We Destroy Angels With Sound (Behemoth Satanica - Behemoth)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Behemoth Satanica - Behemoth
Date:	19/02/08 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Convincingly and skilfully heavy, in a mind-melting sense.

Disadvantages: Unfortunate departure from their previous black metal sound to something more concerned with volume.

'Satanica' is the real beginning of Behemoth's modern sound, a completely uninhibited death/black metal hybrid that's saved from becoming relentless, mind-hammering tedium by the few lighter touches of Nergal's lead guitar and those few moments where Inferno's destructive percussion allows the music to be enjoyed rather than physically endured. As I've never been a fan of the more brutal and violent side of extreme metal bands coming to the fore, this is the point at which Behemoth ceases to be an interesting and creative black metal band and more a competitor in the heaviness stakes to be judged by black metal snobs insecure in their masculinity whose list of favourite bands runs according to their heaviness and obvious amount of balls. That said, it's still clear that Behemoth continues to be an interesting band even after the shift of focus, and wincing through the pain I was able to take some enjoyment from this album when it offered something other than a firing squad for my brain.

The heaviness overload is present right from the very start, and as relentless as it may seem at times, there are greater periods of respite than it may first appear. Nergal still lets off some melodic solos that haven't fallen victim to the death metal need for everything to be squealed and discordant to be valid, and the entirety of tracks three and five are slower and less aggressive on the whole, the latter even featuring some clean vocals that border dangerously on singing and hark back to the previous album, obviously making these my preferred songs here. Even the tediously violent tracks have a lot to offer, from admiring Inferno's very impressive kit work (I'm referring to his drumming, rather than his D.I.Y. skills) to the passion in Nergal's roar, now modulated to a growl rather than a harsh rasp to fit more in line with the new direction.

The technical skill is certainly impressive all round, even if it's not my cup of paraffin, and it all seems a hell of a lot better when provided a contrast in less proficient bands seeking the heaviest accolades, Lamb of God for example, whose composition process for a song seems to be hammering a guitar chord in time with a drum blast and then intentionally causing the CD to skip repeatedly for four minutes.

1. Decade of Therion
2. LAM
3. Ceremony of Shiva
4. Of Sephrotic Transformation and Carnality
5. The Sermon to the Hypocrites
6. Starspawn
7. Alchemists Dream
8. Chant for Eschanton 2000

Summary: Behemoth's fourth album (1999).