Review by Mandeep Arora on June 23, 2025.

Behemoth has been around for more than three decades now and their first studio album completes thirty years next year. Wow. That's pretty long for a band that always gave the impression of being one of the newer ones that's never quite talked about in the same breath as other exalted company like Mayhem, Emperor, or Dissection. Spearheaded by one Adam Nergal Darski, who's ferociously led the band to make it a widespread and rather successful extreme metal venture, the band hasn't had a major lineup change in over two decades. There was a time, not very long ago, when I could see him just about everywhere on my social media feed. He'd talk about seemingly everything under the sun and consequently turned a section of the metal community against him for his not-very-flattering way of emoting things, things that are supposedly "not metal enough". I think it'd be absurd to delve any further into that rabbit hole, so I'll stop. There's another very good reason for this backlash and it's the band's shifting sound of late, towards the more approachable end of the extreme metal spectrum with less chaos, super-artsy music videos, and some immaculate production qualities. This newfound focus on the visual aesthetic and easy-going sound has indeed been at the detriment of the music, sometimes, but Behemoth nevertheless marches on to carve a new niche for itself in the modern day, undeterred by critics or naysayers.

Personally, I’ve always liked and appreciated them rather than outright love and celebrate them. Like, I’ve never made a voluntary attempt to scour their albums out of an aching desire or longing, but listened to their entire discography I have. The general sound - intense, unapologetic, distinct - for all its rhythmic abilities, descends into mindless maelstrom more often than not, a bit much for my now weary and jaded palette. That does not stop me, however, from heaping praise on what I think is a fantastic album in 'The Satanist'. Their earlier albums are good at embodying what fusing death and black metal elements on a uniform basis can sound like, but this is where everything comes along. Beautifully. I think it's their best album by a long shot and also one of the finest modern-day extreme metal albums. An absolute riot. The instrumentation is quite eclectic by blackened death metal standards and the compositions aren’t convoluted or treacherous while being dynamic at the same time. I like that sort of a balance.

To start things off, we have 'Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel', a quite formidable title for a song. Now I may be wrong here but I think this is the earliest example of their convoluted but immaculately produced music videos which kicked off an entire trend of countless similar ones years and years on. It’s also the most dynamically intricate song here, with a foreboding intro that opens up a spectacular expanse of shifting structures, atmospheric riffs, and relentless blast beats. Right from the outset, you're going to appreciate the thick bassy undertone and its omnipotence throughout the album; Orion produces groovy and delicious basslines that are well-pronounced in both the heavier and restrained sections. I personally appreciate a polished sounding extreme metal record where I can hear all the instruments and not guess what's happening where. The drums are the big star: absolutely monstrous and elevated to a new performance high thanks to the relentless and endless use of thunderous blast beats. But it's not the cacophonous racket of noise that we've come to associate them with. Rather, Inferno's like a drum monster who does not know the word slack and keeps thrusting one great fill after another and has an excellent command on his hand-foot coordination, making the whole process seem unreal yet effortless. All this offers such fantastic sonic entertainment that it raises the hairs on your nape in their most upright position. My only grouse, minor as it may be, is that I wish the drums were a notch louder in the mix. Mind you, they sound fantastic, but an added heft to the snares would have sounded heavenly. Or helish, because it's Behemoth.

The whole atmosphere on the album is sinistrous and foreboding, like something bad is about to happen, or at least the first half of it embodies that feeling; the later few songs resort to medium-paced chugging and can be deemed as a heady mix of catchy mainstream-sounding choruses and esoteric elements from extreme metal's arcane domains. The guitars sound ominous and unholy, but also propely melodic. In fact, there's a strong emphasis on melodism that's mostly evident on the thoughtful and nicely arranged guitar solos, with a good ebb and flow to them as opposed to being haphazardly thrown together. I think Behemoth have always had strong melodies incorporated into their sound, with varying levels of presence of course. I’m a huge fan of Nergal's raw and growly vocal delivery too, and it does not take center stage this time, a rather welcome and appreciable decision. There's a polish and a certain depth to the compositions, a coherence to how everything's come together; if something's kept simple for objective reasons, like to facilitate the album flow, it's not at the expense of anything sounding dull or humdrum. Case in point being the album closer 'O Father O Satan O Sun!' - a very popular song of theirs that adopts a fairly simple compositional approach; longer, slower, and with more atmosphere-laden elements than being an outright riff-fest. This can make it seem a bit vapid in isolation, but listen to it as part of the entire package and you'll realise just how appropriately and dramatically it ends the album. Some songs are meant to be listened to as part of the album and not in isolation; this is one of those songs.

