Behemoth needs very little introduction to anyone steeped in extreme metal. This Polish black metal turned blackened death metal band has, along with fellow Poles in Vader, created their own subgenre within the black metal ethos, including more elements from traditional death metal, and are now kings of their own creation. Behemoth has had a prolific career, with twelve albums over thirty years, putting them in clear veteran status, and are often a benchmark against which most other bands attempting similar sounds are immediately compared. Following 2018’s I Loved You At Your Darkness, they are back with Opvs Contra Natvram.
Admittedly, this reviewer has not held this uber-popular band in the highest regard for at least a few years. I gave The Satanist a few spins because it was hailed as one of the most highly vaunted releases in the genre, and some would say among the best black metal records of all time, to which I strongly disagreed. Even more tragically, I gave I Loved You At Your Darkness a passing glance, with none of their tracks leaping out at me and grabbing my attention. But I held releases like Evangelion, Demigod, and The Apostasyin in high regard, especially praising their inclusion of the more brutal elements of death metal into the black metal sphere. With that in mind, and always open to having my own opinions changed, I approached Opvs Contra Natvram with as neutral a year as possible.
Unfortunately, within the opening moments of “Post-God Nirvana”, I was immediately reminded of why I have not fancied this new iteration of Behemoth: an overemphasis on theatric pomp, and a decreased focus on writing catchy, aggressive blackened death metal. The intro limps into “Malaria Vvlgata” and “The Deathless Sun” without evoking any excitability from me. Even the released single “Ov My Herculean Exile”, while having more aggressive arrangements, has so much fluff and filler, that most of it are barely memorable.
On the good side, we have back-to-back blasters with “Neo-Spartacvs” and “Disinheritance” which are the closest Behemoth have gotten (in my mind) to that Demigod-level of straightforward black metal menace. The blast-beat-laden, tremolo-picked, chugged minor chord riffs, are all there, and they work beautifully. Tracks like these prove that Behemoth has the songwriting chops when they decide to dial back the hyper-focus on shoving imagery down our throats and rely more on delivering a solid slab of metal and letting their message be spoken through their craft. “Disinheritance” and further still, “Off to War!” have tasteful solos, that my brief sojourn with their recent albums don’t recollect, but found to be very enjoyable: skilled, yet not overstated.
Not to be needlessly negative, Opvs Contra Natvram does have catchy riffs strewn all over its tracks, like the intro groove on “Once Upon A Pale Horse”. Behemoth has never been the guys to spend too much time and energy writing the most technical music, but in context, this simplistic approach to writing albums has diminishing returns. In our age of streaming and mega consumption, it takes deliberate innovation to stay relevant, especially with younger bands exploring so many diverse elements, borrowing from various genres, and keeping the genre fresh and engaging. Sections like the tremolo-picked section on “Once Upon A Pale Horse” are immediately familiar to black metal consumers but come off as pretty tired and cliched. Some of the vocal effects also remind us of Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir).
Speaking of, Behemoth is at their cheesiest and most unimpressive when they lean onto their symphonic elements, with overuse of bombastic synth arrangements, that come off as a B-tier cover of Dimmu Borgir, who themselves find significant negativity among the “trve kvlt” fans. While Dimmu Borgir spends considerable effort writing dense symphonic sections, Behemoth shoves it in as what feels like an afterthought. A prime example of this is “Thy Becoming Eternal”. A smattering of fun black metal riffs mired in cliched keys and over-processed vocals.
What really bothers me, even as someone who has already admitted to not being the biggest fan of the band, is that Behemoth is comprised of extremely talented musicians. Drummer Zbigniew “Inferno” Prominski has been driving Behemoth into brutal greatness since its inception. His double bass and blast beat work are exceptional, and he is creative with his fills and interludes, keeping tracks propped up and not letting them fall into background hiss. Bassist Tomasz “Orion” Wroblewski has been pushing his lines a lot more prominently on recent records, with his place in the mix being immediately audible, allowing him to flex his creativity as much as possible. (Side Note: We need more Vesania!). I have always been confused as to why Behemoth refuses to include guitarist Patryk “Seth” Sztyber as a permanent member. This man has been providing killer riffs, solos, and just general badassery to Behemoth for eighteen years, for (Anti)Christ’s sake!
Obviously, Adam “Nergal” Darski gets his own paragraph. Nergal IS Behemoth, Behemoth IS Nergal, and will always be. This is both their greatest strength and biggest weakness. It is no mean feat that Nergal has done more than many other black metal musicians and frontmen to bring black metal into mainstream metal and music discussions. He has also forayed into more niche genres like a folk rock with his side projects. He has also faced severe backlash from governments and the general public alike, and is presently considered the “face” of black metal for many non-informed folks. For all of these reasons, Nergal will always have a vaunted position in our hearts. However, it is becoming clear that he just isn’t doing Behemoth justice anymore. His focus on championing image and flash over substance holds Behemoth back in many regards. His writing is simplistic, and his vocals, while immediately recognizable are frankly losing steam. Behemoth’s choice to care so deeply about being “metal!” even down to replacing all their “u”s with “v”s on their track and album names, first seen as novel and “evil” now are just an ongoing meme. And this is my major complaint with Behemoth, and Opvs Contra Natvram, they are very close to becoming a meme of their own image.
Opvs Contra Natvram has a few great tracks sandwiched between a mulch of forgettable riffs, tired vocals, and cliched pomp. While getting glimpses of their former glory, Behemoth needs to seriously go back to their drawing boards and take a hard look at what gave their early career greatness, lest they be forgotten by all and overtaken by the increasingly high number of new talent.