Behemoth // The Shit Ov God // Album Review

Poland’s most prolific blasphemers Behemoth are back with some of their most barbaric & extreme musical output in some time with their newest album “The Shit Ov God”.

For the uninitiated, formed in 1991 & based in Poland, Behemoth began in the second wave of black metal from the European cities that created a new breed of focused & furious musicians. Now, with a career deep into 34 years, the band are the biggest they have been. Recently, on their largest tour yet, playing venues like the Brixton Academy in London, the band have managed to make the most satanic, darkest music relatable to a wider global metal audience.

Within their catalogue, there has been some of the most brutal boundary pushing music & on their last few albums, tracks like “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel” & “Bartzabel” have been the band’s most grand sonic endeavours. So the band has always been able to cross lines & walk a perfect tight rope of extreme & attainable.

Now, this far in their legacy, Behemoth has written what I believe to be their most inflammatory and extreme record to date.

“The Shadow Elite” erupts in the listener’s eardrum with echoing horns like the gates of hell have been cracked open, then the sound of Behemoth begins like the first wave of demons coming for the attack. The brutality of the band’s early work, like “Demigod” & “The Apostasy”, has its DNA within this album. It’s evident with this first track’s fury, nonstop barrage of blasting & its catchy chorus. Where some people might have said Behemoth have lost their edge, this will be an example of why Behemoth can not be understated & why their full force will be unmatched.

Like the oncoming apocalypse, “Sowing Salt” starts a back & forth of Inferno’s ability to drum from blistering blastbeats to heavy laid back pace with this track’s glorious open chorus section of Nergal’s cries echoing into the distance, pulling on the heart strings. This track has a fantastic pace & even with its tempo changes it drives forward & doesn’t care if you’re not holding on. Seth’s blistering solo section on this track is top show, even though he might not be a core member of the group, but his guitar talents always shine on a behemoth record, & here, already two tracks deep, his guitar is soaring.

As we hit just past the midway point, “To Drown The Svn In Wine” feels like the most anthemic track on the album. Beginning like an assault on the senses with neckbreak guitar riffing from Nergal & Seth, as the track opens up to its verse section, Nergal’s vocals, lyrics & delivery hook you in with his “My Captain, My Captain” twist.

This track feels focused but drenched in that larger, grand scale sound that the band does so effortlessly. As the track reaches its bridge, Orion’s thunderous bass drives the pulse of the track, keeping the rhythm & backbone of the track. The anguish the band creates on this track is haunting. In its last moments, the band brings back the chaos & a beautiful vocal sample plays; it feels like your pulse is racing & you’re waiting for the climax to come. And yet again, the band delivers perfectly.

“O Venvs, Come!” I think it will become a great live track. Its grand opening gives you those goosebump moments. It’s one of the mid-paced tracks the band does so well that carries a ton of weight. Inferno’s blistering feet & tom work shine all over this track. He is an ungodly drummer & one of the best within extreme metal. The chorus of this track is really when it opens up & has that grand feel. Don’t skip this one!

In its final chapter, “Avgvr (The Dread Vvltvre)” feels like the perfect way to close this epic journey of an album. With its tribal drum pounding opening to its elemental feel, this closer feels like a merging of all the themes the band have shown throughout. Using elements like screaming female vocals to give an eerie texture feel, or the way the band plays with ring outs & feedback. This track feels like the merging of the classical sounds the band have used with the eternal sounds they sprinkle throughout their records. Closing out this album in the most perfect way & adding yet another belter track to the band’s already grand album closers.

Even this far in their career, Behemoth is taking risks. Were most would move more into the larger scale metal world with cleaner, more polished music Behemoth said fuck no & have stripped their latest album back. Eight tracks of some of the band’s most extreme, furious & unrelenting music in the last ten, maybe 15 years. There is focus on keeping the album lean, full of power & the most pissed off version of the band.

With that being said, the album is still filled with the moments that make Behemoth who they are, their signature ability to write choruses, and anthemic moments that turn the tracks into pure hits. Giving me everything I love about Behemoth. The most boiled down, unfiltered middle finger of a band that will always push the boundaries & never relent.

Review: Joseph Mitchell

The Shit Ov God is out via Nuclear Blast on 9 thMay 2025

‘The Shit Ov God’ Album Cover by Bartek Rogalewicz/ LODGE.BLACK The Shit Ov God Track Listing: The Shadow Elite Sowing Salt The Shit Ov God Lvciferaeon To Drown The Svn In Wine Nomen Barbarvm O Venvs, Come! Avgvr (The Dread Vvltvre)

BEHEMOTH ANNOUNCE GLOBAL LIVE-STREAM EVENT OF HISTORIC HOMETOWN SHOW AT HALA STULECIA, WROCŁAW Band photo by Sylwia Makris and Christian Martin Weiss BEHEMOTH are set to make history with their largest ever headline performance, taking place at the prestigious Hala Stulecia in Wrocław, Poland, on Friday 25 April. With 6000 tickets sold and the event officially sold out, this monumental hometown show marks a defining moment in BEHEMOTH’s storied career – and in the history of extreme metal itself. And you’ll be able to watch it too, via a special live-stream. Under the banner of The Unholy Trinity, BEHEMOTH will be joined by two titans of black metal, Satyricon and Rotting Christ, for a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of the genre’s elite. Together, they will command the stage inside the legendary Hala Stulecia, a UNESCO World Heritage site celebrated for its cultural and architectural significance. Speaking on the upcoming event, BEHEMOTH frontman Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski shares, “We are standing on the threshold of an unprecedented moment in extreme metal. This will not only be the biggest headlining show Behemoth has ever performed and will be one of the most monumental and significant black metal concerts in history. For this occasion, we’ve prepared an extraordinary production — our biggest to date. With a full multi-camera setup, we’ll be capturing every moment of this spectacle. Fans from the United States, from across continents, from every corner of the globe who can’t be with us in person – you’ll still be able to join us live in real time, or stream the show for 48 hours after the event. I invite and encourage all of you to be part of this. If not in the flesh, then in spirit, through your screens.” Tickets for the globally available live stream can be purchased at https://veeps.events/behemoth, where fans can also get their hands on exclusive merch. Early bird tickets are priced at $12.99 if purchased before Wednesday 23rd April. Standard tickets thereafter will be priced at $16.99. Timings: Pre-show from 17:55 BST (British Summer Time) Main broadcast from 18:55 BST BEHEMOTH are drawing near the end of their Unholy Trinity headline tour with Satyricon and Rotting Christ and tickets are moving fast, so act quick! 22-April – FI – Helsinki, Ice Hall 23-April – LV – Riga, Palladium 25-April – PL – Wrocław, Orbita Hall – LOW TICKETS 26-April – DE – Lichtenfels, Ragnaroek Festival *Behemoth only* 27-April – CZ – Prague, O2 Universum TICKETS: www.behemoth.pl.