Demigod

Well ladies and gentlemen, here’s another overrated release. I get really sick of people making a mountain out of a molehill, and I’m afraid the same thing is going to happen to Behemoth. Too many good bands are getting more credit they deserve, by no means am I saying that Demigod is a terrible CD. I’m just saying that if people paid a little less attention to the metal major players (Cannibal Corpse, Nile, Slayer, Cryptopsy, Dimmu Borgir, not that there is anything wrong with those bands) we might have a little more variety with underground bands getting a decent chance at the spotlight. Behemoth is becoming one of those bands that stay the exact same (now that they have settled into their “Zos Kia Cultus” sound), but their reviews get better and better. No band should get better and better reviews for staying the same, and that statement is directed toward anyone who listens to Fear Factory (despite their two or three nu-metal songs on Digimortal), Norther, and Lamb of God!

Now, on with the actual CD. Don’t misunderstand me, Demigod was great, but the hype surrounding it is disgusting. Much like the hype surrounding Edguy, but that is all Tobias Sammet’s fault, so I don’t really blame any of their fans. Things really started picking up for Behemoth after the release of Satanica which was their departure from their original pure Black Metal sound. If you don’t like the underground, Black Metal isn’t for you! And I guess the underground wasn’t for Behemoth either, despite the fact that most (if not all) fans of their Tr00 Black Metal sound still like them to present. Nevertheless, they have changed into something quite special. That change being the use of musical scales affiliated with the middle-eastern world (specifically Egypt) and lyrics regarding civilizations predating the Ancient Egyptians (hence; Shemsu-Hor). It is correct for one to compare this band to Nile, especially now with Karl Sanders’ guest Guitar appearance at the end of the song “Xul”! But in all honesty, his appearance wasn’t really required, both Nergal and Sanders seem to be on the same page when soloing together so you can’t really determine which one is which. However, the biggest improvement they have made since Zos Kia Cultus is the percussion. About thirty seconds into the first song I was almost ripping apart the liner notes to see who the new Drummer was, only to find it was the same guy they’ve had since their previous release! So I must congratulate Infernos excellent technical skills on this album!

The entire album is quite consistent and no songs feel out of place or inappropriate with the rest of the CD (which enhances the Epic sensations one gets from it), so there aren’t too many that stand out either. But if I had to choose I would say “Conquer All” due to its beautifully melodic solo performed by Nergal, “Slaves Shall Serve” because of its torrid pace and brutality, and finally “The Reign of Shemsu-Hor” because of its Epic qualities, that are, in my opinion, more repetitive than Epic (even though the song has some very memorable moments; mainly the chorus). Nergal’s new Bassist who has taken Novy’s place in the band (Novy was the Bassist on Zos Kia Cultus but was not an official member, only a guest musician), suits the band just fine. Typically, he doesn’t receive too much spotlight much like most Bassists, so all that can be said about him is that he is a decent player because Demigod is Behemoth’s most technical release, and they didn’t fumble once! All of Behemoth’s riffs are derived from Egyptian (and similar areas of the world) scales, and therefore arouse a real sense of cognitive superiority over most Metal bands these days. The riffs are also massive, tormenting and exhausting. Their Guitars sound very similar to Decapitated’s Guitars on “The Negation”. The main difference being, that Nergal’s riffs and patterns are less repetitive and far more exotic and colorful Than Decapitated’s riffs (that do eventually become monotonous). Which is an accurate analogy because both Behemoth and Decapitated are from Poland.

However, Demigod does have a rather unfortunate downside, which is that the album as a whole doesn’t get too fast. It’s as heavy as hell, but the lack of speed drags its credibility through the mud. Much of the reason I consider “Slaves Shall Serve” as one of the best songs on the CD is because it is, in fact, the only song that is satisfyingly fast. Secondly, Nergal’s vocals on Demigod were actually pretty cool, despite what others might say, but my initial problem with it is that many times it overpowers the rest of the music. Sometimes his scream/growls (or bellows) are overwhelming, you can’t even distinguish how the riffs go. The rhythm isn’t lost, though. The percussion on this album was not overproduced – but fairly loud compared to the rest of the elements.

Overall, this is one hell of a Metal album! One or two more fast songs would have gotten them a perfect score, but no biggy! For Behemoth fans, this album will arouse immediate orgasms. For me, it just plain kicked ass. So get used to a more accurate and more melodic Behemoth; I expect nothing but good things from them in the future. Just don’t make mountain out of a molehill.