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Tickle Tick, Tick Tick Tick Tickle Tickle, Tick... - 87%
This snare intro is from the title track, and I’m beginning this review off mentioning this because let me tell you…
Between a Twix bar, telling your significant other you’re getting deployed, and killing Bambi’s mom, this snare intro is the BEST way to break the ice, escape an awkward moment, cut off someone from talking / cut off a song from playing, or just having a few seconds to think. It’s saved me from life-threatening situations and it, too, can save you:
“Honey, I’m preg-”
Tickle Tick, Tick Tick Tick Tickle Tickle…
“Mr. Obama, can you please explain how you intend to manage health care while dealing with soaring unemployment.”
“Yeah, um-”
Tickle Tick, Tick Tick Tick Tickle Tickle…
Not only that, but it’s probably the best track on here since it encompasses everything Behemoth are damn well known for: epic progression, authentic themes, beastly vocal assaults, contemporary battery annihilation, primeval riffs, and an overall vibe that slays all fakers by just the mere snare intro. The middle eastern influence that began having an impact back on Pandemonic Incantations has pretty much taken a full swing on this album, so you’ll be hearing tons coming from that direction during interludes, intros, outros, with monolithic riffs and more. It’s quite a spectacle how much of a comeback this album is compared to the letdown (in my eyes) Thelema.6 happened to be. I wouldn’t be lying when saying that even the bass does some justice to the ancient cultures. There’s more of a boom here than the pluck heard on the last album, so even the bass gloriously took back its founding duties.
At the time, this was the heaviest Behemoth album, but not by a ton. Satanica had a huge wall of sound, but here is where they really took hold of death metal and brought out all the guns. The production is perfect, with every instrument balanced properly and Nergal’s vocals back on par. Compared to Demigod they sound like a puppy’s shy bark, but they’re still powerful on their own, especially if you take into account everything his vocals mustered up before. Drumming sounds incredibly intense, precise, fast, and vicious – Inferno always had his shit together, but here he knocks it up one level to make up for being part of the last album. Gotta also thank his dumb ass for that snare intro.
The songs all have decent lengths, with the more ambitious ones obviously being the longer ones. However, even the shorter tracks pack a punch with compelling bridges – they never let up that besieging attitude. Even the two very short tracks add to the ritualistic vibe and heavily arcane atmosphere, which now sounds like the best time to bring the cover art into the fray…
You’re god damn right, the cover art… just look at it. Now when I started getting into Behemoth, I doubt I’d believe ever getting into this album solely based on the cover art. The man-goat-dude looks so sick, perverse, occult, and twisted as he’s brought to life in the aura of Hell’s scarlet zephyr. It’s just such a despicably evil cover art that I can’t help love – way cooler than the poseur on Demigod.
Definitely check this one out, guys. It’s a great album that I feel fully transitioned Behemoth into death metal while still having a small black touch. It’s not the blackest of black touches, but like pepper sprinkled in the cauldron of infernal devastation. It’s a nasty album that begs to be heard, and I’m sure it’ll possess you just as easily as it possessed me.
