-becomes-god process they personify on this album. All fluff aside, if this is any indication of where Behemoth are going, they are moving on to bigger and better things.

1. Daimonos
2. Shemaforash
3. Ov Fire And The Void
4. Transmigrating Beyond Realms Ov Amenti
5. He Who Breeds Pestilence
6. The Seed Ov I
7. Alas, Lord Is Upon Me
8. Defiling Morality Ov Black God
9. Lucifer
Metal Blade Records
Reviewer: twansibon
Jul 24, 2009
Next review: Gwar - Lust In Space

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