Tag Archives: The Satanist

Eindhoven Metal Meeting: Day 2 – Effenaar, Eindhoven NL

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Saturday we were up for a great hangover from the amazing day we had at day one of Eindhoven Metal Meeting. This was maybe a bit too much beer for the rest of the year. But still we held our heads high and bravely went to The Effenaar (by bus, there was no way we went by bike). This might be the reason why we were a bit too late, and I missed Distillator and Bodyfarm. But I walked in on this great old school death band named Necros Christos. I wonder how this band would have done on the smaller stage, the large stage really didn’t seem to fit them. The atmosphere they were trying to convince me about didn’t really came through. You can hear that this is a really good band, but it just didn’t come to me. I really want to see this band again sometime soon, but I want to experience them on a smaller stage.

Necros Christos, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Necros Christos, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

 

Ahab, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Ahab, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

German doomers AHAB definitely gave a great show! You could see that there wasn’t a great doom scene at Eindhoven Metal Meeting, the crowd at the Large Stage was empty if you ask me. Some real doom enthusiasts stayed, and they heard one of the greatest shows I have seen. Damn this is a band of quality. A band with a great atmosphere and we noticed that this band can really drag you out of a severe hangover. And for that we thank them.

I was really siked for Lvcifyre, but this didn’t last. I didn’t enjoy this band at all, the drummer delivered quite a show. However, the frontman said nothing at all and have no contact with the audience at all just doesn’t fit the job. I like black metal and I know the contact mostly isn’t that present, but most vocalists still sing to the audience, this guy didn’t even seem to bother. I do not have to see this band again.

Rompeprop, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Rompeprop, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Now we were really up for a party with one of the very last shows of the dutch goregrind band Rompeprop. I have always had this strange relationship with the style. There is nothing more party-mode-setting as a goregrind band. A bunch of friends were standing with me and we were doing the most crazy dance moves, because it is goregrind! We can do sprinklers, the lawn mower, and the hot towel! No one just cares and everyone is as crazy as you are. Just go with the flow and have a great time. A great, no-nonsense band with beach toys as props. Yes, this is my kind of party.

Marduk, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Marduk, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Now we were up for Marduk. This is definitely not the first time I have seen this band performing. But they always give a great performance and never disappoint. The quality this time was better than I have heard before, the riffs were more defined and the drums seemed to be more powerful.

Samael, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Samael, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Next up was the exclusive headliner Samael. The sound wasn’t that great, so it was not what I have expected at all. They used drum machine and they tried to play the old songs in the new style. It definitely wasn’t my piece of cake, but still I was intrigued and wanted to stay and watch the show.

Samael, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Samael, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

After this band we headed for the last after party at Stratumseind. Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2015 was a good edition if you asked me. I met a lot of friends and a lot of new faces. I have noticed there were more foreigners than the years past. This was a plus for the atmosphere of different cultures and styles and that combined to a good festival experience. I am definitely going back next year.

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Eindhoven Metal Meeting: Day 1 Review

WORDS BY KAAT VON DORMALEN

PHOTOS BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS


Eindhoven Metal Meeting: Day 1 Live At Effenaar, Eindhoven, NL

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On a remarkably warm December day, we rode to Eindhoven again for the sold out Eindhoven Metal Meeting. With a killer lineup this year, it would have been a shame to miss this event. The line up of EMM has never disappointed me so far.

Last year I was kind of nagging about the fact it felt way to crowded, there is still no place to sit except for the stairs and some places in the smoking area but it really felt less crowded this year! This helped the atmosphere of the festival a lot. Eindhoven Metal Meeting is not an open air festival so you can indulge yourself in the luxury of a hotel and the luxury of descent facilities, which is common in winter, but very welcome after a whole summer festival season behind us. No getting nasty from standing in piss soaked mud this time!

I already was psyched for this festival, one of my favorite bands as headliner (Behemoth), the great atmosphere from the crowd in the south of The Netherlands, a good brand of beer, great afterparties ahead of us and me and a friend even helped an old hag to her car for some karma points. So this year nothing could go wrong at all!

Winterfylleth, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Winterfylleth, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

The festival began and we walked in to hear the band Winterfylleth. I heard of this band, but never saw them live before. I can say there is nothing wrong with some good old raging black metal to drink your first festival beers on. The quartets latest opus The Divination of Antiquity definitely left a mark on me when I heard it, and it really came alive on stage. It felt like black metal was meant to sound like this and nothing else.

