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Rating: THE REVIEW
The fourth album of Behemoth, "Satanica", saw the light in 1999. It's a "hybrid" generated from the fusion of Death and Black Metal. The Polish band distances itself from its origins' sound and moves towards more complex and sophisticated music, which their genre did not allow, as Black is famous for its simplicity.
This "split" for Behemoth is equivalent to the starting point for a climb to success in the world of extreme metal. Nergal and Inferno, with the addition of L-Kaos as a second guitarist, produce a truly remarkable product. Violence, technique, and expressiveness are each at the service of the other to create an ensemble of great level.
The tracks are powerful, supported by a pounding rhythm that sometimes gives way to slowdowns where "melodic" openings occur. These, in particular, are truly appreciable, merging perfectly with the rest of the track without clashing or feeling out of place. The guitar riffs are imaginative and technically challenging, entering the listener's mind without ever leaving, creating a hypnotic effect. The solos are really very special, technical, varied, unpredictable; it's truly a pleasure to hear the notes flow one after the other without being able to imagine where this music will take us. Furthermore, at the end of the tracks, they opted to insert brief synthesizer pieces, perhaps this instrument doesn't quite fit with the harsh soul of the album, but the final result is not negative at all; on the contrary, the synth manages to give a very evocative atmosphere to each conclusion. The vocals are not very well defined, a bit scream, a bit growl, a bit filtered, but despite that, they are never unpleasant to the ear and always right on point; there is not a vocal intervention that seems out of place.
Songs like "Decade Of Therion" and "Ceremony Of Shiva" are true pearls, where every element intertwines in a play of sounds that cannot leave the listener indifferent, but also tracks like "LAM" and "Chant Of Eschaton 2000" are of very good level.
In essence, Behemoth are truly the authors of a great performance, "Demigod", considered by many their masterpiece, is nothing but the child of this wonderful work called "Satanica".
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Summary by Bot
Behemoth's fourth album, Satanica, released in 1999, fuses Death and Black Metal to create a complex and powerful sound. The band showcases technical skill, imaginative riffs, and evocative atmospheres. Vocals complement the intense music, and standout tracks like "Decade Of Therion" highlight their growth. The album is considered a stepping stone toward the band's later masterpiece, Demigod.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Behemoth
Behemoth is a Polish extreme metal band formed in 1991. Reviews describe an evolution from cold, atmospheric black metal in the mid-1990s to a more technical blackened death metal style from Satanica onward, with drummer Inferno and frontman/guitarist-vocalist Nergal frequently highlighted.18 Reviews
Other reviews
By post-ino
The mix between death and black here is carried out skillfully and never seems to be a cut and paste of their works from the early '00s.
'O Father, O Satan, O Sun!' incorporates practically all the aforementioned sounds without ever seeming redundant and constantly keeping the listener’s attention alive.
