You can always rely on Behemoth to put the proverbial cat among the pigeons and, with their latest album, these Polish death metal masters do not disappoint. Titled The Shit Ov God, the band’s thirteenth epic finds Nergal digging into humanity, divinity, and the juxtaposition between the extreme individuality favoured by capitalism and the continuing fascination with saviour figures, whether religious, political, or simply a celebrity. As such, while the album is typically provocative, it is also delivered with the intelligence and depth of detail for which the band is renowned.
The album opens in darkly cinematic fashion, the pieces of an eerie sonic puzzle slowly forming into the battering-ram riffs that dominate the song’s opening bars. Reminiscent in places of latter-day Emperor, albeit with Behemoth’s unique flourishes embedded, it’s a typically imaginative and ambitious opener that sets a high bar for the album that follows. More to the point, it’s disarmingly catchy, with the title – The Shadow Elite – forming a chorus that will remain with you. Keeping things short and sharp, Behemoth take a side-step with Sowing Salt into the sort of epic death metal that Ex Deo have made their stock in trade, the vocals rendered with impressive clarity as the razor-sharp guitars and pummelling percussion hack and slash a path beneath. With Jens Bogren (Emperor, Enslaved, Kreator) imbuing the band with depth, power, and clarity, the results are exceptional and there’s an argument to be made, even this early in proceedings, that the album will sit among the band’s very best.
For those who follow the band, the epic title track needs little introduction (and Nergal cheerily bellows the title at the outset, just in case you’re in any doubt), and it maintains the high standards established with the album’s opening numbers. Spread over five-and-a-half minutes, the arrangement has more room to breathe, with dark choirs adding further depth to the piece. The first half wraps up with the monstrous Lvcifereaon, which doubles down on the choral aspects with deliriously impressive effect. This is Nergal in his element and the band, clearly fired up, match his fierce determination every step of the way.
Keeping things ruthlessly pared back, To Drown The Svn In Wine is a tightly wound blast of death metal, the melody carried via the cycling guitars as the aptly named Inferno unleashes hell behind the kit. Honestly, the first few times you listen to the album, you’ll likely spend as much time simply in awe of the magnificent musical interplay between Nergal, Inferno, and Orion as you will embracing the epic soundscapes, and it’s only once this initial sense of shock and awe has worn off that you can fully appreciate the depth of the arrangements within. The surprisingly catchy Nomen Barbarvm follows, the band swapping outright aggression for a mid-tempo groove that grabs the attention and holds it, not least when a scything riff pours across the second half of the track like lava, scorching everything in its path and preparing the way for a blistering lead run that reminds us just how impressive a guitarist Nergal is.
Trading speed for weight, O, Venvs Come! sees the choir return with a vengeance, as Nergal draws upon a range of influences from Emperor and Ex Deo to Jerry Goldsmith (the latter via The Omen soundtrack) to carve out one of the album’s most cinematic and evocative pieces. Nearly six-minutes in length, it captures the album’s sonic range in one ever-evolving piece of music, and it leaves the listener awestruck in its wake. Concluding Behemoth’s stunning thirteenth opus is Avgvr (The Dread Vvltvre). A vibrant sonic assault that expands on the choral elements, ups the tempo, and somewhat astonishingly expands on everything that has gone before.
On The Shit Ov God, Behemoth have absolutely nailed every single element. From Jens Bogren’s glorious production and Nergal’s exceptional song-writing to the devastating power of the band’s performance, there is simply not a weak element in sight. Extreme, yet accessible; bruising, yet catchy; technical, yet not showy – it’s a towering achievement from a band whose ambition and dedication to their craft should be an inspiration to all. 10/10
