Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Behemoth - Demigod - 2005 - Olympic Recordings/Century Media

Track Listing1. Sculpting The Throne Ov Seth 2.Demigod 3.Conquer All 4.The Nephilim Rising 5.Towards Babylon 6.Before Aeons Came 7.Mysterium Coniunctionis (Hermanubis) 8.XUL 9.Slaves Shall Serve 10.The Reign ov Shemsu-Hor

Proving themselves that they are a force to be reckoned with in the genre of Death Metal music comes Krakow Poland’s own “Behemoth”. The release of “Demigod” on Olympic Recordings (a subsidiary of Century Media Records) is a pummeling assault to all of the senses in the most brutal of fashions. The difference between Behemoth and other purveyors of the genre is apparent right off the bat. The band lays down the power as soon as the CD begins for the band holds a stark difference to many others in the technical precision. What I heard on the CD has yet to be matched and clearly they are out to raise the bar on the Death style as much as Dimmu Borgir has raised the expectations of those who follow the Black Metal stuff. Most impressive to me was the intense drumming by Inferno. He holds the record in my book on faster double-bass drums recorded if you ask me. I think he even is faster than the mighty Dave Lombardo of Slayer. Nergal growls with the best of them about the Dark Gods they follow and it is definitely a bleak world they sing of. One expects that in Death Metal after all. The lineup on the CD is rounded out by Orion on bass, and Seth on guitar.

To time it, the record will speed by you faster than you might expect, running a mere ten songs with the longest number being the last (which runs over 8 minutes while others are topped at 3.30). I had some immediate favorites in the thunder and these were perhaps “Demigod”, “Conquer All” and “The Reign” (I am a sucker for epics be they Death or anything else).

The CD is a close amount to what you will see live in concert, and I advise fans of the music to check the band out live if they make a visit. They really do the stuff as fast in concert if not faster. You will quickly be taken by their presence and foreboding power. Enjoy, if you dare.


Rating: 7/10


--Ken Pierce 04.23.05

Behemoth - Demigod (Regain Records 2004) Axeman

Track Listing1. Sculpting the throne ov Seth 2. Demigod 3. Conquer All 4. The Nephilim rising 5. Towards Babylon 6. Before Aeons came 7. Mysterium Coniunctionis (Hermanubis) 8. XUL 9. Slaves shall serve 10. The reign ov Shemsu-Hor

Every album this band puts out seems like it can't be topped, yet serves as a stepping stone when the next opus is released to the masses. Demigod is that true gem that just carries me away to another realm, be it with beautiful acoustic passages or technical brutality. Yes, this album contains it all. Executed perfectly, flawlessly produced, and ingeniously penned. Demigod is a lesson in dynamics as the Middle-Eastern intros really strengthen the grip of the all-out ferocity contained in the backbone of the tunes. Hard to describe, but the the whole thing just "flows". As extreme as the majority of this album is, it never sounds off track and overly chaotic. Everything fits. Melodic soloing, inhuman drumming, epic rhythms, and all-out blasting, melded together with topics of a huge interest to me makes this vye not only for kingship of the death metal throne but also for number one album of 2004!!!

Bottom Line: Jaw-dropping, mesmerizing brutality. I'm floored.

--Axeman 01.06.05