“I Love You at Your Darkest”
Behemoth
Metal Blade Records
Tracks: 12
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Black Metal heavy weights Behemoth have just released their 11th studio album titled “I Love You at Your Darkest” via Metal Blade Records. The album is the bands first studio release in four years and features 12 uniquely crafted tracks from the Gdansk natives who have been churning out their own signature blend of black metal since the early nineties. Vocalist/guitarist Nergal has stated that “It doesn’t get more blasphemous than this.” a claim which could be very, very true.
When a band like Behemoth and you releases an album titled “The Satanist” it might cause some to wonder if a black metal band can go much further than that. After listening to the twelve tracks which make up “I Love You at Your Darkest” I can tell you that the members of Behemoth (Nergal, Orion and Inferno) have not only matched the power and impact of their previous release but they may have found a way to take things one step further. The band is no stranger to controversy and in a recent press release Nergal talked about the album’s title, “It’s a verse from the Bible, It’s actually a quote from Jesus Christ himself”. For Behemoth to use it as the basis of our record, it’s sacrilege to the extreme.” Combine the back story of the title with the bands darkly colored fury and sleek production and you get tracks like the blast beat driven “Wolves ov Siberia” the haunting epic esque “Havohej Pantocrator” and my two personal favorites “Rom 5:8” and the droning riff driven “Bartzabel” which despite being lighter than the albums other eleven tracks still packs a punch and breaks up the release nicely.
“I Love You at Your Darkest” offers listeners more than just your run of the mill guttural vocals, down tuned guitars and obligatory blast beats. The band instead uses those techniques as a foundation to craft much more vast sonic landscapes that will appeal listeners time and time again. Even after a couple listens I still wanted to hear more. Albums that are able to keep a listeners attention time and time again are few and far between and Behemoth have packed each of the albums twelve songs with enough texture and instrumentation to keep your ears busy for a very long time.
Track Listing:
1.) Solve
2.) Wolves ov Siberia
3.) God = Dog
4.) Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica
5.) Bartzabel
6.) If Crucifixion Was Not Enough…
7.) Angelvs XIII
8.) Sabbath Mater
9.) Havohej Pantocrator
10.) Rom 5:8
11.) We Are the Next 1000 Years
12.) Coagvla