Behemoth have come a long way; from their primitive Black Metal origins, to linchpins of the burgeoning Polish extreme underground, and finally to worldwide acclaimed purveyors of Blackened Death Metal. Despite the controversies of the conservative elements in their native land attacking supposedly Satanic bands in recent years, Behemoth have become a force to be reckoned with on the international scene with a string of strong releases that have seen both critical and fan acclaim.
But as we know, the stronger the previous work, the greater the need to surpass it, which since 1999's Satanica, is becoming an increasingly tall order, and for many (including myself) Thelema.6 is probably the high water mark for the band. Yet, there is no doubting the strength of Nergal's single-minded vision for Behemoth... it has worked thus far hasn't it?
From the opening bars of 'Daimonos' you can tell that the production on this album is the best its ever been, the music is tight, and Nergal's vocals sound very strong in the mix – It's worth noting as well that the Nile style Egyptian feel that has been prominent on previous releases is almost gone from this album. 'Shemhamforash' has that strongets Nile feel to it's lead riff, but for the most part it favors more interesting sounds that wind their way through the mix. 'Ov Fire and the Void' is a slightly slower pace but with strong marching riff for a backbone in the vein of 'Volcano' era Satyricon. 'Transmigrating Beyond Realms Ov Amenti' is the suitably Thelemic title that one would expect from the band and with the technical death element and tempo kicked up a notch for it, it makes for epic listening. Continuing on from this 'He Who Breeds Pestilence' keeps the fast and uber-technical feel with keyboard pieces that sound like they were lifted straight from 'Mars' from Holst's The Planets. 'The Seed Ov I' is a little more stripped back by Behemoth's standards, sounding a little like Vader at times - rather than stalling the momentum of the album like you might think it would, it instead feels like a little added variety to the sound of the rest of the tracks. 'Alas, The Lord is Upon Me' is a slower paced but undoubtedly epic track that has a bit of everything that the band is comprised of and, for me, it is probably one of Behemoth's best. 'Defiling Morality Ov Black God' feels like a bit of a back step initially, but after finishing at only 2 minutes and fifty seconds and featuring some interesting guitar work I was compelled to give it a second listen. 'Lucifer' completes the album in the same way a wax seal on an ancient scroll completes it – if 'Alas, The Lord is Upon Me' is Behemoth's true self at it most subtle, then this is Behemoth at it's most unbound – at just over eight minutes it is nothing but fitting.
What Behemoth seem to do is rather than make an album, they create a sonic manifesto to push themselves to create the most technical and intellectual albums they can, and to say sod to all the 'Genre Nazis' who would otherwise deny the band's growth and lust for experimentation. This inevitably gives Behemoth releases a familiar and very visceral feel to the sound that slithers from your speakers. 'But where does Evangelion fit in?' I hear you ask dear reader... well to put it simply; if The Apostacy was Behemoth raising their standards, then Evangelion is all out war.
http://www.behemoth.pl
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