BEHEMOTH „Evangelion”

Music: Black/Death Metal
Country: Poland
Web site: www.behemoth.pl
Cool Songs: Daimonos, He Who Breeds Pestilence, Ov Fire and the Void, Lucifer

BEHEMOTH once again arises from the depths of the shadow world to unleash another burst of dynamic occult black/death metal. Evangelion is the Metal Blade Records debut record for the Polish outfit. Those who felt their last recording, The Apostacy, too slow or too focused on orchestral elements will find Evangelion much more to their liking. The said album just may be BEHEMOTHs fastest effort yet.

Drummer Inferno sets the blistering pace through non-stop movement of hands and feet. Inferno keeps the pace fast and furious through quick cymbal taps, machine gun double bass blasts and an avalanche of drum rolls. He moves swiftly through his kit during fill in parts on Shemhamforash, but beats at an incomprehensively fast pace during the verses. Infernos bombastic cymbal work on He Who Breeds Pestilence and Alas, Lord is Upon Me shows his percussion skills, and thus separates him from the normal death metal drummer.

Other than the black metal movement at the end of Lucifer, which harkens back to the bands pagan black metal beginnings, Evangelion doesnt throw the listener a curve ball in the area of style. BEHEMOTH still brings a death metal style akin to MORBID ANGEL and NILE, but there is no mistaking them for those two bands. While the group structures their songs in a similar manner, the sounds they produce are definitely of their own. The only track that, before hearing the vocals, one could mistake for a MORBID ANGEL riff comes during The Seed of I. Evangelion also contains NILE like cinematic parts and martial chanting. While they have toned these parts down from the last album, passages such as the sitar outro on Shemhamforash and hellish noise intro of Lucifer really help bring to life the albums occult themes.

Keyboard choirs and electronic passages further the atmosphere of the album, but BEHEMOTH is adept at creating atmosphere through traditional metal means. For example, BEHEMOTH uses a Middle Eastern guitar scale to break the action on Daimonos, then produces a tight, staccato rhythm to move the song onward. The shortness of this rhythms notes brings to mind a legion of chariots rushing onto the battlefield. The back and forth guitar soloing between Seth and Nergal not only provides a technical aspect to their music, but the wailing notes bring about wicked sounds.

BEHEMOTH stands proudly at the top of the massive mound of death metal acts, even surpassing in popularity the legendary Florida acts. One could argue BEHEMOTH doesnt deserve to go beyond the groups that gave them their style. True, they have borrowed much from MORBID ANGLE, but have cinematically enhanced this style. Evangelion is so fast, technical and brutal yet BEHEMOTH has something that makes them more accessible than the average death or black metal band. With Evangelion, BEHEMOTH has found a formula to make their career masterpiece.

note: 9.5/10

Tracklist

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
Total playing time 42:00

Line-up

Nergal – vocals/guitars
Inferno – drums
Seth – guitars
Orion – bass