Released as a Blu Ray / CD (or DVD / CD) digi book, as well as on double, heavy weight vinyl, ‘Messe Noire’ is a sumptuous celebration of Polish black metal legends Behemoth, capturing the band’s epic Warsaw show from 2016, in which the band played much-lauded album ‘The Satanist’ in full. Beautifully packaged, the set not only includes the full 15 track show, it also includes footage from Brutal Assault, the ‘cinematic archive’ (the complete videos for ‘The Satanist’) and a CD of ‘the Satanist’ in full. In short, the package is nothing short of essential for Behemoth fans old and new. This review covers the CD portion of the package.
Given the band’s long history, it should come as no surprise that behemoth enjoy enthusiastic support from the vibrant metal community of their native Poland. Formed in 1991, the band released a number of albums (the early highlight being 1996’s ‘Grom’) before coming to wider attention with the likes of 2002’s ‘Zos Kia Cultus’ and 2004’s punishing ‘Demigod’. Since their inception, the band have evolved both musically and stylistically, largely as a result of the deft leadership of the imperious Nergal, and it is arguable that ‘the Satanist’ is the pinnacle of the band’s achievements to date.
Despite the increasing trend towards bands playing albums in full, albeit typically classic albums, it is a trend that comes with its own set of challenges. Replacing the surprises of a well-honed set list comes the potential ennui of familiarity and, in the case of a new album, there’s also the risk of the fans simply feeling disappointed at the lack of well-established favourites. However, when a band have an album that truly does flow, then a live recreation can be a thrilling experience and, of all of Behemoth’s works, ‘the Satanist’ is perfectly situated for just such a performance.
There are few better opening tracks than ‘blow your trumpets Gabriel’ and, as it emerges from an eerie miasma of industrial noise, it sets a suitably dark tone for the performance to come. With over twenty years behind them, Behemoth are truly masters of their art and, with the live album featuring a production job that serves to capture the malevolent trawl of the opening riff perfectly, even removed from the ecstatic, chanting horde that makes up the audience, you feel the adrenalin start to flow. As those who’ve heard the album know (and if not, why the hell not?!), this is one of those songs that bides its time, each successive element building upon what has gone before, the final denouement as apocalyptic as anything Behemoth has ever conjured. Segueing neatly, ‘Furor Divinus’ eschews its predecessor’s subtlety for a full-blooded assault, albeit one still steeped in atmosphere and it serves to remind the listener exactly why Behemoth is one of the foremost names in extreme metal. The title track to the live album, ‘messe noire’ emerges from the sound of a religious service, with Nergal’s vocals edging ever closer to that of a maniacal preacher. With its relentless percussive backdrop and swirling, nightmarish guitars, ‘messe noire’ is dark, anthemic and atmospheric in equal measure and if you don’t stand in awe at Zbigniew “Inferno” Promiński astonishing performance on the drums, then you lack proper respect for a master of his craft. The guitar solos that emerge during the second half of the track, meanwhile, are stately, elegant pieces that show the overall depth of Behemoth’s ability to write songs that are both brutal and memorable. The first half of the album concludes with the scabrous fury of ‘Ora pro nobis Lucifer’, another track that successfully combines ferocity and technicality with considerable aplomb.
The second half of the album kicks off with the short, sharp shock of ‘amen’, the perfect track to ensure the album does not hit a mid-point slump (not that there was ever any danger of that, but Behemoth seem out to tick all the boxes at this mesmerizingly intense show). In contrast, the lengthy title track of the parent album is allowed to build over the course of nearly seven minutes. It suits the band’s epic ambitions that they should allow the music to breathe and the resultant track is nothing short of a brutal masterpiece. Wisely allowing a moment for a wave of richly deserved and deafening applause to subside, Behemoth edge into ‘Ben Sahar’ a mid-tempo track which recalls the epic metal of Ex Deo, as well as behemoth’s own ‘zos kia cultus’. A track destined to remain a live favourite, it is one of the strongest songs on the record. With the album’s end looming, ‘in the absence ov light’ is a blackened smear, with ferocious percussion and arcing riffs vying for supremacy before we reach the concluding ‘O father, O Satan, O sun!’ An eight-minute exploration of the musical and lyrical themes witnessed across the album, the track not only serves as a remarkable end to a remarkable album, it also neatly summarises Behemoth’s current strengths as they weave together dense, hypnotic riffs, layered vocals and elegant solos. This is metal on a scale that verges upon the operatic and few can touch Behemoth when it comes to delivering such grand statements.
Unfortunately, at time of writing we have access only to the audio, rather than the video content (save for the two clips appended to this review), so it is difficult to pass judgement as to the quality of the complete set in any detail, although the snippets released certainly look impressive However, we have no hesitation in recommending this package on the basis of the band’s impeccable performance and strength of the recording alone. ‘The Satanist’, in any event, remains one of the finest blackened death metal albums of all time, and this serves as the perfect companion piece to the album. Pretty much essential. 9
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