Behemoth -- The Satanist (review)

Artist: Behemoth
Album: The Satanist
Genre: blackened death metal
Year: 2014
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

When Behemoth released their first album since frontman Nergal's successful battle with cancer, there was a massive uproar across the internet.  The Satanist scored pretty high on many peoples' year-end lists for 2014, but I chose to skip over this one.  I never have been a fan of Behemoth.  At the time, I was only familiar with the song "Slaves Shall Serve" and possibly the new single "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel."  Frankly, the Polish black/death giants just were not my cup of tea, but I have finally come around to listening to their latest effort -- three years later... and what an album it is!
The album opens with the aforementioned "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel," which easily has one of the greatest metal riffs ever written.  The song is a constant build-up of tension that finally explodes into a whirlwind of blast beats and guitar leads.  I really like how Behemoth incorporate horns into the composition, as they add a nice atmospheric touch.  "Furor divinus" is a straight blaster that closes with a bang, and "Messe noir" oscillates between atmospheric mid-tempo rumbles and controlled blast beat assaults.
"Ora pro nobis Lucifer" is dominated by rolling double bass drumming and has the most memorable chorus on the whole album.  The band delivers a crushing breakdown and killer guitar solo before transitioning into the next track.  Like "Furor divinus," "Amen" is filled to the brim with high-octane blast beats.  Despite the very straightforward nature of the album so far, the band manages to keep the formula interesting with occasional symphonic elements, a gripping atmosphere, and memorable riffs.
The album's second half sees the band moving in a whole new direction entirely.  The title track brings in stronger rock elements while maintaining the dark atmosphere and death metal intensity.  The guitar solo at the track's climax is easily one of my all-time favorites.  The entire song was clearly built around the solo, as the tension built up during the verses and chorus is finally released in a torrent of notes.  "Ben Sahar" also has a more rock-oriented feel to it, accompanied by choral arrangements that give the track an epic feel.
"In the Absence ov Light" at first seems to be a return to Behemoth's repertoire of blast beats and pure black/death riffage, but an abrupt spoken word passage throws the listener for a loop.  A saxophone and acoustic guitars provide a backdrop for Nergal's monologue, delivered in the Polish tongue.  The final passage of the song consists of a droning, melodic riff accompanied by a mechanical drum build-up.  An intense feeling of despair washes over the listener as the instruments fade into blackness and the final track billows through the speakers.  "O Father O Satan O Sun!" is one of the best album closers I have ever heard.  Nergal layers multiple vocal parts to create a powerful choral effect that melds perfectly with the intense instrumentation.  The final passage seals the package perfectly with another spoken passage.
The Satanist is a powerful composition which explores a number of different ideas over its 44-minute running time.  This record easily rests among the greatest death metal albums of all time.  I am anticipating their next studio effort, but until then you can give this masterpiece a listen on YouTube here.


Rating: 5 / 5
Top Tracks:
The Satanist
Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel
O Father O Satan O Sun!
Furor divinus