Review by Jeger on August 25, 2026.

Since 1991, Poland's Behemoth has stood as a testament to the will and the determination of its leader, Adam "Nergal" Darski. He's become renowned over the course of more than 30 years as both a visionary Black /Death Metal Artist and a champion for Polish liberation from under the weight of Catholicism. What began all those years ago as a young Black Metal band that didn't really know what they wanted or who they wanted to become is now an international powerhouse of onstage and in studio Blackened mayhem. And Adam's anti-Catholic escapades only make for a more legitimate experience. Behemoth's live rituals have proven to be of the scintillating variety, as Adam and his Coven exude mastery of their craft by utilizing Black Metal ritualistic elements combined with the aggressive energy of a Death Metal show; resulting in mesmerization and perhaps a black eye. Now, we stand upon the cusp of yet another album release from Behemoth! On September 4, Behemoth will release "I, Scvlpter" - a bridging of the gap between the band's past and present artistic manifestations.

"I, Scvlpter" is its own studio entity (EP) consisting of seven recorded cuts along with one live recording: the title-track, "Lord Ov The Horizons" and "Begotten" are all new tracks while "Rise Of The Blackstorm Of Evil" and "In Thy Pandemaeternum" stand as re-recorded versions of a couple of Behemoth's earliest works and lastly a Venom cover (In League With Satan) feat. Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir) and then a live Bathory cover (The Return Of Darkness And Evil) feat. Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ). I feel like this band is undergoing some kind of identity crisis that's been transpiring since the aftermath of 2018's polarizing "I Loved You At Your Darkest" LP that saw Behemoth, in my opinion, in a state of never-before-heard class and artistry. Two subsequent LPs have been released since and to me, there's not much to either one of them, and judging by what I'm listening to right now as the opening title-track plays, it appears that Behemoth still have some untapped creative resources left. This one hits with solid, driving beats, hammer-dropping riffs and an atmosphere swirling with sheer mania - a juicy mid-tempo'd banger that sets a captivating mood for what's to come.

"Rise Of The Blackstorm Of Evil" - a gloriously composed piece of master-level Black Metal that captures the spirit of those first pure days while also casting Behemoth in a legitimate light as one of the true Polish BM progenitors of the early '90's. "In League With Satan" just sounds like a sleazy version of the band and the live Bathory cover sounds like Sakis and Behemoth are playing from inside a cereal box. Other than these take 'em or leave 'em covers, "I Scvlpter" is quality Black / Death Metal recording.

I would love to hear more of what we just got out of the aforementioned "Rise Of The Blackstorm Of Evil". This is a gorgeous number that makes you wonder what kind of band Behemoth would be today had they chosen Genre purity over Blackened Death. Coincidentally, they'd probably sound much like how they did on "I Loved You At Your Darkest". Behemoth fans will dig it, others like myself will just be excited to review some new Behemoth material. Not too bad, not too good. In many ways, "I, Scvlpter" just sounds like Behemoth, in others, it portrays the band as something a little more genuine than perhaps they've been letting on. Either way, we're talking a quality EP here that will serve as a nice bridge towards new LP material.

Rating: 8 out of 10