Aeternus, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Aeternus, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Next up on the Large stage (which is not only called that way because it is the largest stage, but is also called after one of the sponsors of the festivals) was Aeternus, a band with grandeur and a real attitude if you ask me. Their show was way to short if you ask me. I want more Aeternus, but next time it wouldn’t hurt if the guitars were a bit less sloppy. I loved the low tuned voice which really took me away.

An unexpected highlight was Onslaught, even though I am not really a thrash enthusiast. They were convincing me with a really convincing and energetic front man, which really got me in the mood. A really tight and top-notch show was is definitely the result of band members that really want to go for it and really want to bring us a great show.

Onslaught, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Onslaught, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

A real highlight of the Friday and if you tell me the best band up until now was Conan. I enjoyed it from the start of the show up untill the end. The wall of sound this band creates blew me away. They drag you away into this trance. What a great vibe this band creates. WE WANT MORE CONAN!

Conan, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Conan, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

 

Conan, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Conan, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

In the mean while it was time to grab some food, we weren’t the only ones with this great idea. After waiting a while for my pulled pork sandwich (which wasn’t that special at all) we went back to the District 19 stage (the small stage). There are a lot of bands from Eindhoven playing this year, but Heretic really impressed. Not everyone seemed to like the black punk and roll, but damn this was ment to party on. The enthusiasm from the stage really impressed and even made a few metalheads dancing, yes, dancing, not headlbanging. This was quite an experience I can tell.

 

Behemoth, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Behemoth, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Now we were up for the headliner Behemoth, the time schedule for the Large stage wasnt that accurate anymore so they started a bit late, but no worries. They gave away a show like only Behemoth can deliver. Grim, dark, but full with energy. Nergal really wins the Oscar for best stage performer ever! There seemed to be some technical difficulties, but I didn’t hear any and I think everybody was just enjoying the great light show and the performance of this great band. If you have never seen Behemoth, do not miss them. This is a must see band!

Behemoth, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Behemoth, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Next up was Candlemass, a lot of visitors have already left the building and it really wasn’t as crowded as it was before. Still, the heavy bass and good combination of riffing and incredible vocals was a great experience.

Candlemass, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Candlemass, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

After Candlemass we were up for a good party! Lucky for us the Dynamo had a after party organised with some great cover bands: a GG Allin cover band, an Iron Maiden cover band (that didn’t convince me) and this great glam rock cover band Lipstick`N Bullets with members from the Metal Factory. (yes in the Netherlands we have a school where you can study metal). We were here to party, and this is what we got.

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WORDS BY KAAT VAN DOREMALEN

PHOTOS BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS


Festival Preview: Eindhoven Metal Meeting

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This weekend marks another close to the music festival calendar for the year with the Eindhoven Metal Meeting in The Netherlands. Ghost Cult Magazine has covered the festival every year in its existence, based on stellar line ups and their commitment to the best fan experience possible for fans of death metal, black metal and doom among other genres. Over two days 36 bands will assault 2 stages with their performances. This year EMM is headlined by none other than Behemoth! The band continues to tour behind their acclaimed 2013 album The Satanist (Metal Blade) and with the future plans of the band up in the air, you might not want to miss them at EMM.

Behemoth plays on Day 1 on the Large Rockhand Stage, along with heavyweights Candlemass, God Dethroned, Onslaught and Winterfylleth among others. The side stage, the District 19 stage has such not to be missed bands as Conan, Loudblast, Gehennah, and Acid Reign.

Day 2 has an equally strong line-up with Craft, Samael, Marduk, Nuclear Assault (in one of their final performances) Ahab and Vektor on the main stage. The side stage has acts such as Hooded Menace, Mourning Beloveth, Gama Bomb, Lvcifyre and Solstice. Tickets are still available at this link:

 

Photo Credit: Hillarie Jason

Behemoth, by Hillarie Jason


Video: Behemoth – The Satanist

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still image from Behemoth's the Satanist video

Behemoth has released a video for the title track from their album The Satanist (Metal Blade). You can watch the video at this link or below:

Directed by directed by Andrzej Dragan (andrzejdragan.com), the video has all the visual hallmarks and high concept artistic value fans have come to expect from Behemoth, since releasing the Satanist.

Frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski comments:

“Behemoth has always been about breaking boundaries, taboos, leaving its comfort zone and thinking out of the box! Here we go again with the brand new video from us. It’s already a fourth official clip off “The Satanist”… The concept came from the director, Andrzej Dragan. It’s situated in modern Warsaw in the present times. It’s where the carnal world meets the unknown… it’s where the ZOS meets KIA… It’s where SACRUM is rapes by PROFANUM…“

 

Director Andrzej Dragan also commented:

“This is a picture of alienation and ultimate rejection of an oversensitive character by an anonymous city.“

 

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Behemoth online

Behemoth at Metal Blade Records

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Behemoth on YouTube


Cannibal Corpse – Behemoth – Aeon – Tribulation: Live At The House of Blues

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Cannibal-Behemoth US Tour

After New England has taken the beating of a lifetime from Mother Nature this winter in the form of tons of snow, and frigid temps, it was good to feel the warmth of a venue again. This night was not just poised to be a memorable metal concert, but it was my two-year anniversary with my girlfriend Tara. Keep your flowers and candy; I can’t think of anything more romantic than a night of top-shelf death metal, gore and blasphemy, and my beloved agrees, so off we went to Boston for the show.

I had access to the House of Blues Foundation Room for me and lady on this night. I had some preconceived notions about what the experience was going to be like: corporate and sterile. I could not be more wrong about the unassuming, funky Indian-themed environment. I had a blast and would do it again.

Tribulation opened the show and they were killer. It seems like the band is poised for bigger things here in the US and it was great to see so many fans in the venue super into them. Maybe it’s because Johannes Anderson kind of looks like Evan Peters from American Horror Story. No, that’s not it. They played an awesome set of a few favorites and one new song from their forthcoming album Children of the Night, dropping in May from Century Media.

 

Aeon just flat out destroyed! From the first note to the last they just brutalized the audience to death musically. They were the “aha” band for many when this tour was announced, some fans I know claiming they would leaved after the heavy Swedes were done exsanguinating us all. In the mean time this band keeps killing it big time year after year. They played a brilliant, if too brief for me set with happy little tunes such as ‘Satanic Victory’, ‘Living Sin’, ‘God Gives Head In Heaven’ and ‘Forever Nailed’. I caught up with Tommy Dahlstrom backstage for a quick interview between bands and he said he’d never been happier with a tour. You could tell from their performance it was true.

 

Behemoth was next and I thought right off the bat it would be hard for them to live up to their performance for last spring. In my mind that was as flawless a performance as I might ever see in Death Metal, and I have seen some great ones. Well they certainly came close again tonight. On the even bigger stage of the House of Blues, Nergal and his comrades in Behemoth certainly seemed like larger than life heroes. Milking every ounce of energy and adulation the audience could give, Nergal cajoled cheers and demanded attention with every dramatic arm movement and pose. With the set list now comprising at least half of 2013’s The Satanist (Nuclear Blast) plus the “hits”, it would be nice to hear the band play more from their classic, 90s material. But alas, I doubt we will hear too much of those songs in the future, which is a shame. Still, if the show had ended here I wouldn’t have complained.

 

Nearly any other band would have been hard pressed to follow the performance just witnessed. Cannibal Corpse does live what they have done every step of their career: play technical death metal with effortless mastery. After 25 years it says a lot that they can play a brutal set of 14 tracks and, still leave you wanting more. Newer cuts like ‘Evisceration Plague’ and ‘Kill or Become’ flow perfectly with ‘Hammer Smashed Face’ and ‘The Wretched Spawn’. The pits were consistently awesome for the Corpse, as opposed to Behemoth, but that is likely due to the up and down tempos of the co-headliners. Although I have seen the band countless times, they never fail to amazing with putting on a great set. Corpsegrinder was hilarious as always with his in between song banter, allowing him to be the foil, while his bandmates focus on playing. They continue to be the gold-standard of all death metal band and arguably the best ever.

