Album Review: Behemoth

Written By Christian Cole, OOTB Publications

Thirty-four years in and Behemoth is still pedaling out music with a brutality so young and crisp that it’s quite honestly refreshing.

It seems like a lot of metal bands with a long career like these guys dull themselves out over time, or buy into the pop-laced ideologies of metalcore; but, not Behemoth.

The Polish extreme metal, blackened metal giants Behemoth have released their latest 8-song LP The Shit Ov God (Nuclear Blast Records) and it’s a shockingly impressive listen from front to back.

The album kicks off with “The Shadow Elite” and its eerie ambience rolling into machine gun drums and absolutely furious black metal riffage. Immediately, we are welcomed into the pits of despair—common territory for the extreme metal veterans.

The Shit Ov God is an explosive listen with black metal tendencies, while not ever forcing itself into that exact hovel. This is a band that is so clearly in love with their craft, to be 34-years in and still putting out music this brutal is just such a shock and a true tell of character.

The title track is a journey on its own. The background filled with an angelic choir bellowing behind the instrumental, just enough to notice, both well layered and entirely in your face.

My only flack with The Shit Ov God is that it ended too soon for me. I could’ve gone for another 2-3 tracks. But who can really say how much that would benefit the experience?

For being only 8 tracks, it is a perfect listening experience. It is no-holds-barred from front to back. The production is fantastic without feeling too polished, which is so refreshing, as that seems to be a growing trend that takes away so much from the experience in regards to metal.

All in all, Behemoth gave us an absolutely stellar album THREE DECADES into their career and that alone is impressive enough.

Get out this week and get your copy of The Shit Ov God and let it peel back the skin of your face, you won’t hold any regrets.

Rating

3.3/5

Favorite Songs

“The Shit Ov God”

“To Drown the Sun in Wine”

Tracklist

"The Shadow Elite"

"Sowing Salt"

"The Shit Ov God"

"Lvciferaeon"