This was Behemoth’s first album after Nergal's triumph over leukemia, and what a way to get back into the mix of things. Never one to shy, his lyrical matter is still quite brazen and immodest, but the general writing is more straightforward Satan worship than burrowing into mythological or historical references. The Polish monologue we hear on 'In the Absence ov Light' is an added element that actually enhances the feel of the song and sounds quite organic about how it fits into all the chaos. Upon translation, I realise it's the only lyrical piece that strikes a strong chord with me, making me wish for more such deftly written monologues. Sonically speaking, I agree that 'The Satanist' does not have the brickwall effect of its predecessors, and it's not as fast, but it still booms out a barrel-chested soundtrack as befits an album of this theme and demeanour. And there are definitely many moments where it doesn't seem as pared back as some suggest it to be. A cleaner, more cohesive sound can be the demise of all character for some, but I think otherwise and appreciate a neat production, asserting that the band members have matured as musicians and substituted obtrusive brashness for actual ideas. To me, Behemoth as a band peaked here with their musical talent and abilities - there's a newfound maturity to the sound with strong hints of their past flourishes, a healthy equilibrium. This new direction may have turned away a few hardcore fans, but it also brought in new ones like myself. And it makes me genuinely happy to behold this feeling. Highly recommended.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Adam M on January 10, 2018.

Behemoth has decided on an entirely different sound with The Satanist. Instead of the usual death metal flavor, a more black metal approach is added that can be sensed right from the first track Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel.  The songs have a decidedly slower, more evil sound to them. This isn’t to say that some passages aren’t quick, but the band has tried to achieve a more evil atmosphere by slowing things down a tad. This would be good if I was a black metal fan, but I’m generally a bigger fan of death metal and the change really struck me the wrong way.

Don’t get me wrong, there are memorable portions to this disc and the entire affair has a very strong atmosphere, but I believe the band is more exciting when in death metal mode. The blasting on the drums isn’t as severe as it was on their previous album, Evangelion and that is the album I prefer from the band. Slowing things down does signal evolution and it’s good for the band to step out of their comfort zone and try for something different. It’s only unfortunate that the black metal path is the one the band choses to tread because I would have liked to have seen them innovate more within the confines of death metal. There is a decidedly strong atmosphere to the songs on this album and it is entirely worth of the name The Satanist.

The guitars are used to build up this aura rather than bludgeon the listener and the result is an album that adds variety to the catalogue of Behemoth. I still like the band and welcome the change of direction, even if it isn’t the type of music I’d like to see them perform. I’ll take Evangelion over this album any day, though it is a fairly worthy follow-up.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Krys on February 7, 2014.

I'll be the first one to admit that after listening to a single 'Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel' for a very first time I had mixed feelings about Behemoth's upcoming offering. I doubted the sound, tempo and overall direction of the band. As a single track it confused and scared me but at this same time I knew it was also taken out of context and it didn't paint the full picture of the album. At least that's what I was telling myself… All this was quickly put to rest after listening to the full album where everything started to fall or more like tumble into place and make one cohesive piece.

I really didn't want to bring Nergal's encounter with leukemia into this review but something along those 5 years since 'Evangelion' had to give. Many people though that in such tough times Nergal might convert, find god but instead he came out even more black and more dedicated in ruthless spreading of his visions and believes than ever before. With 'The Satanist' Behemoth takes a sharp turn from its death metal path and turns into an epic and majestic vein of black metal. Coincidence? I don't think so. Behemoth has realized that most powerful message is not only delivered with blast-beats and overcomplicated layers of sound… but by simplifying and slowing down they were able to deliver the most dynamic and personal, read evil, record yet. One main ingredient that makes such a difference is passion. I never doubted it on previous releases but this time it's so evident that it almost feels like we deal with a new breed of Behemoth, second coming if you will. From as always world class drumming through dynamic solos, thunderous bass lines and best vocal performance that not only ranges from roars to spoken words but is delivered with such conviction that gives 'The Satanist' breathtaking energy, we deal with something very pure and organic that is missing in todays over-compressed world.

The power and energy exuding from this record is overwhelming and what's most astounding is that Behemoth accomplished that by simplifying and letting its music breath. Layered but spacious structures create perspective of controlled chaos almost impossible to tame with its blasphemous message. From the opener to my new evil anthem 'O Father O Satan O Sun!' I find myself drawn into darkness led by Behemoth's dark master. 'The Satanist' is without a doubt Behemoth's most passionate, complex in its simplicity and powerful record to date. I call it an epic blasphemy!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Originality: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 9 out of 10