 

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WORDS BY KEITH CHACHKES

PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON PHOTOGRAPHY


STAFF PICKS 2014: Bella Vendetta Picks Her Album Of The Year

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I know, I know, I wrote about My favorite show of 2014 and it was King Diamond, and now I’m going to write about My favorite album and I’m realizing it’s also a Metalblade records. Maybe I should just write “How Metal Blade records ruled My metal world in 2014”. A lot of damn fine records came out. Obviously we all know how excellent Behemoth’s The Satanist is. It’s so good even mainstream media around the globe is taking notice. Since My Behemoth collection is pretty well rounded and I felt obligated to get it. I almost wanted to dislike it because I knew how much everyone hated it…but I found Myself falling in love and playing it over and over again in spite of Myself.

The news I had looked forward to the most though was that Metal Blade records had also signed Vesania, a symphonic black metal super-group with roots firmly planted in Poland. The group is fronted by Orion, bassist of Behemoth (damn did this guy have a great year or what?) Though Orion fronts the band he never really steals the show because every member of Vesania is a superstar in their own right. Vesania also boasts current and former members of Dimmu Borgir, Vader and Decapitated. The band has been together and performing (never in America of course) for over a decade and now has three albums to show for it. I have fond memories of driving around in the harsh New England winter blasting 2007’s Distractive Killusions on the car stereo wondering if I’d ever get the chance to see Vesania live. I’ve always hoped for a new album and even asked vocalist Orion about it in a 2010 interview I did with him for Burning Angel.

So when the band announced that they’d be releasing a new album with Metal Blade records in 2014 I was excited. Like, pre-order as soon as possible excited.

And the album titled Deus Ex Machina did not disappoint Me in the least. I don’t think there’s one particular sound for this album, but rather a marriage of many different styles and elements. Symphonic black metal is a term you hear used over and over with this band, and that’s pretty accurate I suppose. To Me it’s adventure music, it’s soundtrack music, it’s almost video game music that makes you feel as if you are on an epic metal journey where magical things are possible. When I first heard it I thought it made Me want to stomp around a fire and take My clothes off. It’s almost confusing, in the best way possible. Each track is different enough, and some tracks even change so drastically mid song that it keeps you guessing, and wanting to hear what will come next. Whether or not it can be categorized, it makes you FEEL something, and that is no small feat in 2014.

My new year’s resolution is to see Vesania live, make My dreams come true Metal Blade Records!

Check out Vesania’s official links here:

https://www.facebook.com/VesaniaOfficial
https://www.youtube.com/tanzteufel
http://vesania.pl

http://www.metalblade.com/us/artists/vesania/

BELLA VENDETTA


Ghost Cult Album of the Year 2014

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The waiting is over, and Ghost Cult Magazine is delighted to announce that our official Album of the Year for 2014 is Behemoth‘s modern day classic The Satanist (Metal Blade / Nuclear Blast).

Released on 3rd February to immediate critical and fan acclaim, the bands tenth album progressed the blackened death metal sound that had formed the background of their successful career to date and propelled them to even greater heights.

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Even back then writer James Conway predicted the album would do well in terms of our end of year list:

“It’s clear that a whole lot of thought and talent has gone into the crafting of The Satanist. The songwriting is clear and consistent, the band sound tight and utterly in control and the album feels like a glorious declaration of victory. Far from rehashing old ideas, Nergal and his cohorts have crafted a concoction of songs with a stunning level of variety, power and bite. This is their best album to date and an early contender for album of the year. Welcome back and fuck cancer!” You can read the 9/10 review in full here

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Speaking to Senior Editor Ross Baker, main man Nergal said at the time:

“The fact that I am healthy and I have the deadliest weapon that Behemoth has ever created in my hands makes my life complete. When people listen to The Satanist, it will stimulate them in many different ways.”

It isn’t just the fact that Adam “Nergal” Darski had successfully recovered from leukemia, this is no award given out of sympathy, but a celebration of an excellent record. In an age of good, The Satanist is great, an album of significance. Starting out with the writhing ‘Blow Your Trumpets, Gabriel’ through to the epic closer ‘O Father O Satan O Sun’, not just the best track Behemoth have ever produced but one of the best extreme metal songs of the modern age, The Satanist is a dark, complex, aggressive, challenging and intriguing record that ticks every Extreme Metal box imaginable.

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No hyperbole, a truly great album, worthy of the title of Album of the Year 2014.

Well done Nergal, well done Behemoth.

