Artist: Behemoth
Label: Olympic Recordings
Release Date: 2/11/03
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Title: Zos Kia Cultus (Here And Beyond) Artist: Behemoth Label: Olympic Recordings Release Date: 2/11/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
Poland's Behemoth have come out with a killer album to open 2003. I found myself impressed and a little surprised by this well-produced, well-constructed album. Behemoth have come a long way from their black metal beginnings and have settled in with a predominantly death/black sound that fans of anyone from Morbid Angel to Immortal should appreciate.
"I found myself impressed and a little surprised by this well-produced, well-constructed album." Behemoth's latest record spreads out their sound a bit, but it does so oh so subtly. They're not shy about overusing artificial harmonics like many an American death metal act, but they can also utilize a very staccatoed cadence, almost invoking a hardcore vibe. Their melodic leads stray away from the saccharine harmonies that many bands now utilize, and they instead seem ugly and desolate, not unlike the leads from early years Death. The most exciting part about this album is the most frustrating part to review. By this I mean that when listening to this album, hints of other great bands abound, but these hints are fleeting. Behemoth copies no one and sound fresh in and of themselves. They sound old school, but not stale or rehashed. Hell, they even made a chant-y little intro track ("Hekau 718") that not only is not annoying, but is interesting to listen to and complements the album rather than just makes the running time longer.
Another great aspect to this band is their underproduction. With so many interesting things going on, it would be easy to make this band sound slick, but a much more granular stance is taken, leaving the album with a rawer appeal that adds to its overall mass. The production also adds a thickness to the rhythm section, which is by far the most successful aspect to the songwriting. The rhythms crash and drive throughout the album weaving between blastbeats and groove effortlessly.
"The rhythms crash and drive throughout the album weaving between blastbeats and groove effortlessly." I guess being around for over a decade still counts for something. This album stands strong and deserves a place in every metalhead's collection. The only mild problems are on some of the lighter, slower parts the production comes across as a little thin, and the bass can be hard to search out, but these are just mild gripes that can easily be forgotten once you immerse yourself in the music. One word review: Brutal.
Death's Review:
I must admit I didn't know much about this band going into this review. What I thought I knew, I thought I didn't like. I fully expected this one to be mediocre. Then I saw the new Behemoth video on the local TV show "L.A. Metal" (www.lametaltv.com) and I was quite surprised. What I thought was just another underproduced and underground extreme metal band with marginal talent was revealed to me as something more, something much more.
"I fully expected this one to be mediocre."
The band had some really nice production values, both in the video and in the music. They somehow manage to sound both raw and polished at the exact same time. Better yet, now that I've fully absorbed the album, I can safely say that it appears they can actually play their instruments too! Even further, the songs were catchy death metal riff fests, each with a killer groove. The band still has the slight trappings of black metal beyond just their look and the goat-headed man on the cover (Baphomet? Pardon me, but I'm not as up on the official terminology behind the satanic imagery as a life-long metalhead probably should be). But there is a definite death metal, Morbid Angel-type punch that dominates. I wasn't expecting that, and the sound is pretty killer.
"All in all, this record is miles ahead of where I thought it would be." This album gets midtempoed at times; at others it is the low, slow and heavy riffs that crush the listener. A slow, grinding death vibe also makes its presence felt at spots. I was not expecting any of this before I saw the video! And trust me, the songs stick in your head. Kind of unexpected for a self-described "antichristian black metal phenomenon" from "the vast pagan lands of Poland." Fuck yeah! I'm in. All in all, this record is miles ahead of where I thought it would be, and while I can't quite go all the way and give it five skulls a solid four is not even being generous.
Hel's Review:
I really hate reviewing any band that refers to themselves as black metal. Sure, the fact that black metal has never been my favorite kind of metal is a factor, but moreover, it is because there is a contingent of black metal-specific fans who really seem to have some sort of know-it-all bug up their ass. As a general rule, I am very careful about what I say in my reviews because there always seems to be someone sitting in a basement somewhere just waiting to jump on any tiny inaccuracy you might state. I have nothing against feedback, but I never like to give people a reason to correct me, it's just sort of my personality (never tell a perfectionist they're not perfect!). So whenever a "black metal" album comes around, I always feel like I may be wading into a hornet's nest, and wonder if I've got my sting-proof suit fastened just right. But, there's really nothing I can do about this, so on with the review.
"I'm not going to try to tell you which components are black, and which are death, so how 'bout we just call it 'blackened death' and go crash out on the couch?" The first line of the accompanying press release reads thusly: "From the vast pagan lands of Poland, the antichristian black metal phenomenon known as BEHEMOTH have returned to unleash a thousand plagues on the masses with their new album Zos Kia Cultus (Here And Beyond)." Obviously, over the last ten years or so, music linked with the term "black metal" has continuously evolved, as has the usage of the term. At this stage in the game, I'm not going to try to pick Zos Kia Cultus apart and tell you which components are black, and which are death, so how 'bout we just call it "blackened death" and go crash out on the couch? Because, for the nitpicker in the basement, though Behemoth call themselves black, a death influence is also clearly evident throughout the album.
"I'll tell you, for a person who doesn't really like black metal, I happen to think this album is killer." So enough with semantics, let's get to what you really want to know: how the hell is the damn album already? Well, I'll tell you, for a person who doesn't really like black metal, I happen to think this album is killer. The production is so smooth and clear, if it were diamond it would be worth a fortune. Thank satan the TROO practice of crappy production as art has not been perpetuated here. The musicianship is fantastic, with the emphasis being on the guitarwork, and rightly so. You won't find any carnival keyboards or warbly sopranos, and I am vastly grateful for that.
I'm not going to sit here and presume to tell the contrarian black metaller whether or not they will like it, as I'm certain they'd disagree, regardless. Instead, I tell you, the general metal enthusiast, looking for that next quality album which holds the promise of good production, excellent musicianship, and solid songwriting, to go buy this record.
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