Review Summary: Another great heavy album by Behemoth, possibly one of the heaviest albums of the decade.
Ahhh, Behemoth… The band that got me into death metal alongside with Dark Tranquillity. The difference is, this one is brutal as hell (I mean it). Nergal’s vocal delivery sounds like an army of demons, and that can already give you an idea of the kind of music they play. The riffs are intense, the drumming is too damn good (Inferno is one of the best drummers ever, in my opinion), the bass doesn’t stand out that much but it’s still great. With that, it's quite clear that their style isn't for the weak. Demigod is heavier than any of their other albums before, and it's quite possibly the peak of blackened death metal. Behemoth have kept a high standard of quality since Satanica, but this album blows every of their other attempts far away.
But all that aside, let's get into the review.
From the moment the opener
Sculpting The Throne Ov Seth starts, you'll notice they mean business: Opening with a great classic guitar intro, and then all hell breaks loose when the distortion enters. First the heavy guitar riff, then the drums enter full force and the bass seems M.I.A., not unlike the rest of the album. And then comes Nergal with some really insane vocal performance. Because of the many layers of vocals, it's really hard to understand what he is saying, yet it also accomplishes what it wishes: The many vocal layers make Nergal sound like a true devil. The song doesn't lose speed at any point, it is always at full force, specially the drumming. The solo is also quite great. This song definitely sums up the album as a whole.
The next track,
Demigod is yet another highlight. Opening with some horns that sound like a calling to arms, you know already what to expect. After that intro, the distortion enters and the total chaos starts. The riffs in this song are quite amazing, both guitars are used perfectly for an awesome effect. Another relentless song this is. There's also a little "HAIL. SATAN." thrown in by 2:57. And the heaviness doesn't stop with the next track.
Conquer All, one of the singles of this album, is not as good as the first two tracks, yet it packs a punch. The riffs are awesome, some great changes in pace too. The chorus of this song is definitely cool, fast and powerful. The solo in this song is one of Nergal's best, even though one would like it to be a bit longer. The outro is another great point in this song, it's quite memorable.
The Nephilm Rising is another aggressive song, if you didn't already know. A bit slower than the last 3, but that doesn't mean much. There's also something similar to a radio talk in some parts of the song. And for a few seconds, Nergal uses non-layered vocals. Still sounds really evil. Another great solo. Some classic guitar thrown in at the end, and it sounds macabre. That makes it yet another solid song.
Towards Babylon is another good song, but it might as well be the weakest of the album. The riffs aren't as memorable as the other songs, and the solo isn't as good as the last 2 songs. Fast and evil, but doesn't match the quality imposed by the first 4 tracks. Still, it is a really good song.
You though it was evil and psychotic sounding up to now? The most evil song in the whole album,
Before The Æons Came has a cool evil intro, and then it gets to Nergal's most pissed off, downright evil performance. The riffs backing him up are fast and fit well with the anger in his vocals. This song is meant to be played at hell's lobby, that's for sure. The low point is that it is the shortest song of the album, but hey, I don't know if such an angry song could be able to last longer or if the listener wouldn't go crazy.
Mysterium Coniunctionis (Hermanubis) keeps the heaviness going, and you can say the album shows no signs of stopping. Creepy effect at the begging takes form and goes all heavy. The riffs are amazing as always, but another notable thing in this song is that Nergal's voice goes more black metal-ish than the rest. I personally didn't like it much, but it was still a very good song.
Xul is another heavy song, yet again with a kinda creepy intro, and pummeling into submission after that. Nothing really special in this song asides from the intro, it's just heavy as heck. The solos are cool, to say at the least, specially the one at the beginning. A good song, but nothing really special.
Of course, the heaviness would follow, and it does show in
Slaves Shall Serve, a really fast track. Nergal opens screaming something extremely hard to understand (even by the standards of this album), and then the insanity begins. The drumming stands out here: Simply put, it's insane. Inferno shows his skills as a drummer here. The rest of the band aren't slouches either: They keep up with the pace of the drums perfectly. The song end with Nergal screaming "Slaves shall serve!" many times before finally snapping and screaming with all his strenght "SLAVES. SHALL. ****ING SERVE!!!". Another standout song.
After that craziness, you wouldn't expect a mid-paced song. Precisely what you get.
The Reign ov Shemu-Hor opens with a kinda slow intro, sounds like something that would fit with an enormous evil army taking over some place or something. A little acoustic passage and Nergal enters. The song is slow compared to the rest, yet it sounds heavier. This 8:26 beast could be a hard listen at first, yet it's worth it. The solos throughout are masterful. By 7:50 it starts getting slower, the instruments start fading and the song finishes with a ringing note. And so, one of the heaviest albums of later years comes to an end. And what an end it is. After this, if you're not used to the heaviness, you will.
And so my review comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed it reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you think you're hardcore and can stand heavy music, or just like some real heavy ****, then give this a shot, you will possibly enjoy it.
Song ratings:
Sculpting The Throne Ov Seth: 5/5
Demigod: 5/5
Conquer All: 4.5/5
The Nephilm Rising: 5/5
Towards Babylon: 3.5/5
Before The Æons Came: 4/5
Mysterium Coniunctionis (Hermanubis): 3.75/5
Xul: 3/5
Slaves Shall Serve: 5/5
The Reign Ov Shemu-Hor: 4.5/5
Average of 4.3, but since there are no decimal ratings between 4 and 4.5, 4.5 it will be.