Read our Album of the Year countdown: 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, 20-16, 15-11, 10-6, 5-2

Compiled and words by Steve Tovey


Behemoth – Cradle of Filth- In Solitude – Inquisition: Live at The Forum, London UK

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Kicking off a long evening with a double-shot of generic but competent black metal, Svarttjern and Inquisition inspire a healthy response from early attendees, despite support-band sound and a lack of engaging stage presence. The former bring more of a DM touch to their songs, while the latter’s uncanny Immortal impression and two members draw the most attention.

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In Solitude know they’re on the wrong bill, but they launch into their first track of atmospheric classic heavy metal with total enthusiasm. A muddy, over-loud sound robs them of some subtlety and grace, and this was never their audience, but their professionalism and energy wins them some new fans. Watch out for them headlining their own shows.

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Playing to a large audience of hard-core fans, one time British black metal royalty Cradle Of Filth take to the stage like headliners. For a brief time tonight it’s possible to overlook the last decade of over-long, unspectacular “come-back” albums and ironic mugging, as they thunder gloriously through a set-list of old classics and a few newer favourites as if everyone in the venue had come to see them. The pit is filled with people screaming every word and greeting old classics with the kind of howling you’d expect for a headliner, and the band remind us how good they truly were before hype and backlash got in the way. As surprise encore ‘Funeral In Carpathia’ crashes to a close they leave the stage to many fans still shouting for more, and my inner 18-year-old finally stops grinning. Thank you, Dani – those long years of goth clubs and Never Mind The Buzzcocks appearances were hard to bear, but we’ll always have Paris. Or Kentish Town.

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You know a band are big beyond usual metal terms when a literally-packed-to-bursting Forum explodes into excited cheers every time a roadie picks up a mic-stand. After a long and unusually well-received soundcheck, Behemoth take the stage to a level of theatrics and professionalism that make their peers look like pub bands. Trading in their leather man-skirts for a tribal-paint-and-leathers style that makes them look like a pack of Chaos Beastmen, the band dominate the elaborately decorated stage with movements so precise and commanding that you suspect they’ve rehearsed them.

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Musically they’re even more precise, a stunning sound supporting a mercilessly tight, martial delivery of songs from their new album The Satanist (Metal Blade) alongside older classics. Behemoth are a band that have never entirely worked for me on record, their albums polished but a little superficial, but live it makes sense. Nergal is a genuinely masterful front-man, leading the band and the audience with an absolutely commanding performance of pure Metal arrogance, but between songs displaying a more human side, talking about his joy to have survived his recent health scares. Shining through their stern stage-manner and martial theatrics is genuine enjoyment and pleasure, and they communicate this to the fans – the packed audience go crazy, welcoming every track like a classic, and if their material still lacks a certain depth, absolutely no-one here cares.

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Set List:

Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel

Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer

Conquer All

Decade of Therion

As Above So Below

Slaves Shall Serve

Christians to the Lions

Driven by the Five-Winged Star

The Satanist

Ov Fire and the Void

Alas, Lord Is Upon Me

Furor Divinus

At the Left Hand ov God

Chant for Eschaton 2000

Encore:

O Father O Satan O Sun

 

Behemoth on Facebook

Cradle of Filth on Facebook

In Solitude on Facebook

Inquisition on Facebook

Svarttjern on Facebook

Works: Richie H-R

Photos: Ian Cashman


Ghost Cult Issue #15 is out now!

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GC 15 front cover med BehemothIssue #15 of Ghost Cult Magazine is out now! Created especially for your smartphone or tablet device! Read it now:
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INTERVIEW: Summon The Antichrist – An Interview with Nergal of Behemoth

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Adam “Nergal” Darski is certainly an outspoken and often controversial figure, yet one thing that goes unnoticed about the front man of Poland’s most extreme band is his humanity and courage. Following the success of the band’s 2009 opus Evangelion Darski was diagnosed with Leukemia, yet following a successful bone marrow transplant and a few months of recovery Nergal was back on the road. Yet, his struggles where far from over, dogged by the ongoing court case concerning charges of “causing religious offence” it seems there were many distractions which delayed work on Behemoth’s tenth album The Satanist. Ghost Cult caught up with Darski to discuss his health, celebrity status in his homeland, court cases and the band’s bold new album.Continue reading →