Behemoth - I Loved You At Your Darkest review
| Band: | Behemoth |
| Album: | I Loved You At Your Darkest |
| Style: | Blackened death metal |
| Release date: | October 05, 2018 |
| A review by: | nikarg |
01. Solve
02. Wolves Ov Siberia
03. God = Dog
04. Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica
05. Bartzabel
06. If Crucifixion Was Not Enough...
07. Angelvs XIII
08. Sabbath Mater
09. Havohej Pantocrator
10. Rom 5:8
11. We Are The Next 1000 Years
12. Coagvla
With ten full-lengths under their belt, all more or less acclaimed within the extreme metal community, Behemoth have nothing to prove to anyone. Throughout the band's long career any experimentation and progress from album to album was somewhat restrained and given in small, manageable doses. As a result the fans never really felt "alienated" or "betrayed". With their eleventh opus, I Loved You At Your Darkest or ILYAYD for short, Behemoth have come up with what is bound to be their most divisive release ever.
Satanica was my most appreciated record by the band until The Satanist came out. The fact that Nergal managed to overcome his illness and offer us such a refreshing and relatively diverse piece of music was a remarkable feat. In ILYAYD the band is further expanding the sound and scope of The Satanist and embrace an even darker, creepier atmosphere.
And it is more black metal than death metal. Hooray! (or "Hail Satan!", you choose).
ILYAYD is positively influenced by Nergal's dark/neofolk project, Me And That Man. It is not afraid to showcase clean vocals, ecclesiastical chanting (a Batushka influence maybe?), children's choirs, melodic/atmospheric passages and orchestral grandeur to communicate its blasphemous message. It is an excellent choice to introduce someone to extreme metal but at the same time it will appeal to those who have grown tired of the "let's-blastbeat-the-listener-to-death" attitude.
Blastbeats are there of course since this is a Behemoth album above all and Inferno shows that he is among the best in the business in "Wolves Of Siberia" and "Angelus XVIII". But it is the chanting in the chorus of "Bartzabel" that will get you hooked. It is the blending of Fields Of The Nephilim-styled goth with black metal in "If Crucifixion Was Not Enough…" that will bring you to a state of depressive bliss (yes, I know it's an oxymoron). It is the dark atmospheric melodies of "Havohej Pantocrator" - the twin diabolic brother of "O Father O Satan O Sun!" - that will escort you to the depths of hell. It is the precision and quirkiness of "Sabbath Mater" that will convince you that this is Behemoth at their peak and their most mature and, finally, it is the orchestral elation of the closer "Coagvla", that will bring you in touch with the divine, whatever that means for everyone. All that said, it is undeniable that the children's choir, heard in the opener "Solve" and replayed in "God = Dog", balances between creepiness and cheesiness but in the end I found that it doesn't sound out of place at all; instead, it peculiarly fits in perfectly.
I get that Nergal comes across more and more as a pretentious primadonna and that all this media exposure probably harms the band more than it does them any good but the music is what's important here and I Loved You At Your Darkest undoubtedly impresses in this department. Its instrumentation is impeccable. The production is top-notch. Its replay value is extremely high, in fact I think this is the band's most addictive album.
ILYAYD is Behemoth at their least brutal but also at their darkest. And I, for one, love them at their darkest.
"Let it be forever heard
We lost our Eden to own the world
Let it be forever known
We lost our battle to win the war"
 | Written on 11.10.2018 by Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud! |
Comments
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| tiny dog ghosts Posts: 101  |
I think it's my favourite Behemoth album, as someone who struggles with traditional black metal. It's real clever and mixes in a shitload of different vibes. Good stuff, and great review.
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| Lord Slothrop Posts: 411  |
This is easily the most divisive album of their career, at least until Nergal decides to take them in a 70's prog rock direction.  I think The Satanist is still the better of the two, but this one continues to grow on me. Good review.
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| Malignar Posts: 285 |
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7351  |
@tiny dog ghosts: it is a great album for those who struggle with traditional black metal. @Lord Slothrop: I should have written "so far" instead of "ever" but I'll leave like that and we'll see what Nergal will come up with next. The Satanist remains my favourite Behemoth album. @Malignar: I had written that their more death metal mid era was so not so appealing to me either and felt a bit samey but in the end I omitted the phrase from the review because it was getting too long
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989  |
I don't understand how this is the "most divisive of their career" exactly, seems like you're just seeing unbridled praise for and adoration of it as per usual whenever this group drops a release. I've yet to see any significantly negative feedback on it
---- 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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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7351 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 11.10.2018 at 14:37 Most reviews are indeed positive but if you check out the fans' comments on the band's YouTube videos you'll see what I mean 
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by nikarg on 11.10.2018 at 15:23 Well that's YouTube, of course. Whole nother ball game there 
---- 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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| Opethian Posts: 1757  |
Glad I decided to step out of my comfort zone for this release and to be honest I didn't do that for their 2014 release. Congratulations Behemoth! and cheers from Colorado 
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6101  |
Written by nikarg on 11.10.2018 at 15:23 Why read this cesspool? I never ever read youtube comments.
