Only Heavy Metal

On May 29th, Behemoth will release a new EP, A Forest, digitally worldwide (with additional physical copies available for purchase). For a preview of this 4-track collection, a video for the title track – a cover version of The Cure‘s classic “A Forest” – featuring guest vocals by Shining‘s Niklas Kvarforth, can be viewed at: youtu.be/wYZdaYobCSU

2021-02-17 - BEHEMOTH – arguably the biggest extreme metal band in the world – have extended and expanded their contract with Nuclear Blast, who will now distribute the group’s music worldwide outside of their home country. The group originally signed with Nuclear Blast Europe prior to the release of 2009’s “Evangelion,” but their forthcoming album – which is tentatively set for a Fall 2021 release – will be their first to be released by the label outside of the Old Continent.

Formed in 1991 by then-teenage guitarist/vocalist Adam “Nergal” Darski, BEHEMOTH shattered the glass ceiling of the European metal underground thanks to a combination of aggressive worldwide touring, fiery and theatrical live performances, visually captivating music videos and unwaveringly intense music. Albums such as Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame inductee “Demigod” (2005) and 2014’s “The Satanist” – hailed by Metal Hammer as the greatest extreme metal album of the 21st Century, and one of two BEHEMOTH records to achieve gold-certified status in Poland – pushed blasphemous blackened death metal to heights previously thought unattainable. Those releases provided the group with no shortage of fierce ammunition to conquer all audiences in its path, whether in support of childhood heroes such as Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer and Danzig; on some of metal’s biggest festival stages around the globe; or more recently, in European arenas alongside fellow subversives Slipknot.

Despite numerous attempts to be silenced by Poland’s religious right, BEHEMOTH has steadfastly refused to compromise, and Nergal believes that the best is yet to come. “Nuclear Blast has been a household name in metal for decades, and BEHEMOTH has been part of that long and illustrious history,” he says. “But now is about the future, and we look forward to beginning BEHEMOTH’s next chapter with a refocused and revitalized team at Nuclear Blast!”

Adds Jens Prueter, Nuclear Blast Europe’s head of A&R, “It’s a great pleasure to extend our partnership for the worldwide release of BEHEMOTH’s upcoming studio albums. Their 30-year journey has not yet reached its pinnacle, and we are more than proud to assist them on their way to being not only the biggest extreme metal band, but also one of the most exciting rock acts of the next decade. There are just a few bands who have the vision and will to dominate the music scene. Special thanks also to their management powerhouse 5B – namely, Adam Foster and Justin Arcangel – for making this happen on all levels.”

BEHEMOTH is currently working on the follow-up to 2018’s “I Loved You At Your Darkest,” whose “Wagnerian satanic metal” was praised as “glorious” in a four-star review by The Guardian. The group is also preparing for its biggest live production yet – a co-headlining tour with Arch Enemy that will see the bands play arenas across Europe.

BEHEMOTH set the world on fire when the Polish masters of black metal took an abandoned church in rural Poland to perform a worldwide stream event in the heart of the pandemic lockdown. After over a year since the show’s premiere, ‘In Absentia Dei’ returns on to a range of deluxe formats for fans to relive the danger and drama that took place on that fateful night in 2020. The live release will hit the shelves on December 17th.

Nergal states, "In Absentia Dei was a massive challenge and a huge risk, but it was a great artistic and commercial success. The response was absolutely brilliant - we made a statement with this performance and set the bar high. I hope that we can continue to raise the bar with the projects to come!""In Absentia Dei" will be available as digital album, digibook and 3LP Vinyl in various colours. All Nuclear Blast triple LPs come with a premium 20-page booklet AND a cut-out, build at home model of the actual church that BEHEMOTH performed in.

The event was said to set a new standard for streaming events in the future and this was something BEHEMOTH set out to achieve from the start. Produced by Grupa 13, "In Absentia Dei" was presented as a show of four parts, woven with high-production theatrics and even a hellish flames emanating from all parts of the sacred building.

BEHEMOTH released their latest full-length, "I Loved You At Your Darkest", in 2018 to vast critical acclaim. "I Loved You At Your Darkest" marked a milestone in the history of the band, being not only their most successful album, but also an audiovisual masterpiece: from its detailed, blasphemous artwork, to the highly vicious, yet deeply emotional tracks, BEHEMOTH once again played with fire - and ignited a wildfire burning the narrow minded bigotry of Christianity down to the ground.

BEHEMOTH! have announced their twelfth studio album, OPVS CONTRA NATVRAM, which will be released on September 16, 2022 via Nuclear Blast Records Watch the official video for the first single ‘Ov My Herculean Exile’ here: https://youtu.be/092uOnSTnyI
Listen to ‘Ov My Herculean Exile’ here: https://behemoth.bfan.link/ov-my-herculean-exile.fpo
Pre-save, or pre-order ‘Opvs Contra Natvram’ here: https://behemoth.bfan.link/opvs-contra-natvram.fpo