Behemoth
- GENRE: black metal, death metal
- COUNTRY: Poland
Are they the biggest Polish metal band? Yes. Are they also the most acclaimed Polish metal band in the world? Also yes. Behemoth is a force in and of itself. They kept their nose to the grindstone to succeed, and they ran rings around everyone. Their epic, boisterous black/death metal has changed many times over the years, but it has always stayed blasphemous and exciting. The headlining show of the Beast at Mystic Festival will surely be one for the books.
History:
Behemoth was formed in 1991. For the first couple of months, they played under the name Baphomet, and only in 1992 did they change it to the current one. After releasing four demos, the Gdańsk band presented their debut record, Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic), in 1995. This album (just as the follow-up, Grom) showcased the band as strictly black metal. A change, however, came with Pandemonic Incantations when a death metal element seeped into their sound. An explosion of popularity in the extreme circles came with the album Satanica. After its premiere, the Pomeranian band began touring intensely. They struck iron while it was hot at that. From Thelema.6 up to The Apostasy, their sound became dirtier and heavier, and the band’s infamy was growing too. Often they played over 100 concerts per year, and the aforementioned The Apostasy debuted at number 149 of the Billboard 200 chart – a distinction no other Polish band achieved before them. In 2010, the leader of the band, Nergal, was diagnosed with cancer, but after successful treatment and regaining their strength, Behemoth came back with The Satanist in 2014. The record was a huge success and moved their style into new directions. Since then, the Gdańsk trio released three more albums, the latest of which is The Shit ov God from 2025.
Discography:
LP:
Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic), 1995
Grom, 1996
Pandemonic Incantations, 1998
Satanica, 1999
Thelema.6, 2000
Zos Kia Cultus (Here and Beyond), 2002
Demigod, 2004
The Apostasy, 2007
Evangelion, 2009
The Satanist, 2014
I Loved You at Your Darkest, 2018
Opvs Contra Natvram, 2022
The Shit ov God, 2025
EP:
And the Forests Dream Eternally, 1995
Bewitching the Pomerania, 1997
Conjuration, 2003
Slaves Shall Serve, 2005
Ezkaton, 2008
Xiądz, 2014
O Pentagram Ignis, 2019
A Forest, 2020
Vnholy Psalms, 2025
Demo:
Endless Damnation, 1992
The Return of the Northern Moon, 1993
Thy Winter Kingdom, 1993
…from the Pagan Vastlands, 1994
I Loved You at Your Darkest – The Demos, 2018
Singles:
Antichristian Phenomenon, 2000
Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel, 2013
God=Dog, 2018
Ov My Herculean Exile, 2022
Off to War!, 2022
The Deathless Sun, 2023
The Shit ov God, 2025
The Shadow Elite, 2025
Lvciferaeon, 2025
Sowing Salt, 2025
Splits:
And the Forest Dream Eternally / Forbidden Spaces, 1997 (z Damnation)
Close-Up Båten Stockholm – Åbo.15-16 November 2012, 2012 (z Candlemass, Tiamat, Turbonegro i Imperial State Electric)
Live albums:
At the Arena ov Aion – Live Apostasy, 2008
Evangelia Heretika, 2010
Live Barbarossa, 2014
Live at the BBC, 2015
Messe noire, 2018
Live from Maida Vale, 2020
Live in Manchester, 2020
In Absentia Dei, 2021
XXX Years ov Blasphemy, 2024
Compilations:
Demonica, 2006
Abyssus Abyssum Invocat, 2011
Xiądz / Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel, 2014
Thy Winter Kingdom / …from the Pagan Vastlands, 2015
Amen, 2017