Behemoth’s 11th studio album, I Loved You At Your Darkest, and the follow up to 2014’s The Satanist shows the band in sinister and inspired Blackened Death Metal form. Not prepared to rest on the laurels of their lengthy back catalogue, Behemoth’s latest full-length release welcomes you into a sinister world that has been flawlessly sculpted from the 12 tracks contained within.
The 2:05 introduction Solve paints a haunting scene to the listener with what sounds to be children chanting in an atmospheric and steadily building introduction before hitting sporadic high-speed drum blasts. Though a relatively short introduction this track serves to provide a disturbing glimpse into the bewildering chaos that is about to unfold.
Wolves Of Siberia hits hard with a short solo drum section before launching into high-velocity carnage. A very sinister sounding track that brings to mind old school stripped back Black Metal, then morphing into a slow instrumental guitar section at 1:27 punctuated by steady kick drum and finally building into a mind-boggling blasting section at 2:25, Nergal’s coinciding choked roars/screams give the impression of a tormented creature in the last throes of imminent death.
Track 3 God = Dog starts with an almost introspective steady feel then launches into some of the fastest blast beats on the album, a swirling and disorientating mess of sound, instrumental sections and low fidelity production very reminiscent of some of Mayhem’s more recent offerings. The 1:57 mark of the track brings chanting that sounds like hymns performed in a church, then at 2:27 a bewildering melodic instrumental section that is almost beautiful in its own sinister way, then returning to the chanting children’s voices and anti-Christian themes of the introduction track Solve.
Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica begins as a steady 4/4 number with mid-tempo double kick grinding through the verses then building into a strangely anthemic hook with a chorus of voices singing in the background. Guitar melodies on this track are very reminiscent of Dark Funeral’s later work, and into a final disturbing instrumental section at 3:45 that builds from a Flamenco guitar style into dissonance, then high-velocity blasting that brings a cacophonic and epic close to the track with an almost majestic undercurrent.
Angels XIII is another high-speed Black Metal inspired number, tremolo picking providing a foreboding atmosphere and one of the most interesting hooks on the album, a jangling guitar melody into the 2:22 mark that rattles the nerves with a twisted lullaby then Inferno delivers a stop-start percussion monstrosity of hyper-speed blasts and fills.
We Are The Next 1000 Years hits hard with furious drum blasts from the outset, Nergal providing a tangible sense of outrage in his vocal delivery. Once again at 1:38, the album does what it does so well throughout with another slowly haunting instrumental section giving a depth of feel to the track and highlighting the high quality of composition Behemoth has delivered on this album. There are literally too many good tracks on this album to mention them all.
The Outro Coagula, strangely with the same run-time as the introduction track at 2:05, provides a fitting and chaotic close to the album. Syncopated fills on the snare and precision drum blasts contrast with a slow and majestic organ melody, by this point you have come full circle on what has felt like a long and epic journey.
From a performance perspective, Inferno’s drums are an absolute highlight, everything you would expect and want from this genre is here, incredible speed/power and also some innovation with the unusual feel and off-time meters that are uncommon to the style of music. The drum production, brutal and powerful, never overproduced, highlights the quality of Inferno’s performance with some creative sounds and mixing and some beautiful cymbal sounds.
Guitar melodies that at times have a similar vibe to later Mayhem and Dark Funeral are flawlessly and creatively performed providing the basis of the memorable and sinister melodies of the album.
Terse guitar solos, though sparse, are well played and tastefully add to the compositions throughout the tracks.
Nergal is in typical brutal voice, his death growls and screams delivered with palpable menace but it is the variation of delivery with creepy spoken parts that sound like the work of the mentally disturbed and at times almost church choir sounding chorus sections that deliver particular atmosphere and irreverence to this production.
Behemoth has succeeded to provide both an atmospherically foreboding and twisted album with a definite and logical progression of their style and masterfully orchestrated tracks that convey an epic feel to the listener. An almost low fidelity production at times only adds to the menace that the album so effectively conveys. Though song structures on this album are relatively simple in nature, the varying textures and dynamics of the album and the incredible instrumental performances and melodies are its strong point. Some of the staggering tempos and the associated off-kilter guitar parts are truly memorable and compelling.
A very melodic album, for the most part, stripped back and sinister-sounding but seeing Behemoth evolving and creating something highly original within the constraints of the Blackened Death Metal genre. For a band 11 albums in, Behemoth have refocused and found new inspiration on I Loved You At Your Darkest, an album of great depth that conveys vital and sinister energy, inviting the listener to immerse themselves in its twisted world if they dare. For those who enjoy genres of Black Metal and Blackened Death Metal, I Loved You At Your Darkest brings to mind later Dark Funeral and Mayhem releases but takes the sounds and delivery to a flawlessly constructed apex across 12 tracks of compelling and disturbing art.
Release Year: 2018
Label: EVP Recordings
Category: Album
Country: Poland
Reviewed by Jimmy LaCobra
