Metalcatto
We have unfinished business with Behemoth, and as we prepare for The Sh@t ov God to be smeared all over us, let’s continue this journey through its discography. If you haven’t read the first half, click here! Now, without further ado, let’s jump into the best half of this band’s catalogue — the one filled with actual legendary work!
5. Zos Kia Cultus (Here and Beyond)
Perhaps Behemoth’s most Death Metal album. I wouldn’t call it groovy, but the band does slow things down a bit and explores the range of its own heaviness — which, for the most part, is engaging and shows how diverse Behemoth could become. My only real complaint is how unidirectional the album is. It’s a non-stop onslaught of blast beats and sick riffs that could have used some of the subtleties the band had developed earlier — and would perfect later. At this point, there’s nothing left of the old Norwegian Black Metal wannabe act.
4. The Apostasy
An album that had the tragic luck of being the follow-up to Demigod. Honestly, this album slays! It’s full of potency, energy, and tasteful use of less conventional instruments in Metal. It’s another great exercise in balance between all the faces Behemoth had shown up until that time. If anything, I can only fault it for being Demigod 2.0 — which means it lacked the same sharpened songwriting. Yet, I don’t blame the band. The Apostasy still offers an album willing to adjust the winning formula without sacrificing the essence of what made it work.
3. Evangelion
First of all, I love the artwork here. For me, the hardest part was putting this above The Apostasy, but I did it based on how many iconic songs are found here. “Daimonos”, “Ov Fire and the Void”, and “Lucifer” are great examples of doing almost the same thing as before — just with more catchiness. The riffs in Evangelion stuck with me long after I was done listening. It was also my introduction to Behemoth, so it had to rank this high, even if it’s for nostalgic reasons. Yes, the brutality slows down a bit compared to earlier works, but the fun and “evil” are still fully intact.
2. Demigod
I’m going to get some boos for this one. It was almost impossible to choose between the last two albums. This is the one that showed us Behemoth could practically invent its own style of extreme Metal. Whatever had been missing in its songwriting reached perfection here. Also — it’s just inhumanly heavy. Those vocals are straight from hell. This is an iconic album that still sounds fresh, and it probably contains some of the band’s most legendary riffs. Even the edginess takes a back seat because this record doesn’t need to try — it is one of the most infernal musical experiences anyone could have. Not for the faint of heart!
1. The Satanist
Before you hate me, let me explain. These last two albums are equally great and historically meaningful. But I chose The Satanist because it showcases everything Behemoth had done before — at its best. The brutality, the melodrama, the fusion of styles, excellent pacing, even the edge — it’s all great. Most bands would kill to have one 5.0/5.0 album in their catalogue, let alone two. That’s why it’s been nearly impossible for Behemoth to follow up on a formula that took over 20 years to perfect. And yet, I try not to be mad — just grateful. After all the trial and error, and Nergal literally beating leukemia, all that pain culminated in this monument to extreme Metal that amazes to this day.
So that’s it! Stay tuned — because The Sh@t ov God review is coming out soon!
Metal Eclipse Reviews 
1 comment