Behemoth – ‘Opvs Contra Natvram’ CD

When they go for the throat, Behemoth is as vicious as they have ever been, violently surging through ‘Malaria Vulgata’ and ‘Disinheritence’ with a formidable clarity of purpose. But it is in the less blasty moments – where Nergal says the listener is afforded “a breather” – that Behemoth are at their most majestic here.

‘Ov My Herculean Exile’ has an anthemic quality not unlike Satyricon’s ‘Mother North,’ while ‘Off To War!’ is less an act of attrition than its title suggests, a song intended to ensnare the listener and bring them to its cause, rather than beat them into the ground. ‘Thy Becoming Eternal’ is a work of two halves, entering with murderous intent, before a chilling atmosphere descends, and victorious closer ‘Versus Christus’ is a mighty companion piece to ‘O Father, O Satan, O Sun!’ from ‘The Satanist.’

The force with which Behemoth do all this is brilliant. It fuels everything they do with energy so often missing from music this extreme: genuine excitement. And that is the point: to burn incandescently, with the thrill of doing something powerful, artistically having no chains and finding yourself soaring.