Behemoth - The Satanist review
| Band: | Behemoth |
| Album: | The Satanist |
| Style: | Blackened death metal |
| Release date: | February 2014 |
Disc I
01. Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel
02. Furor Divinus
03. Messe Noire
04. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer
05. Amen
06. The Satanist
07. Ben Sahar
08. In The Absence Ov Light
09. O Father O Satan O Sun!
10. Ludzie Wschodu [Siekiera cover] [Australian bonus]
Disc II [DVD] [deluxe box set version]
01. Live Barbarossa
1 - Intro
2 - Ov Fire And The Void
3 - Demigod
4 - Moonspell Rites
5 - Conquer All
6 - Christians To The Lions
7 - The Seed Ov I
8 - Alas, Lord Is Upon Me
9 - Decade Of ΘΕΡΙΟΝ
10 - At The Left Hand Ov God
11 - Slaves Shall Serve
12 - Chant For ΕΣΧΗΑΤΟΝ 2000
13 - 23 (The Youth Manifesto)
14 - Lucifer
02. The Satanist: Oblivion
Not too many bands could throw a spoken-word, Kenny G sax muzak thing into the middle of a song called "In The Absence Ov Light" and not get laughed away into obscurity. Behemoth can get away with shit like that. They're just too cool to be dismissed. They sound cool and, with a theatrical sense that rivals well over half a Lady Gaga, they LOOK cool. I mean, I'm not gay, but I'd let Nergal and Orion double team me if they still want to.
The Satanist hasn't changed any of that. The already slightly precarious balance between their style and the substance of their music has changed. Since Thelema they've been making some of the most vicious and furious blackened, anti-Christian death metal around, all with an extravagant dramatic flair. With Evangelion they started emphasizing the evil mood creation bits and the ambient bits of their tunes more than they had before. And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing when it came down to it, but the sheer testosterone of what they'd done on their earlier discs did feel a little watered down.
They did what they do and made it work on Evangelion. "Lucifer" is boring, but goddamn is "Shemhamforash" a neck breaker. That balance is almost completely gone here. The Satanist feels a lot like a bunch of "Lucifer"s. Sure, there's still some DM fury, but it seems to come secondary to all the build-ups. And while the build-ups can sound juicy, they never lead to any kind of exploding that's to be expected from the band that gave us The Apostasy not too long ago.
The extreme bits on this get boring quick. Every time you think, "shit, this is about to get good," songs will peter out and fall back into "just wait for it" mode. It either goes back to what feels a lot like filler, or the faster riffs are bland and melodramatic enough that you'll pine for any of their earlier albums, even the overrated ones like Demigod.
None of this is to say these guys are sounding bad necessarily. The mix is robust and the guys still play tightly; Inferno is still distractingly good at what he does and now the bass gets accented more, so Orion's chops are more audible, Nergal's voice is as powerful as ever, and so on. What they've put together here is tedious enough to surprise even their casual fans, in other words. It sounds like the kind of stuff made for expensive music videos, not the other way around.
Highlight: "Amen"
 | Written on 12.02.2014 by Wormdrink's real name is George and he's an American. |
Rating:
10
10
|
Rating: 10 |
What's my favorite scary movie? The Shining. With its subtle, psychological terror and slow-build that only Kubrick can pull off, it's a masterpiece. Sure, I get down with the gore-ridden creature features too. Everything from Evil Dead to Friday the 13th is cool in my book. Why is this relevant? Aliens. Okay, now you are more confused. Let me elaborate further. I think a lot of long-time fans come to a Behemoth album expecting a certain level of violence. Demigod, Thelema.6, Zos Kia Cultus; these classics are the "Aliens" of the Behemoth discography. Explosions, flame-throwers, disembowelment, "Game over man, game over!" I'm right with you, popcorn ready. The Satanist, on the other hand, is "Alien." Swarms of xenomorphs are replaced with a single, lurking threat in the shadows. The emphasis is on tension as each innocent is picked off one by one and dragged to their grim (and unseen) demise. While both styles are equally valid, I find the imagination to be a far darker place than anything directly fed to my senses. Read more ›› |
Comments page 5 / 8
Comments: 215
Visited by: 1028 users
| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by Nick_3f on 14.02.2014 at 15:07  all the article is is a giant pile of irony because Behemoth fall under the "boring and generic" notion that Nergal was himself taking about.
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| Karlabos Meat and Potatos Posts: 5658  |
I agree with Nergal on that thought. And add his band to the set of bands in concern :p
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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| Carrion Misery Posts: 424  |
Written by Daniell on 12.02.2014 at 21:10 Yeah, this has crazy mixed reviews. It only proves to me that no one's opinion matters, but your own. Otherwise you'll stress yourself out over something that is supposed to take stress away. Behemoth revisited some old sounds, mixed them with the new, and made it dark & sinister. That is good fuckin metal to me.
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| mz Posts: 4774  |
Written by Nick_3f on 14.02.2014 at 15:07 what's so wrong with you? Stop acting like a crying fanboy and get your head out of your ass. All that you've said up to now is so ridiculous that I initially doubted if you are serious or not. Here is not Behemoth's fan club and people, including reviewers are allowed to have different opinion form yours. If you think that this review sucks, please explain why and do not bring up something in the vein of your popularity based logic (??) and irrelevant articles elaborated with more of your nonsense. I'd personally find this review very well written and will give this record 5.5.
