It’s been a long time coming, but Behemoth’s tenth studio The Satanist is finally here and what an incredible piece of work it is. Nine tracks of absolutely stunning music, you aren’t going to want to miss this.
The album begins triumphantly with Blow Your Trumpets getting things going nicely. Starting with solely guitars, when the drums kick in the atmosphere slowly builds until the point where Nergal’s vocals begin and add even more body to the track. It’s an atmospheric and almost haunting beginning, really setting the album up well and getting things moving, but it’s second track Furor Divinus that picks up the pace. It’s fast and energetic from the get-go and the drums on this one are absolutely mindblowing – utterly relentless in speed and rhythm from start to finish.
Amen sits rather nicely in the middle of the album. There’s a good bit of melody in this one and the vocals for this track are some of the most powerful and meatiest ones of the whole album. The short guitar solo in the middle is also a fantastic slice of noise and slots into the track very well.
The title track is definitely the best track of The Satanist, however. The guitar line is beautifully haunting and there’s a good thick tone throughout. It’s an incredibly striking song that requires a few listens to fully take in because there’s just so much to it. A truly beautiful piece and the standout performance of the album.
Closing with a seven-minute epic O Father O Satan O Sun!, the album is rounded up rather nicely with a lot of showy musicianship and it showcases the sheer musical talent of the four-piece, from the songwriting, to the playing, to the performance.
Behemoth are back and they’ve returned fighting with arguably their best release to date. They’re really on top form and it shows in this all-round extremely satisfying and rewarding piece. As mentioned earlier – this is a release you won’t want to miss.
9/10
