Behemoth - A thundering menacing force!

June 27th 2014

Dessel, Graspop Festival, Belgium

****

Behemoth pull off one of their best performances to date.

Graspop Metal Meeting

Behemoth **** really pull it all out for the Graspop festival in Belgium, I have seen this band a little too much recently they seem to be everywhere I go and this performance is one of the best I have seen in a long time. The bands early work would be describe as Black Metal but in the last few years Behemoth have been sounding more like a Doom or Death Metal band and been gathering a new following but losing some of their original devote's. I have to admit that I do prefer more the earlier work of the band and I struggled a little to get into new release 'The Satanist' which is a very difficult listen.

Singer / Guitarist Adam Darski (Aka Nergal) is starting to be one of the most infamous frontmen in Metal and as he stands over his elaborate microphone stand he looks really menacing as he breaks into the thundering sound of new song 'Blow your trumpets Gabriel'. This song has a really distinctive guitar melody that works really well with Nergal's deep Doom vocals that haunt on you like a bad headache that won't go away. This song grooves along and set's a great scene for the performance before it goes into chaos at the end. Bass player Thomasz 'Orion' Wroblewski towers over the crowd with his big muscular fasceek as he bangs his bas and hits into another new track 'Ora pro Nobis Lucifer' which see's the band come into action.

When of the best moments for me is when they burst into the 2004 track 'Conquer All' which has fast beats and has a real elegance to it that really comes across when backed with Nile / Deicide sounding vocals of Nergal. I think this is one of the bands best tracks and they really impress whenever they play it. The older material like 'As above so Below' which is over twelve years old gives a good contrast to the new and makes the set follow better but at the same time is not out of place. This track starts off with the stop start rhymes and isn't as intense as some of the new songs, but does show they had the deep vocal even back then and is also very similar to 'Slaves shall Serve' which was done three years later. Behemoth are really becoming a well oiled unit and their performance is a big bundle of intensity would delight any Death Metal fan.

For me the 2000 album 'Thelema 6' is a underrated gem, back then the band had more of a Black Metal feel to them and they show this on the track 'Christians to the Lions' which comes across really well live even though it has more of a Death Metal feel to it. I have to say I prefer the original way they played it more, but at least they still play some of this material. Most people that got into Behemoth in the last five years would be more at home with songs like 'Ov fire and the Void' which has the sound that has defined Behemoth recently. The dark Death Metal drone of majestic intent, so if this is what you like about the band you can't go wrong with buying the album 'Evangelion' which this song comes off.

'At the left hand ov God' and 'Chant for Ezkaton 2000 E.V.' are the perfect songs to end the set on they really have the storm the baricades kind of feel to them. So as they come back on to play one song encore of the ever popular 'O Father, O Satan, O Sun!' you really feel that you have seen a great set by Behemoth. If your a fan of Death Metal then Behemoth is a band you just can't ignore, and I think they will continue to make interesting music that will be a big influence on the genre.

Behemoth - Setlist
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Blow your trumpets Gabriel
Ora pro Nobis Lucifer
Conquer All
As above so Below
Slaves shall Serve
Christians to the Lions
Ov fire and the Void
Alas, Lord is upon Me
At the left hand ov God
Chant for Ezkaton 2000 E.V.
--------------------------
O' Father, O' Satan, O' Sun!

Review and Photo's by Dave Deadsy