Behemoth’s latest album is a blackened baptism in fire and fury, as the band takes another plunge into the abyss that defies expectations and subtlety
Wordsย byย Felix Bartlett | May 06, 2025
Three decades deep into their reign as blackened death metalโs most theatrical provocateurs, Behemoth remain as unrelenting as ever. Their thirteenth offering, The Shit Ov God, is exactly what the title promisesโa grotesque, grandiose, and occasionally grating onslaught of sacrilegious fury. It wonโt convert the skeptics whoโve long dismissed Nergalโs antics as edgelord posturing, but for those still enthralled by the bandโs fusion of blackened malice and death metal heft, it delivers just enough infernal majesty to justify its existence.
The albumโs strongest moments arrive early. Opener ‘The Shadow Elite’ is a masterclass in controlled chaos, blending Infernoโs artillery-grade drumming with Nergalโs venomous snarls and a surprisingly infectious chorus. Itโs the kind of track that could soundtrack a heretical uprisingโor at least a very angry gym session. Sowing Salt and ‘To Drown the Svn in Wine’ follow suit, with the formerโs breakneck riffing and the latterโs eerie chants (“Oh captain, my captain”) proving that Behemoth havenโt lost their knack for marrying brutality with theatricality.
Yet for every step forward, The Shit Ov God stumbles into self-parody. The title track, with its juvenile refrain (“Bow before the shit ov God!”), feels less like a blasphemous anthem and more like a middle finger waved at good taste. Meanwhile, ‘Lvciferaeon’ and ‘Nomen Barbarvm’ recycle the same symphonic bluster Behemoth have been peddling since The Satanist, albeit with diminishing returns. The bandโs once razor-sharp lyricism has dulled into blunt-force provocation, trading Krzysztof Azarewiczโs poetic venom for lines that read like a Satanic Mad Libs.
The albumโs saving grace is its sheer sonic weight. The production is colossal, with Orionโs bass rumbling like an earthquake and Sethโs solos slicing through the mix with surgical precision. Closer ‘Avgvr (The Dread Vvltvre)’ almost salvages the back half, stacking choral chants, acoustic outros, and Nergalโs most unhinged vocals into a finale that nearly justifies the preceding filler.
The Shit Ov God wonโt reignite the fires of Demigod or The Satanist, but itโs not the disaster its title suggests. Instead, itโs the sound of a band caught between legacy and reinventionโflawed, occasionally cringe-worthy, but still capable of conjuring hellish brilliance when the stars (or rather, the inverted crosses) align.
Verdict: ๐๐๐
For fans of: Watain, Mgลa, Emperor
The Shit Ov God is released on May 09 via Nuclear Blast Records
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