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Right, let’s just get this out of the way right now; The Shit Ov God is a terrible, terrible name for an album. English might not be Nergal’s first language so we’ll give him some leeway there, but it is astonishing that no-one in the band or their immediate circle could convince him not to use it. Somewhat appropriately, the title track is also the most cringeworthy song on BEHEMOTH’s thirteenth studio album, starting with an embarrassingly awkward chant and never recovering. The band’s attempts at being provocative feels forced and childish, and if you’ve spent more than ten minutes in the extreme metal world, or had sexual intercourse before, it almost feels like the black metal equivalent of the crudest BLINK-182 song.
It’s a tremendous relief then that the rest of BEHEMOTH’s latest is actually really good. Nergal’s continuing feud with the Catholic Church and foot-in-mouth tendencies have been a major distraction in recent years, but BEHEMOTH are still a creative force capable of producing kick-ass metal. The Shit Ov God isn’t on the same level as their all-conquering 2014 masterpiece The Satanist, but it more than holds its own against other career highlights like 2004’s Demigod.
Opening track, The Shadow Elite for example is an instant hit. It’s fast, heavy, and has a sense of grandeur that a lot of their contemporaries can only dream of. BEHEMOTH aren’t a symphonic band, but this is rich, opulent, blackened death metal and a timely reminder that even the most brutal music can be irresistibly catchy. At the opposite end of the track list, the closing duo of O, Venvs Come and Avgvr (The Dread Vvltvre) are an epic finale. The former is a brooding and ominous slice of atmospheric damnation, while the latter is a fast and unrelenting neck-wrecker which ends things on an adrenaline-fuelled high. You know that bit in NOPE where all those innocent people get dragged into the UFO? That’s what this is like, except the Devil’s there too.
In BEHEMOTH’s favour, it’s also surprisingly accessible. They’ve got a keen understanding of dynamics that makes songs like Lvciferaeon very easy to get into, even as a storm of riffs and blast beats rains fire from the heavens. BEHEMOTH might be purveyors of extreme music, but they’re also a natural progression for any teenage headbangers who like MACHINE HEAD and LAMB OF GOD and are looking to graduate to something darker. Make no mistake, this music is as savage as a hyena with rabies tearing apart a tourist who got lost on a safari, but it wouldn’t be out of place in an arena.
So, while Nergal might be rapidly turning into a meme, BEHEMOTH are still a powerhouse who can create music that’s as engaging as it is dark matter heavy. It remains to be seen as to whether they’ll ever make anything as astonishing as The Satanist again, but they’ve got more than their fair share of Luciferian anthems left in the tank. Thank heavens though, we can now easily get albums online and don’t have to quietly ask an HMV employee if they’ve got any copies of The Shit Ov God in stock.
Rating: 8/10
The Shit Ov God is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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The post ALBUM REVIEW: The Shit Ov God – Behemoth appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