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| RaduP CertifiedHipster Staff Posts: 9030  |
Written by Daniell on 11.10.2018 at 20:16 Even Pornhub comments are more thoughtful and Pornhub comments are 9gag jokes
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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| RaduP CertifiedHipster Staff Posts: 9030 |
Quote: Y'all seen this, right?
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7351 |
Reading YouTube comments on videos is one of my two favourite pastimes on the net. The other is reading Bad English's submitted news before they get edited by Ana (no offense BE).
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| Mercurial Posts: 1175  |
Written by nikarg on 12.10.2018 at 00:35 YouTube comments are some kind of new form of comedy a lot of the time. Much of it is offensive whining but there's some hilarious random humour on the there.
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| Lord Slothrop Posts: 411 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 11.10.2018 at 14:37 From my point of view the divisive statement comes from some reviewers I follow (Flight of Icarus called it their worst album yet, not that he did't like parts of it), comments from a couple of friends and lots of shit talking on the internet. But you're correct that most reviewers are giving it high marks.
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6101 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 11.10.2018 at 14:37 Hmmm, could be that all their albums deserve praise? Even if a person like you and me doesn't necessarily love all those albums equally. Let me give you an example from another field. I strongly dislike Leonardo DiCaprio. There is something about him that I can't stomach. But he is a brilliant actor, capable of completely transforming himself into a character he plays. If it were up to me to decide, he'd already have 4-5 Oscars. I can look at the guy, despite my dislike for him, and appreciate the quality of his work.
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7351 |
Written by Daniell on 12.10.2018 at 09:53 I completely agree with the point and the example is very good. You can always appreciate something even if it's not your cup of tea. But I don't think Che was asking himself why Behemoth get so much praise with every album they release; I think he was wondering where I saw the "divisiveness" I mentioned in the review. Anyway, he will answer that. [off-topic mode on]I also hate Leo with passion but I admit he's a good actor. 4-5 Oscars is a stretch though, he has one and it's more or less enough. And the whole discussion and drama before he eventually got it for the Revenant that "it's unfair for DiCaprio to not have an Oscar yet" was ridiculous. I mean Al Pacino also has one (and he was nominated for two Oscars the year he won it) and he should have had 3 just in the 70s. And there is a not-so-short list of better actors than Leo who don't have an Oscar yet.[off-topic mode off]
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Daniell on 12.10.2018 at 09:53 I honestly don't hate Behemoth, as much as some of my comments around here may imply, I just consider them very overrated. They have good ideas, but there's just something about Nergal's provocative, confrontational personality as well as the fact that I just think there are bands that do what they attempt far better that generally turns me away. There are certainly worse bands out there in the metal spectrum though, that's for sure
---- 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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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7562  |
Written by nikarg on 12.10.2018 at 00:35 Damn, you got a lot of time on your hands. Be my assistant and control my schedule. I'll pay you new CDs of your choices.
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7351 |
Quote:Quote: I'll pass  I can buy my own music, hell I could probably even buy you if I wanted to
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7562 |
Quote:Quote:Written by nikarg on 12.10.2018 at 13:24 Deal. In return, I'll give you my nudes.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
I folded and gave this a good listen last night. Well... it's not terrible, and I can see why some are praising it as being a more original twist for the band because it has more of a black metal sound and even a bit of Gothic influence... indeed, I do hear both of those here. At the same time though, I dunno, I guess I just feel there are too many other bands out there that do what Behemoth do better for me to really give them too much attention. Plus the whole blasphemy thing is just way too cheese in my book, and honestly I think I'd be able to get at least slightly more into Behemoth if they just dropped that theme and went for something more interesting and less overdone. To each their own, though!
---- 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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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7562 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 15.10.2018 at 20:58 How can you expect that from Nergal? That's blasphemous!
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7351 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 15.10.2018 at 20:58 I agree but in a way it has been their image for so long, I can't picture them doing anything else. That said, Akercocke attempted a brilliant shift with their latest album in terms of lyrics and image (and music) and it didn't feel weird to me. They had a 10-year break before doing that though..
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by nikarg on 17.10.2018 at 09:57 That's a fair point then I guess, "don't fix what aint broke," ya know? I dunno though.... not a horrendous album, this, but I think I'll still just be comfortable sticking with the Satanica - Zos Kia Cultus albums. That was Behemoth at their best in my book
---- 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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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 17.10.2018 at 15:00 100% agreed. That era is where Behemoth shines.
---- 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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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.10.2018 at 15:28 Also really dig some of their older black metal albums as well. I've seen people say they're not that special or original but I actually have to disagree there, think the sound of some of them was actually quite unique for what else was going on in BM at that time. Grom especially
---- 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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| BiffMalibu Posts: 5  |
While I think the Satanist is the better record, this is also great in it's own right. There's always gonna be some pushback from hard core fans when a band's sound matures and doesn't release the same record over and over again which is what some fans want I guess. Just caught these guys a couple weeks ago with At the Gates and Wolves in the Throne Room....awesome show. Definitely don't miss. Behemoth was on point but a couple songs were a bit muddy, it must be hard playing with those huge headpieces on their heads. At the Gates nearly stole the show tho.
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| trzyszostki Account deleted |
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| Mehrad Posts: 653  |
Quote:Quote:  )))))))))))))))))))
---- Ride a horse that's cleaving through the air and space of dreams.
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