ShockHound

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  ShockHound 4 of 5

  
  

  From the opening roar of "Daimonos," it's clear that Behemoth aren't content with being Poland's premier extreme metal band - they want to torch the rest of the world with their infernal blasts, as well. Expertly produced by frontman Nergal with help from his bandmates Inferno and Orion, EVANGELION is considerably slicker than what anyone who loves their lo-fi early works like 1996's GROM or 1998's PANDEMONIC INCANTATIONS might prefer, but there's no denying the dark power and dramatic sweep of compositions like "Ov Fire And The Void," "He Who Breeds Pestilence" and the epic closing track, "Lucifer." Even if Nergal's gutteral vocals don't exactly blaze any new trails, his guitar playing (and his knack for arranging and orchestrations) seems to get more creative with each album, and his lyrics — about such light topics as free will, ecstatic chaos and dead souls — more pointed and poetic. If EVANGELION doesn't turn Behemoth into the biggest black/death metal band in the world, it'll only be because they've placated the wrong demons. — Dan Epstein

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  HT_Greenville 5 of 5

  
  

  Behemoth have finally hit the nail on the head with their ninth studio outing, Evangelion. These Polish demons have certainly come a long way from their early necro black metal leanings to their more recent blackened death attack and on this record they have everything firing on all cylinders. On their most recent albums like Demigod and The Apostasy I thought the production was a little bottom heavy which left the guitars lost in the mix, which is a shame considering the intricacies of Nergal's guitar playing. On Evangelion they get the sound perfect. Every note, every blast, every blood curdling scream and growl is in your face, loud and clear. Nergal has come into his own in the songwriting department and focuses less on bludgeoning the listener with as many crazy fast riffs as possible and relies more finding the 2 or 3 riffs in each song that really hit home. This makes for a much more memorable listen. Don't get me wrong, Nergal and Co. certainly still bust out some true knucklebusters, but sometimes less is indeed more and nowhere is that saying more true than right here. They allow the music to breathe with more tempo variations and a concious attempt to pay attention to the natural ebb and flow of the songs. There is not one weak spot on this album, from the first note of "Daimonos" to the closing refrain of "Lucifer", each track gnashes it's teeth into your skull with force and fury. Finally, nine albums in and Behemoth have created their magnum opus that will stand the test of time and seal it's place in the pantheon of truly classic metal albums. Bravo and congratulations, boys.

3 days ago

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  chrismopher purchased this item
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  jwasniewski purchased this item

25 days ago

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  Jedidude77 of 5

  
  

  Eva

2 months ago

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  nolifeking74 purchased this item

6 months ago

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  satans-asylum 5 of 5

  
  

  i waited so long for this album
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  TeethoftheDivine of 5

  
  

  REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED AT TEETHOFTHEDIVIEN.COM BY ERIK THOMAS-----I’ve kind of dreaded writing this review ever since I gave Evangelion a few spins. Seeing as Behemoth has reached Dismember, Bolt Thrower, Suffocation and Grave levels of consistency and quality, they have arguably surpassed Vader as Poland’s premier metal export and almost certainly should be considered death metal royalty at this point in their career. So giving Evangelion a lukewarm review was somewhat disconcerting for me. Personally, Behemoth peaked with Zos Kia Cultus and while I enjoyed Demigod and The Apostasy, the band’s gradually increased nods towards Nile, over processed production and essentially interchangeable songs made the albums rather forgetful over the long haul, while I still play Zos Kia Cultus regularly. And to be honest, I thought Nergal might be running out of ideas with some lackluster covers and the 34th reworking of “Chant for Eschaton” appeared on the Ezkaton EP. On the positive side, we have a new label, along with it a new producer (Colin Richardson) and as you’d expect, the result is a slightly different sound from the previous, huge, loose sounding efforts. Evangelion is much tighter, compressed and natural as opposed to the massive, layering and echoing tones of The Apostasy and Demigod. Nergal’s vocals are a little more natural and fluid instead of horridly over produced and processed, resulting in an album that sounds much less overbearing and synthetic. Also, there seems to be a slightly lessened role of theatrics and dramatic elements as Nergal and co seems to have battened down the hatches and focused on actual riffs and furious death metal delivery as opposed to some of the extraneous choirs and synths that graced The Apostasy- the change is minimal, as there are a few injections of synths and Middle Eastern tangents, but its noticeable. And thus lies part of Evangelion’s disappointment for me. After the first couple of typically Behemoth-y tracks, (”Daimonos”, “Shemhamforash”) where the excitement of a new Behemoth album overrides expectation and the enjoyment is highest, the album tends to blend into a rather relentless, dare I say Hate Eternal blast fest that blows by with an admittedly furious presence, but leaves little other impression. A couple of the albums tracks like personal favorite “He Who Breeds Pestilence” (with more than a nod to Nile with a ‘Mars, Bringer of War’ synth line), “Alas Lord is Upon Me” and the slow closer “Lucifer” reign things in but other wise the entire mid section of the album left me rather flat; In particular, “Shemhamforash” (after the excitement from the first couple of listens wears off), “Ov Fire and The Void” (arguably the album’s most rehashed track), “Transmigrating Beyond Realms Ov Amenti”, “The Seed Ov I”, and “Defiling Morality Ov Black God” just seemed ‘there’ to fill space with intense, relentless blasting flocked with some Esoteric Arabic tinkling here and there. I’m sure I’m in the minority here, but the truth is, even with the opening tracks, nothing on Evangelion jumped out and truly commanded my attention like say “As Above, So Below”, “Pazuzu”, “Libertheme” or “Conquer All” did from prior albums, and to be quite frank, by the time the crawling 8-minute closer, “Lucifer” is halfway done, i’m prety sure i’ve heard most of the riffs on prior albums and I’m actually kind ov bored, which I never thought Id say about a Behemoth album. That all being said, Evangelion is still a quality Behemoth album and you don’t expect anything ground breaking, but I didn’t expect it so sound so recycled, despite the strong performance of drummer Inferno and all the elements that made Behemoth so enjoyable and consistent before. Still, I imagine Evangelion will sneak onto a few shallow fan boy year end lists. But personally, I actually kind of miss the over the top, theatrical Nile worship of the last two albums.

7 months ago

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  dave9782 5 of 5

  
  

  TERRIFIC! being a rather picky black metal fan more into punk rock (I'm a teenager don't get mad at me) I actually really love this album and put it up there with gorgoroth, cradle of filth, and children of bodom. Behemoth is another favorite of mine and this album most definately meets my expectations. Great job guys KEEP GOING!
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  dave9782 5 of 5

  
  

  TERRIFIC! being a rather picky black metal fan more into punk rock (I'm a teenager don't get mad at me) I actually really love this album and put it up there with gorgoroth, cradle of filth, and children of bodom. Behemoth is another favorite of mine and this album most definately meets my expectations. Great job guys KEEP GOING!
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  ZothOmmog 5 of 5

  
  

  Behemoth has just released their 9th studio album entitled EVANGELION. Their best release to date, this brutal, blackened death metal band from Poland is decimating the uninitiated with their ultimate masterpiece. EVANGELION showcases amazingly fast drum beats, wickedly harmonized technical guitar riffs, and intense, guttural growls that spew blasphemous incantations that speak about liberating the self from the man-made concepts such as religion, tradition, and politics. bandBehemoth’s new CD has a well defined depth to it’s production, often incorporating atmospheric elements such as eerie screams, crow sound effects, and orchestral keyboard overdubs. Their epic track entitled “Lucifer” incorporates all of these elements into a masterful tribute to the crown prince of Hell. As to be expected from such a diabolic band, their first video for their head-banging track entitled “Ov Fire And The Void” has already been banned from YouTube. Fortunately for us, Behemoth’s American label, Metal Blade Records, has salvaged the video, and you can see it here: http://fangoria.com/musick/reviews/3542-behemoth-evangelion.html EVANGELION’s 9 new tracks run a little under 42 minutes in length. The digipack edition will include a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage and expanded artwork. A must for all fans of Behemoth, and lovers of the blackened death metal genre!
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  HT_Greenville 5 of 5

  
  

  Oh yeah, I for got to rate it and put my John Hancock on that last review. LOL It's me, it's me - Eric Walls, the one and only. Well, at least the only one that matters! ;)