Metal Injection caught up with Behemoth frontman Nergal at this year's Beyond The Gates festival in Bergen, Norway for a keynote discussion on his career and rise to a black metal icon. Nergal goes deep on his love for Norwegian black etal, stories about the evolution of the band and those that opposed, the times he almost gave up and the band broke up, his social media presence and how he views it, the Polish way and much more
On pursuing a career in black metal
Nergal: "When I was 15, 16, 17, not only it was my passion, it felt like - and it almost will sound like almost sectarian, or maybe religious, which in my mouth may sound weird - but I still feel like it's a mission. So, I'm kind of a missionary. I sing about it in my songs. I use a lot of metaphors; you're probably never gonna get through them and just find that out. But I don't want to (just) sing about the torch of Heraclitus in 'Ov Fire and the Void'. Yeah, I fucking steal a lot of stuff from ancient civilizations and cultures, but I only do it to express the fact that I want to be that guy who carries along that musical tradition... and some wisdom, if I have any. I might be completely dumb, but maybe not. I have this genuine need to do it. You've gotta kill me to stop me. So, if you have that, and you know, 'I can bring something new to the table. I can change something...'."
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.
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
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Patryk "Seth" Sztyber - Guitar, Backing Vocals
