As a first time listener of Behemoth, I did not know what to expect from their 10th album "The Satanist." To be honest, from samples I'd heard of their music, I wasn't initially drawn to it. I favor a more symphonic approach to the genre like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth. Nevertheless, I decided to give their new album a listen. Furthermore, I was excited to see them on the bill for the 2013 Mayhem Festival because it's rare that we get quality black metal bands playing in the US. Since Behemoth had a reputation, I was rather disappointed to find out that they had to cancel their appearance because Inferno, their drummer, was having surgery. Nonetheless, this evidently gave them ample opportunity to reform and create what is now known as "The Satanist." With a title like that, the black metal fan in me was just giddy with the thoughts of how much controversy the album's title would stir up in the religious community. To say the least, I was blown away.
Track-By-Track review
1. Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel
Behemoth's massive 10th release starts off with a massive punch to the gut. As an eerie atmospheric wind draws you in, Seth's rhythm guitar kicks in before Inferno's hauntingly powerful drum beats begin pounding your eardrums to hell. With an opening line that's sure to draw controversy upon the albums release, "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" was initially released in early December. But after hearing the entire album, one will then realize how the track is the perfect opener. It is a great stand-alone track, but added to the rest of the album, it is a brilliant start that sets the tone to come. Although this is a slower song compared to some of Behemoth's other tracks, it nonetheless hits you in the face halfway through with strong double bass work, demonic vocals, speedy guitar work, and chilling sample elements. For somebody who had never listened to the band before, this works as the ideal opening song to an album, but it also gives you a taste of the wide variety present within Behemoth's music. 5/5
2. Furor Divinus
The standout of this track is the bewildering drum skills of Inferno. Featuring everything to and from blast beats, "Furor Divinus" is one of the fastest tracks on "The Satanist." This also seems to be the most "progressive" sounding song on the album, and by this I don't mean progressing the sound of Behemoth; I mean the genre of metal. There is a level of rhythmic complexity, as well as technicality that is not present in many current black metal bands. Although this is not as melodically pleasing as future tracks, "Furor Divinus" will rattle your bones. 4/5
3. Messe Noire
A slower song compared to that of its predecessor, "Messe Noire" highlights the skills of Nergal as a lead guitarist. This seems to be the most straightforward, typical black metal song on the album, but because of its slower pace, it presents the listener with an offbeat and dramatic vibe that some of the faster songs do not have. It also features a rather spectacular solo at the end by frontman Nergal that elevates the song from the brutish sound of traditional black metal. 3.5/5
4. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer
The best songs always seem to be the hardest to talk about. It's hard to believe that a truly melodic-styled black metal song can be written; but when it is, it's simply stunning. With "Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer," Behemoth has created one of the most stylish, seductive, and sophisticated black metal songs ever. It starts with a hypnotic guitar line which is followed by the sheer chaos of every instrument in the four-pieced bands arsenal. For any dedicated listeners of black metal bands (Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Gorgoroth), Behemoth's song has a quality of beating down traditional soundscapes with this tune. Featuring spit fire vocals, chilling lyrics in both Latin and English, spooky, atmospheric sampling, punk influences, and exceptional bass work by Orion, this song really does have everything a listener could ask for. 5/5
5. Amen
Single handedly the fastest track on "The Satanist," "Amen" features Behemoth at full force featuring brilliant instrumental work from each band member. Once again, the highlight of the song is the insane drum work from Inferno. With what is reminiscent of extreme technical death metal techniques (rivaling that of Fleshgod Apocalypse), the blast beats Inferno delivers drives the rapid tempo of "Amen"along with the impressive guitar work from Nergal and Seth. There are a handful of complex breakdowns along the way that consistently redefine the heaviness and brutality of the song. Even though Nergal said that "The Satanist" was going to feature a "slower" Behemoth, songs like "Amen" only prove that the band can go faster and harder, while simultaneously (within the same song) featuring some of the best instrumental soft points. 4.5/5
6. The Satanist
As the title track of the album, "The Satanist" embodies all the lyrical themes and experimental sounds that Nergal and crew reached for on this record. Featured as possibly the "mellowest" song on the record, "The Satanist" still amazes listeners with the bands ability to switch between gentle, soothing, and rhythmic guitar work to sheer bombastic samples and stunning instrumentality. This isn't my favorite song on "The Satanist," but for how the band has been promoting the album, the song embraces the versatility that listeners can expect from Behemoth in future releases. 4/5
7. Ben Sahar
Led in by an atmospheric and eerie sampling of trumpets, “Ben Sahar” will take listeners back to the old days of black metal. But for some, experimenting with Middle Eastern sounds and influences will demonstrate the versatility of the band as songwriters. Listeners should take notice of the drums, guitars, bass, vocals, and samples that all come together as one and engender one of the many Behemoth masterpieces to come. Featuring interesting guitar breakdowns, and progressive experimentalism, “Ben Sahar” functions as a highlight of “The Satanist” because it has a free-flowing form that elucidates the bands message that life cannot be constrained. 4.5/5
8. In The Absence Ov Light
Jazzy. At least that's what I thought of "In The Absence Ov Light" when the music breaks into a softer acoustic section featuring a saxophone. Behemoth really breaks up black metal traditions of blast beasts and tremolo picking with this multifaceted song. Though it is beginning to sound repetitive, this track does represent Behemoth in a new light. One that is experimental and not bound to the constraints of "traditional" black metal. A bonus to this song is the Latin (or Hebrew) spoken text during the middle of the song which really rounds out the Middle Eastern feel that was brought on by "Ben Sahar." 4/5
9. O Father O Satan O Sun!
Ok, this may not be my favorite song on the album, but it is the best song on the album. Sure to become a Behemoth and black metal classic, the perfectly titled “O Father O Satan O Sun!” is a grand epic that you would play at a black mass or satanic ritual. It’s a superb track that showcases an eclectic metal background that greatly indulges in sampling and symphonic elements. Not to mention, the strangely questionable clean male vocals layered behind Nergal’s powerful growls (it almost sounds like ICS Vortex [ex-Dimmu Borgir…]). As one of the slower songs on the album (yes, “The Satanist” is officially a ‘slower’ album), the song works as the bands sermon to worshiping the secular world around them, whilst addressing the lunacy of sacred beliefs and the constraints that it places on a person. This is the song that finds Behemoth working in all of their strong points to deliver a hair-raising track that is undeniable the ultimate climax and resolution to “The Satanist.” 5/5
Although "The Satanist" will never find attention in the mainstream music scene of today, it will undoubtedly find love in the extreme metal community. As one of the bands that formed the genre [of black metal], Behemoth has once again redefined what listeners can expect of future black metal releases. What I enjoyed most about the album was that the band did not seemed to define their sound as one set style. We get tastes of symphonic, thrash, punk, and death metal throughout the album, which rounds out the sound and message that the band was seeking. Even though "The Satanist" is more experimental than traditional black metal (or even generic metal), it finds its cohesion through its themes and the ways that the different styles of music blend into the message. Nergal's bout with leukemia evidently affected the approach to the album because you don't see all the songs sticking to the same meter, rhythm, and tone. Finding that your life could be at an end truly emphasizes the unpredictability of living in this universe. "The Satanist" embodies this message to the fullest and delivers one hell of a brutal, yet beautiful "whatever you may call it" metal album. Behemoth has a gained a new fan.
Favorite moment: The opening line of "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel"
WTF my mind is blown moment: Guitar solo during "O Father O Satan O Sun!"
"The Satanist" is now available worldwide.
Final Score: 8.8/10
...here's to a strong touring cycle in support of "The Satanist." \m/
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