Last Friday, Polish extreme metal overlords BEHEMOTH celebrated the release of their new album, Opvs Contra Natvram (given a glowing review here), basking in critical acclaim from media, fans and tastemakers all over the world. Today, the band crowns their 30+ year career’s most recent milestone with a new video that perfectly reflects the dark, menacing atmosphere created by the album’s closing track, Versvs Christvs – a riveting piece of work, featuring piano and clean vocals.
BEHEMOTH‘s leader and artistic alchemist, Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski, informs:
“Legions! Thank you for the amazing response to the new record! Wow! It feels extremely validating and liberating to have you with us. And now we present the crown jewel, Versvs Christvs. This video was our first time working the amazing director Agata Alexander, an LA dwelling Pole whose vision and execution created this spectacular result. A special shout-out to our friends at Grupa 13 who assisted on the production. Feast your eyes on this, Legions!”
The band’s 12th studio collection is a stark reminder of the rebellion, individuality and unflinching self-expression that BEHEMOTH‘s phenomenal work inbues, shaped by a literary worldview. It also reflects a musical evolution, as there’s little doubt that Opvs Contra Natvram is BEHEMOTH‘s strongest and most sophisticated musical collection to date.
Pick up or stream the album here and check out the video for Versvs Christvs below.
Last Thursday, BEHEMOTH unveiled a celebratory visual feast to herald the album’s arrival, titled Opvs Contra Cvltvram; a streaming event shot on the roof of Warsaw’s renowned Palace of Culture & Science. The event is still available to watch via the band’s YouTube channel.
Alongside the album release, BEHEMOTH dropped a wretched yet addictive pocket game together with Spotify, operable on mobile or desktop, that you can explore here: game.behemoth.pl. Users must endeavour to keep the virtual cross balanced for as long as possible – take your eyes off the game for a second and it’s game over. Top scoring participants have the chance to win a pair of tickets for BEHEMOTH‘s upcoming The European Siege tour together with ARCH ENEMY, CARCASS and UNTO OTHERS in a city of their choice.
BEHEMOTH are not only the creators of Poland’s extreme metal scene, but they are masters of their vision and showcase what a band can achieve when the brakes are off. With Opvs Contra Natvram they have created 10 fresh chapters, created at a very strange time for the world. Their goal to create something new, something that doesn’t sound like anything that has gone before, was an ambitious one.
As with previous studio outings, Opvs… was produced by BEHEMOTH, with mixing by studio legend Joe Barresi (Nine Inch Nails, Tool, QOTSA, Alice in Chains).
Opvs Contra Natvram tracklist:
- POST-GOD NIRVANA
- MALARIA VVLGATA
- THE DEATHLESS SUN
- OV MY HERCULEAN EXILE
- NEO-SPARTACVS
- DISINHERITANCE
- OFF TO WAR!
- ONCE UPON A PALE HORSE
- THY BECOMING ETERNAL
- VERSVS CHRISTVS
Opvs Contra Natvram features twin cover art available in both black and white and will be released in the following array of physical formats, sure to thrill collectors of limited editions:
- Jewelcase CD (Black Cover)
- Digibook (Black Cover) [limited to 8500 pieces]
- Digibook (White Cover) [limited to 8500 pieces]
- Earbook Black/Gold Inkspot Vinyl (White Cover) [limited to 500 pieces]
- Earbook Gold/Black Corona Vinyl (White Cover) [limited to 500 pieces]
- Black Vinyl (Black Cover)
- Picture Vinyl (Black Cover) [limited to 3500 pieces]
- White/Gold Split Vinyl (White Cover) [limited to 650 pieces]
- Vinylbox Mailorder Edition (White Cover) [limited to 1000 pieces] – LAST FEW
- Earbook (Black Cover) [band exclusive, limited to 1167 pieces] – SOLD OUT!
- Gold Vinyl (Black Cover) [US Indie exclusive, limited to 350 pieces]
- Crystal Clear/Silver/Gold Inkspot Vinyl (White Cover) [band exclusive, limited to 666 pieces] – SOLD OUT!
- White/Black/Gold Splatter Vinyl (White Cover) [band exclusive, limited to 1167 pieces] – SOLD OUT!
