BEHEMOTH - Demigod

BEHEMOTH
Demigod
Century Media - 2005
9/10




A barrage of occult assaults intended to deliver pure musical destruction make up this newest Behemoth release, ‘Demigod’. This record is intense, unforgiving, 100% black metal delivered with speed, precision and fury!

The highly proficient guitar playing on this album can not go unnoticed as Behemoth has constructed some of the fastest fret board hammering around.

Like the musical equivalent of having your heart ripped from your chest, the hyper speed riffage of bassist Orion, vocalist/guitarist Nergal and session guitarist Seth coupled with the insanely fast drumming of Inferno are delivered with a savage intensity that few of their peers can compete with.

Fans of Deicide will enjoy the guitar work on ‘Demigod’ as it moves the speediness of that band's axe mangling a step further on tracks like ‘Towards Babylon’ and ‘XUL’. Nergal’s vocal approach is very guttural for black metal, often the listener is reminded of the classic death metal of the early 90’s, though he certainly sounds like no imitator as his tone and attack are in fact, quite original.

‘Sculpting The Throne ov Seth’ begins with a dark acoustic passage that gives way to an Imperial, resounding rhythm before lapsing into complete and utter chaos, making for the perfect piece to kick off the album and set it’s overall tone. The severe brutalization continues on the title track, a formidable blast of aural savagery that includes some excellent lyrics that fit the mood of the song well.

The break section is violent and militaristic, accenting the return to the expeditious primary groove. A barbaric, forceful beat powers ‘The Nephilim Rising’, a well arranged jam that blows away the black metal competition with its technical aptitude. The band throws an evil sounding classical piece at the song’s end that makes for a great coda. The vocals of Nergal are again of the best quality.

The crispness of the rhythm guitars pierces through the mix like a slashing sword, sharp and deadly. The albums closer, ‘The Reign ov Shemsu-Hor’ initiates with an ambient tribal onslaught, supported by the stick work of Inferno. This track at a running time of 8:28 is possibly the angriest offering on ‘Demigod’, not in terms of sheer speed, but in the power behind the Thelemic chants of Nergal.

Here, the members alternate the context of their musicianship, as each takes turns blasting away while the other members of the group support them with slithering beats and licks that reinforce the brutality of the track.

All in all, Behemoth has certainly lived up to the well deserved anticipation surrounding the release of this record. This band performs a deathly style of black metal with some of the best musicianship in the genre.

A wicked fucking album.


ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED