Behemoth's Evangelion - Second Review

Behemoth are without doubt my favorite band. This does not lend my reviews a bias - nay, I simply recognise the fact that they are the greatest band around. Demigod is sacred to me, and I love every release of theirs. Demigod was the first album I bought, and whence that record comes my epiphanic reaction to this band and their music - it was the cleansing light falling upon my obscured path, the slap in the face which I needed so. It wasn't just a musical elysium I'd happened upon; it contained the life-energy of mainman/frontman Nergal, and chunks of his philosophy embedded throughout the lyrics. It also came at the right time of my life...and his responsiveness/bond/"closeness" to the fans is also key.

At any rate, when The Apostasy came out, I was a bit disappointed. Perhaps it was because I was expecting something to best Demigod, and inasmuch was a decidedly unfair comparison/bar to set. However, to-day I think it is perhaps their weakest record...which isn't to say at all that I dislike it; it just lacks something intangible. I awaited Evangelion with the greatest of anxieties, and Behemoth did not fail in the least this time around.

I am in a "kid-in-the-candy-store" moment listening to it. It is rapturous, the experience of this album. It is certainly one of the most I N T E N S E albums I've ever heard. From "Daimonos" straight on through to the closer "Lucifer," it is one aural onslaught after another, on the order of "Sculpting the Throne ov Seth," "Slaves Shall Serve," and "No Sympathy For Fools." It really puts the "Black" in "Blackened Death Metal." That's not to say they de-emphasise the Death Metal part of it all; on the contrary, the opening riff to "Transmigrating Beyond Realms oV Amenti" is a classically dark, brutal death metal riff. On a whole, the riffs are perhaps best described as just brutal, dark, mean, angry, and "balls-t0-the-wall" in the extreme. The solos are also great - some of my favorite Behemoth solos are on this record, especially Nergal's solo in "The Seed ov I," the blues-based solo that smacks of the solo in "LAM." Seth's solos are all beautiful in a dark, twisted manner. Orion's bass playing is tight as ever, and masterfully tasteful. Inferno plays the drums like he invented them - you know he's only now realising his own insane, physics-defying capabilities, and it seems like he could outdrum nearly anybody if he were brain-dead, let alone at the top of his game, as it is now.

Next up is the guitar tone. I was worried about this the most. The Apostasy's worst feature was the guitar sound - it was inferior in this manner to its predecessor, for some reason. The EMGs had quite a bit to do with that, I think. However, this album has hell-spawned guitar tone, and the EMGs actually sound good in this outing. The MESA shines through very strongly, has that signature loose, huge, fat growl, with a juiciness unheard before or after Demigod. Everything just sounds positively HUGE on this record. Orion's bass tone and Inferno's drum tones are simply awe-some. The vocals are just as intense as Demigod, but more natural and with seemingly fewer layers, and are also more intelligible. It's also great to hear the "gang" vocals in "Daimonos," to which contributed Inferno, Orion, Seth, and other more "behind-the-scenes" luminaries within the Behemoth organisation, namely producer/engineer/etc. extraordinaire Malta, webgod Manticore, and the irreplaceable MySpace/YouTuber/American front organiser Hatefrost. The lyrics are in many ways better than ever...I hate to have to pick out quotes as if they're favorites, but a sampling would be two lines from "He Who Breeds Pestilence," ...This earth grew weary and dull/Is it the renaissance of my existence?/Is there a future for me beyond the stars? It is also great to hear Polish lyrics - I've been dying for more for some time now.

If I were to pick out weaknesses for Evangelion, they would be as follows: "Lucifer" is a bit repetitive, musically, but I would like to see it as a closer, perhaps in place of "Chant for Eschaton 2000." "Alas, Lord is Upon Me" is a bit weaker than the rest of the songs. It seems to transcend less-so than its peers on the record. Third is that, overall, I wish the album were longer - can never have enough Behemoth. This all having been said, the word weakness is a very relative word here. None of what I mentioned as "weaknesses" are really a weakness, just things that seem to keep it from completely transcending Demigod.

All told, this album is absolutely phenomenal - I really can't put into words how much I love it. I'm only six and one-third listens in atm, but I have two copies in my immediate possession, one in the mail for emergency backup, and at least one of every subsequent special edition, should they be released, will be bought up by yours truly. This release is truly a "non-skip" album - I will run into a moral conflict, of sorts, when I happen to start to like certain songs over others, and so I listen to one or a few songs which dominate my mind/time to the exclusion of others.

I can recommend any Behemoth record to anyone, however, you could certainly do worse than to play this album for someone to familiarise themselves with Behemoth. Any digits possibly to be raised are up for this one! "All hail slain and risen God!"