Opvs Contra Natvram

Behemoth is a band that has been on the rise for the past decade. Indeed, some would say that they managed to reach a public consciousness comparable to Cannibal Corpse, Mayhem or Death. Many will attribute this explosion in popularity to their tenth album ''The Satanist'' released in 2014, judged by many rock and metal media as one of the best metal albums of the decade, appearing at number 1 in Loudwire and Consequence of Sound magazine, number 4 in metal-archives.com, number 9 in Revolver magazine and number 10 in Louder Sound magazine. Others will attribute the Polish band's rise in popularity to the increased presence of singer, guitarist and front man, Nergal, in the world of social networking. Either way, Behemoth is a band that has gained immense notoriety and therefore, judging the release of a twelfth album without comparing it to "The Satanist" is a challenge. However, before starting the review itself it is important to contextualize "Opvs Contra Natvram".

Behemoth, formed in 1992, has known only two phases throughout their discography. The first of them, covering from 1992 to 1997, can be described as Norwegian-style black metal. It is from their third album, ''Pandemonic Incantations'', released in 1998 that Behemoth innovated and created a style mixing death metal and black metal, thus marking the beginning of their second phase. Each album from 1998 to 2015 were highly praised by critics and cemented this new style of black/death metal. However, their eleventh album, ''I Loved You At Your Darkest'', was heavily criticised and was considered by many as Behemoth’s first mediocre album. It is thus following this highly criticized album that "Opvs Contra Natvram" was released.

The new opus of Behemoth relies more on a symphonic aspect of their music than the first albums of their black/death metal phase. Indeed, the addition of congregation-like choirs in the songs ''The Deatless Sun'', ''Vervs Christvs'' and ''Thy Becoming Eternal'' amplify the satanic atmosphere of the Polish band. Of course, the use of this type of singing reminds us of the last composition on the album ''The Satanist'', ''O Father O Satan O Sun''. Although other pieces such as "Neo-Spartacvs" and "Disinheritance" did not include a choral, the presence of keyboards during these compositions gives the album a feeling of grandiosity. Thus, through its five compositions, we see a desire for Behemoth to recapture the sound perfected during their 2014 album.

Although this album is obviously presented as the logical continuation of "The Satanist", there are still some elements, inspired by the heavy metal style that can be rather associated with "I Loved You At Your Darkest". The compositions ''Once Upon a Pale Horse'', ''Off to War!'' and ''Thy Becoming Eternal'' are the most repetitive and predictable pieces of the album. However, we can find all the characteristic power of the Death/Black metal popularized by Behemoth.

Finally, in terms of influences, black metal is always present, although it is more often intertwined with death metal. The song ''Malaria Vvgata'' is certainly the composition that is closer to the music popularized by the Norwegians in the early 90s.

All in all, "Opvs Contra Natvram" is certainly a return to death/black metal reminiscent of "The Satanist", but some elements related to heavy metal of the type found in "I Loved You At Your Darkest" are still present. For any fan of black/death metal, this is an interesting album, but for those who are looking for a sound that pushes the limits established in 2014 with "The Satanist", they will be disappointed. What is certain is that Behemoth are on a more promising path following ''Opvs Contra Natvram'' than they were after their 2018 album.

Originally written in french for www.metalalliance.ch and english for www.metalbite.com