Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release date: May 9th, 2025
Although Poland was historically one of the most Catholic countries of the world, the church’s reputation has rapidly decreased. Sexual abuse scandals or support of a near-total abortion ban in Poland are one of many reasons why “popularity” of Catolicism reduces the number of believers. In response to the state of religion, Poland became a nursery of mostly death metal, black metal, thrash metal and doom metal bands, who more or less had problems with various bans, lawsuits, arrests. But that did not stop them from expressing their views on religion through music. On the contrary. One of those is Behemoth. As Adam Nergal Darski sees himself as an advocate for the oppressed and minorities, female self-determination, trans rights…
“The Shit of God”… Offensive, provocative, disgusting, extreme, sharp as a knife, unnecessary, tasteless, powerful, fearless… Whatever epithet is in the game, one thing is clear: Nergal, the mastermind of the band, whatever he does, he does it very intelligently. So, as he did this time. The album title that causes different reactions among fans, critics, the broad masses; is not there just to “provoke”. Everything has a cause… Nergal borrowed the title from Diamanda Galás, who also, as Nergal, is avant-garde performance artist and activist. Her style is described as “capable of the most unnerving vocal terror” and her vocals as “Demonic voice”. Add a complete image she creates, no wonder she attracted Nergal’s attention and influenced his inspiration. The video for the title song was released in January 2025 and the intro: “Eat my flesh, drink my blood, I am the shit ov god” along with Aleister Crowley’s quotation: “If you are purity, I am born ov filth, you’re exalted in faith, I am driven by will, if you are the rock, I am crushing tide, this sermon I wake from coma unto the light” revitalized by Haldor Grunberg and hypnotising back vocals reflects creativity of the band.
The first song on the album “Shadow Elite” (my personal favourite) is the carrier of one of those choruses that you will in the future recognize as Behemoth’s classics. To tell you the truth, this should be the album title. The song itself is old school Behemoth’s sound delivered on “Evangelion” or “Demigod”. Insane riffing, blast beats, orchestrations and lyrics make “Shadow Elite” the motivational song, the hymn dedicated to all outsiders that could be gathered under the flag: outsiders of all countries unite!
“Lvciferaeon”, the third single, is intense song that delivers amazing solo and chorus:
“If I am God
Everyone is
If I am God
If I am not
None exists!”
indicates that if God exists, then every human being is a god, and therefore me, and you who are reading this. If you allow others to play God, and you blindly follow them, my honest opinion is that you are a shit (ov God or literally) and that you don’t deserve any better.
“Sowing Salt” simply crushes the bones, Nergal’s hoarse vocal delivery equals the awakened demon from hell.
“To Drown the Svn in Wine” is psychotic and chaotic, with insane female vocals that I heard last time back in 2010 while as a medical student I studied at psychiatry hospital. The song itself is dedicated to Nergal’s late father. The lyrics are multilayered and philosophical… What if death is not the end and only just the beginning? Next one, “Nomen Barbarvm” (The name of the Barbarians), bought me with a choral abracadabra mantra. This song delivers a heavy, dark atmosphere.
“O Venvs, Come!” is one of those that, judged by opening riffs, could be recognized as Behemoth’s in the middle of the night. Simply, this is Behemoth’s recognizable sound spiced with chanting and choirs that somehow draw me to the direction of “Carmina Burana”. “To Drown the Svn in Wine”, “Nomen Barbarvm” and “O Venvs, Come!”, if you look at them as a package, are a section of sad and emotional songs that bring anger and pain to the forefront.
The last one, “Avgvr (The Dread Vvltvre)” with thunderous drumming and operatic vocals entangled in a web of madness will simply lead to ecstasy. It ends with acoustic parts and somehow all the energy charge is reduced to a minimum and leaves you floating in non-existent state.
From the band’s very beginning until today, now for 34 years, Behemoth has been attracting attention. Provoking, attention-grabbing, intelligently packaged product, depending on which perspective you observe their work, it is undeniable that the band knows how to cause a reaction. Before you judge “The Shit ov God”, think about the metaphor behind the name, look around you, analyse the world you live in. Before you judge Behemoth, think about the fact that they are not there to provoke you, but to motivate you to think, question yourself, discuss, criticize… Otherwise you will remain the shit of God!