---- Giving my ears a rest from music.
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 8985  |
I leave for two days and this is what happens.
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| Mork Beskytter Posts: 8  |
Reading this has entertained me to no end. Its funny how people get so angry about one persons opinion as if they are speaking for the masses.
---- "Let The Darkness Guide You Through The Light"
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6061  |
Quote: Chances are, you'll grow to appreciate The Satanist, because your tastes aren't set in stone: Written by wormdrink414 on 23.11.2009 at 06:17
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| LascaillesShroud Posts: 164  |
A lot sure has transpired over this review, I have a feeling this will be one to remember for awhile for sure. I knew from the moment I found this album to score a 100% in my book that others would think the opposite. Are people worried it will tarnish the reputation of the album? If so, aren't the scores of other highly-praising reviews for this album more than enough to balance this *one* bad review?
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| Karlabos Meat and Potatos Posts: 5658 |
I'm gonna vote for this review for drama of the year in the next February.
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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| Opethian Posts: 1729  |
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| Góral Combo Breaker Posts: 490  |
Written by HumanSpirit on 14.02.2014 at 07:24 Come on man, this is not a beauty contest - you don't have to worry about looking good. Feel free to be yourself, but don't insult others. I think some could feel offended, especially reviewer. Everyone is entitled to their own taste, think about it.
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| siyah Posts: 5 |
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6061 |
I seems that some people register on Metalstorm for the sole purpose of complaining about the rating this album got. I'm not sure whether it's funny, or crazy. Or both.
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| Monolithic ♠♠♠ Posts: 668  |
Written by Daniell on 15.02.2014 at 11:50 Honestly, I find it both, whether the rating seems low or high to MSers. 
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| LascaillesShroud Posts: 164 |
Despite my high praise of the album I kind of wish to see what would happen if the album got like a 4 
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| Vombatus Potorro Posts: 2355  |
Written by LascaillesShroud on 15.02.2014 at 16:45 The same thing most likely. Those whining about the rating probably think anything under 8 = shit (a common conception on MS it seems ). I think 6 is quite a bit for this. After all it means it is decent, though the review suggests something worse.
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| Cynic Metalhead Paisa Vich Nasha Posts: 6815  |
Written by LascaillesShroud on 15.02.2014 at 16:45 You guessed the Marcel's rating. Jackpot.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Cynic Metalhead on 15.02.2014 at 20:34 Nope, he didn't. I rated it 5 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Ace Frawley The Spaceman Posts: 1458  |
My rating has increased to an 8. I'm now a big fan of the vocals on this album, as well as the drumming and guitars. And to think, if there wasn't all this attention, I never would have discovered Behemoth. I'm very late in discovering them. But as they say, better late than never. Favourite track is probably "Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer".
---- The sun shines over The Fool...
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| blackmamba Posts: 52 |
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by blackmamba on 17.02.2014 at 04:47 Considering the amount of comments you've posted in this thread, I think at least a small part of you cares.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 8985 |
Written by blackmamba on 17.02.2014 at 04:47 Aaaaaaaand you can keep taking Nergal's dick. What makes your comments any different? ________ Also, I still haven't listened to this
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Elite Posts: 5941  |
After reading all these comments, there's only one thing I can say to all the people who are pissed: make your own review. Seriously, if you don't agree with the 6 that George gave this, then write your own review explaining (logically, not in an immature fanboy sort of way) why this album is so good and why it stuck with you. However, I doubt this will happen, because most people who are butthurt about this seem to just want to bitch about how upset they are that the Staff didn't give their favorite album a high score, rather than taking the time to actually work towards giving a good counteropinion. If you want us to respect your opinion more, offer a worthy written explanation. When you come across as saying "this review sucks because I don't agree with it," you make yourself look like nothing more than a whiny child.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6061 |
This kind of reminds me of my reviews of Kamelot and Dream Theater a few years back. Pages and pages of people angry because my rating was low
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| NikolaFranquelli Account deleted |
NikolaFranquelli
Account deleted Written by Daniell on 17.02.2014 at 09:24 The peoples voice.
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| zwitek Posts: 5 |
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| mz Posts: 4774 |
Written by blackmamba on 17.02.2014 at 04:47 Why this review is a joke?
---- Giving my ears a rest from music.
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| Winterthrone Posts: 289  |
I have nothing to say about the rating because it's an opinion, but this review is just really bad: Not well written (no real intro, overall it looks like a review written by an elementary school kid when you read it), containing a lot of unexplained remarks. Overall the author only makes one negative point (the point about build ups and atmospheric side) but repeats over and over for the rest of the review. I did a french review of THe Satanist for Ondes Chocs and I always listen to the albums I review at least 10 times to be sure I haven't missed anything and take time to explain each of my statements...Some have not the same work ethic.
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| Winterthrone Posts: 289 |
Anyway it seems to me that MS has become a shelter for frustrated hipsters that only love being pretentious and take a shit on what real metal fans love. It is true to say that being high on the charts doesn't mean you are good, but when a vast majority of Metal fans agree on an album well it surely means there is at least one thing that's good about that album that makes it above average. You have to leave a part of your personal tastes aside to be a good reviewer and you have to know what will please Metal fans in general.
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