Album Review – Evangelion

$50 if you can tell me what this means - 'cause I don't know!

Behemoth is typically regarded as one of the best Death Metal bands to come out of Europe. Their heavier-than-the-Earth-itself musical style has captured metal heads everywhere since their debut. Evangelion is no exception. From the very first track, you are treated to intense guitar riffs, the sound of double-basses being slammed till their pedals break, and Nergal’s intense roaring, all at the top of their game.

The lyrics – something the band has always been known for – continue to be impressive. Nergal’s writing succeeds in being cryptic, but not so much that you can’t understand what the song’s subject is. The writing is beautiful, and when you can actually understand what the hell Nergal is wailing, it’s a thrill to hear. Speaking of Nergal; I’ve never heard a better roar. His deep, and louder than hell voice carries on wonderfully throughout the entire album. It still amazes me that this guy is only 32, yet has such an incredibly deep roar.

To talk instrumentals; Orion, Nergal, and Seth all give an amazing show. The few solos that dot the album are both written and executed amazingly, and really show the skills of the guitar trio. Otherwise; it’s the cliché heavy-metal “NUHNUHNUHNUHNUHNUHNUHNUH” throughout pretty much the entire album, which was a bit of a letdown, but it can be made up for. I can say only a few things about the drums; Inferno must have the strongest legs and arms in Death Metal history. I have yet to hear someone abuse their snare drum more than in this album, and it would not surprise me in the least if he had to replace his bass pedals on more than one occasion while recording, or the drums themselves.

Overall; Evangelion is an absolute triumph of metal. It’s a tremendous feat for the band, and is definitely a 1-up from their last album, The Apostasy, which was mediocre at it’s best moments.

Now, if only they could stop all of the controversy with the video “Ov Fire and the Void.”

 

Key Tracks:

• Shemhamforash
• Ov Fire And The Void
• Defiling Morality Ov Black God