- Transparent Red Vinyl (Black Cover) [EMP exclusive, limited to 300 pieces]
- White Vinyl (White Cover) [Nordics exclusive, limited to 300 pieces]
- Clear/Black Splatter Vinyl (Black Cover) [Kings Road Management exclusive, limited to 500 pieces]
- White/Gold Marbled Vinyl (White Cover) [UK Indies exclusive, limited to 300 pieces]
- Clear/Black Marbled Vinyl (Black Cover) [HMV exclusive, limited to 450 exclusive]
BEHEMOTH‘s North American Siege tour, with touring mates Arch Enemy, Carcass, and Unto Others recently thundered across the USA to huge acclaim. The band then decimated the Ronnie James Dio main stage last month in their headlining slot at Bloodstock Festival. The European Seige rolls into Dublin, Ireland on September 27th, ready to set the continent ablaze and culminates at Oslo, Norway’s Sentrum Scene on November 6th. Tickets for both ‘bookend’ shows are close to sell out with many others moving fast. Full itinerary and tour trailer below.
Nergal informs the band’s ‘Legions’;
“BEHEMOTH are coming with new music and new stage shenanigans…a spectacle worth waiting for. We’ll see you there!”
BEHEMOTH with ARCH ENEMY + CARCASS + UNTO OTHERS
The European Siege Tour
27.09. UK Dublin – 3 Olympia Theatre – LAST FEW TICKETS
29.09. UK Glasgow – O2 Academy
30.09. UK Manchester – O2 Apollo
01.10. UK Birmingham – O2 Academy
02.10. UK London – O2 Academy Brixton
04.10. FR Paris – Zenith
05.10. FR Ramonville-St-Agne, Le Bikini
07.10. PT Lisboa – Coliseu dos Recreios
08.10. ES Madrid – Palacio Vistalegre
09.10. ES Barcelona – Palau Sant Jordi
11.10. FR Caluire-Et-Cuire – Radiant-Bellevue
12.10. IT Milan – Alcatraz
14.10. DE Berlin – Columbiahalle
15.10. CZ Prague – Tipsport Arena
16.10. HU Budapest – Barba Negra
18.10. AT Wien – Gasometer
19.10. PL Katowice – Spodek
21.10. DE Ludwigsburg – MHP Arena
22.10. NL Den Bosch – Mainstage Brabanthallen
24.10. DE Saarbrücken – Saarlandhalle
25.10. CH Zürich – Samsung Hall
26.10. DE Frankfurt am Main – Jahrhunderthalle
28.10. DE Munich – Zenith
29.10. DE Düsseldorf – Mitsubishi Electric Halle
30.10. DE Hamburg – edel-optics.de Arena
31.10. SE Partille – Partille Arena
02.11. FI Helsinki – Helsinki Ice Hall
04.11. SE Stockholm – Annexet
05.11. DK Frederiksberg – Forum Black Box
06.11. NO Oslo – Sentrum Scene – LAST FEW TICKETS
UK tour tickets are available here, with Dublin tickets here.
About BEHEMOTH:
In the annals of metal there is no band more synonymous with an unswerving commitment to the single-minded defiance of expectation than BEHEMOTH. Over the course of their remarkable 31-year career, these Polish hellraisers – spearheaded by Adam Darski, aka Nergal – are more than just the architects of their country’s legendary extreme metal scene. Over the course of three decades and previous eleven albums, Nergal’s singular vision has forged BEHEMOTH into something far more than a mere blackened death metal band. Beyond any confines of genre, they have grown to become no less than the personification of rebellion, individuality and unflinching self-expression informed by a literate worldview and worldliness that’s resulted in a locking of horns with everything from the mainstream press to the Polish Catholic church – most notably manifesting in Nergal’s trial for blasphemy in 2010 that only served to expose the deep-seated hypocrisies that his music seeks to challenge. It also highlighted the distinct lack of fucks that he has to give. Now world-renowned and yet exuberantly underground in their convictions, BEHEMOTH are perhaps the unlikeliest of success stories, but if their stratospheric ascent and hard-won commercial achievement can be attributed to anything, it’s a cast iron unwillingness to compromise.
BEHEMOTH are:
Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski – Lead vocals, Guitar
Zbigniew Robert ‘Inferno’ Promiński – Drums, Percussion
Tomasz ‘Orion’ Wróblewski – Bass, Backing vocals
† † †
Patryk ‘Seth’ Sztyber — Guitar, Backing Vocals
Leave a Reply