Demigod

***Please read this review as a suggestion. I’m not some conspiracy theorist, and I’ve not talked to any members of Behemoth for clarification of this album. I’ve been pondering whether I should write this review for a very long time due to the amount of reviews already received, but hopefully this will add more than what’s already been discussed.***

I'm getting really sick of the death metal scene. Death metal is a genre that has become too bland, too straightforward, and way too one dimensional. In order to find a death metal band that the listener enjoys these days, the listener needs to discover certain riffs or songs that spike for him or her. Blood Red Throne, for example, has a lot of riffs that just work for me, while all my other friends cannot stand their repetition. Cannibal Corpse all sounds so bland to me, but a considerably large amount of people enjoy them. However, both Blood Red Throne and Cannibal Corpse go after the exact same aesthetic; let's be loud, create "badass" riffs and try to fit into the extreme category of music. On the surface, Behemoth's Demigod may be the same thing. However, if one were to look into this album a little bit further, there's so much more going on that it forces further examination.

I don't know if Behemoth will ever make a better album than this. It's as if Zos Kia Cultus pushed the boundaries of their music and Demigod was an outrage of their creativity. Every song is a death metal song, with riffs that just might "spike" for you and some riffs that just move the song along for you while others find a huge enjoyment in that particular part. However, all the melodies on this album mean so much more than just pure ear candy. With this album, everything seems very thought out. Nergal and Seth both do a fine job with harmonization, as if they are playing catch with the melody. On Demigod, there's no "lead guitar". There are the guitarists that work together and cannot sound like anything worth a damn without the other. With this element, Demigod is now emancipated from the one dimensional sound that most of the death metal genre is filled with.

The riffs create a very thick sound, employing lots of chugging and great bass backup by Orion. While the drums focus on the speed of the album, the guitars take their time with the riffs. There are a few songs such as “Towards Babylon” that even the riffs speed up on, but overall the melodies on this album just move a hell of a lot slower than most death metal bands.

Inferno's drumming, however, is handled the complete opposite. Without his drumming, the sound wouldn't be nearly as aggressive as it is. His drumming is handled under great control with a ton of speed. The double bass isn't triggered (thank god), but it backs up the guitars very well. His drum fills work very well with the melodies, putting even more emphasis on the aggressive nature of this album. The overall sound on his set is very acoustic, creating a tribal feeling to the percussion. You can tell it's a purposeful thing that he's doing, to create that sound of antiquity that Behemoth has been generally known for.


Nergals vocal performance is a hit or miss with most people, and for that reason alone they need to be a bit more examined to be appreciated. It is obvious that the multi layered tracks that Nergal shrieks out puts the icing on the cake for brutality, but I get the feeling that there's a whole lot more to his vocals than just an aggressive punch. This album is titled Demigod. Demigods are a half god and half human species in Greek mythology. Being only half human, is it a species that humans can truly relate to at a human level? There’s a whole other half, a godly half to this creature that humans don’t understand. This is what Nergal depicts. His voice isn’t human, and will never be replicated by one human being. Yes, the vocal tracks are multi layered; but in the realm of expression it is one; the voice of a demigod. To top it all off, his lyrics talk a great deal about becoming something more than “mortal”. Just read the lyrics to Conquer All, Demigod, Slaves Shall Serve, or Mysterium Coniunctionis. While perhaps the main ideas behind this albums lyrics differ from one another at the base, the main theme that revolves around each set of lyrics is becoming the demigod. That is where this album becomes a work of fascination, because almost everything comes together at this point of illumination.

The guitars, the drums, the vocals; they work together to create a fantastic piece of art; the concept of a demigod. As stated earlier, the guitars move slowly, because the demigod of ultra-omnipotence moves just like that. The drums play loud, fast and aggressively to further develop the aggressive nature of the demigod, while the vocals illustrate the mighty voice of it. This being said, I could not see this expression in any better form than in the form of a death metal album. No other genre of music has ever been as loud and aggressive while still maintaining the stability of melody other than death metal. However, I stated in the beginning of the review that I’m sick of the death metal genre. Well, if more death metal was played like this, with a more innovative aesthetic in mind (much like black metal bands tend to do), perhaps I would start listening to more of it again.

If you are looking for the prime example of what Behemoth’s sounds like at their prime of modern death metal, look no further than the magnificent piece of art by the name of Demigod. This is by far one of the greatest pieces of music I’ve ever came across.