Ever the creative innovators, Poland's extreme metal overlords, Behemoth, have revealed their latest visual feast, Opvs Contra Cvltvram, a streaming event shot on the roof of Warsaw's renowned Palace of Culture & Science and premiering at 12 PM, ET on Thursday, September 15 on the band's YouTube channel. This landmark event heralds the arrival of the band's epic twelfth studio album Opvs Contra Natvram, out September 16 via Nuclear Blast.
Behemoth's leader and artistic alchemist, Adam "Nergal" Darski, informs, "Legions! We have gathered atop Poland’s infamous Palace of Culture to perform four brand new tracks from our record Opvs Contra Natvram, released this Friday! For a long time, Behemoth have been censored and pursued by the Catholic Church at the behest of our fascist government. This performance, with the backdrop of this building, represents a monumentous middle finger to those pigs and another for Joseph Stalin and his Soviet circle-jerk. Viva Freedom!"
Opvs Contra Natvram is the sheer embodiment of rebellion, individuality and unflinching self-expression, shaped by a literary worldview. It also reflects a musical evolution, and there's little doubt that Opvs Contra Natvram is Behemoth's strongest and most sophisticated musical collection to date.
Behemoth are not only the creators of Poland's extreme metal scene, but they are masters of their vision and showcasing what a band can achieve when hard work is put in. With Opvs Contra Natvram, they have created 10 fresh chapters at a very strange time for the world. Their goal to create something new, something that doesn't sound like anything that has gone before, is an ambitious one.
Renowned for his meticulous attention to detail and absolute creative control of Behemoth's world, frontman and band visionary, Adam "Nergal" Darski revelled in the depressurized environment afforded by the pandemic. It meant that for nearly the first time since the band's inception over 30 years ago, there was no deadline to observe, allowing for a nearly unprecedented level of attention to the process of writing and recording.
Beyond any confines of genre, Behemoth have grown to become nothing less than the personification of rebellion, individuality, and unflinching self-expression informed by a literate worldview and worldliness that's resulted in a locking of horns with everything from the mainstream press to the Polish Catholic church - most notably manifesting in Nergal's trial for blasphemy in 2010 that only served to expose the deep-seated hypocrisies that his music seeks to challenge.
Opvs Contra Natvram features twin cover art available in both black and white and will be released in the following array of physical formats designed by Bartek Rogalewicz (Lodge.Black), certain to thrill collectors of limited editions:
- Jewelcase CD (Black Cover)
- Digibook (Black Cover) [limited to 8500 pieces]
- Digibook (White Cover) [limited to 8500 pieces]
- Earbook Black/Gold Inkspot Vinyl (White Cover) [limited to 500 pieces]
- Earbook Gold/Black Corona Vinyl (White Cover) [limited to 500 pieces]
- Black Vinyl (Black Cover)
- Picture Vinyl (Black Cover) [limited to 3500 pieces]
- White/Gold Split Vinyl (White Cover) [limited to 650 pieces]
- Vinylbox Mailorder Edition (White Cover) [limited to 1000 pieces]
- Earbook (Black Cover) [band exclusive, limited to 1167 pieces]
- Gold Vinyl (Black Cover) [US Indie exclusive, limited to 350 pieces]
- Crystal Clear/Silver/Gold Inkspot Vinyl (White Cover) [band exclusive, limited to 666 pieces]
- White/Black/Gold Splatter Vinyl (White Cover) [band exclusive, limited to 1167 pieces]
- Transparent Red Vinyl (Black Cover) [EMP exclusive, limited to 300 pieces]
- White Vinyl (White Cover) [Nordics exclusive, limited to 300 pieces]
- Clear/Black Splatter Vinyl (Black Cover) [Kings Road Management exclusive, limited to 500 pieces]
- Gold/Black Marbled Vinyl (Black Cover) [UK Eyesore exclusive, limited to 300 pieces]
- White/Gold Marbled Vinyl (White Cover) [UK Recordstore exclusive, limited to 300 pieces]
- Clear/Black Marbled Vinyl (Black Cover) [HMV exclusive, limited to 450 exclusive]
Pre-order or pre-save the album here, and watch the cinematic video for the first single, "Ov My Herculean Exile", directed by Zuzanna Plisz, below.
Tracklisting:
"Post-God Nirvana"
"Malaria Vvlgata"
"The Deathless Sun"
"Ov My Herculean Exile"
"Neo-Spartacvs"
"Disinheritance"
"Off To War!"
"Once Upon A Pale Horse"
"Thy Becoming Eternal"
"Versvs Christvs"
"Thy Becoming Eternal" video:
"The Deathless Sun" video:
"The Deathless Sun" performance video:
"Off To War!" video:
"Ov My Herculean Exile" video:
Lineup:
Adam "Nergal" Darski - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Zbigniew "Inferno" Promiński - Drums, Percussion
Tomasz "Orion" Wróblewski - Bass, Backing Vocals
† † †
Patryk "Seth" Sztyber - Guitar, Backing Vocals
