Demigod

Warning! It’s taken me over a year to actually comprehend this, but “Demigod” is as near perfection as an album can be. Behemoth has taken the final step towards the elite within the metal genre, and in my book, they’re T-H-E band to look out for.

As I’m still confused over the whole progress of this band, and as I could not see this coming, their latest offering has literally put me in a trance. Rising very slowly from their (very) underproduced first albums, journeying over progression all the time with better production & more clever song-writing seems to really have paid off. Everything about this album is pretty much perfected from the beginning to the end. Whereas they developed over the years to a more talented band, here’s where they took it to the next level.

The vocals seem to have changed the most, and Nergal has without a doubt put an enormous amount of thought into this department. He now whips out darker screams than ever before, and while most of it surely isn’t effect-less, he’s developed a whole new style to it. Everything this band plays nowadays has been sped up times two compared to older material. “Zos Kia Cultus” (also a great album) was not the fastest album this band has created nor was it slow, but “Demigod” surpasses it on every level possible. The riffing, for instance, is quite more complex and thought through. More than once, my thoughts have told me Behemoth can’t make things better than they really are, but I’m glad to be proven wrong about that fact. Seth and Nergal make a good pair, and both deserve an equal amount of respect for this recording. They even share the solos, something I think is quite wise. How much part everyone in the band took part of the actual song-writing, I don’t know, but I’ve always seen Nergal as the head figure of the band.

This whole experience is quite overwhelming… Maybe not at first, but it definitely grows on you. The main reason for this is that they’ve pretty much invented a whole new style. Opener “Sculpting the throne ov Seth” bashes you instantly to the ground with its whole new concept, where the chorus introduces it fully. “Before Aeons Came” & “Slaves Shall Serve” are the only tracks on here which they had possible been able to write for another album, as they build equally on their trademark-style as the new. The last-mentioned one is the catchiest tune on the album, and they’re also releasing an E.P. under the same name as the song. “Demigod” (the track) features an odd, but good intro which slowly transforms into a good-as-hell song. “Conquer All” is twice the masterpiece its contender “Horns ov Baphomet” (off of Zos Kia Cultus) ever was, and “The Reign of Shemsu – Hor” closes the album with an absolute standpoint proving they will be back for more. Nothing wrong with the songs then, so how about the production? Refer to the score I gave this album. A whole record with bad production couldn’t possibly earn 99 points, would it? Correctomundo! It all fits very well together, and they must’ve used one hell of a compressor on the final mix, because it’s tight as hell and really compact. All the sound levels are excellent. Need I say more?

A standing ovation would be the only way to describe the drumming. “Inferno” will almost certainly become an icon for future drummers. He plays so fast and accurately to this music that I’m very surprised he’s not been praised and honoured in magazines etc. where comparable drummers always are. It has probably taken a long time recording this as it is very complex, and because of the variation between drum-patterns.

Enough has already been said about this splendid work of art. It is a hell of an experience and you won’t be dissatisfied after a couple of listening-sessions through the best album of 2004! Crystal-clear production, masterful musicians and a hell of a ride. What are you waiting for? Buy it or steal it, whatever you can, but once you do, try to really relax and kick your feet up on the table, grab a sweatband and get ready for a pair of shit-stained pants ready to be washed, because Behemoth WILL totally make you shit your pants… and change your musical taste forever.