Behemoth

Behemoth are kind of a big deal when it comes to extreme metal. Or black metal? Or death metal? Or even blackened death metal? Whatever you call them, they are undeniably prominent in the respective scenes. Known for their unrelenting and brutal sound, Behemoth are not stopping the carnage. ‘The Satanist’ is set for a release early next year and according to lead singer Nergal (Adam Darski), the band are going to be showcasing some new songs when they come to Australia to tear our stages open this October. Killyourstereo.com sat down with the band's main man recently.

Hey, Adam, Matt here from Kill Your Stereo. How are you doing?

I’m good thanks. Things are looking great. We are currently mastering the new record. We’re going to have to ask the fans to be patient on this one because this is a record that is worth waiting for. We are hitting Australia soon and we’ll be playing some of the new material. I couldn’t be more excited for it!
 

I can imagine so.

Hell yeah! I mean, Australia is one of those places, it’s not the biggest but one of those places where we have a really loyal and solid fan base. There the kinds of people who buy the records as soon as they’re out and go to the shows when they can. I can remember all the people who came out to see us with Job for a Cowboy in 2011 and I know they’ll come out again because they love it. They can expect quality and honesty from Behemoth. I really believe that. It’s one of those places that has this lovely, wonderful vibe. I can remember when I looked out into the crowd and saw their faces and just how excited they were and I can’t wait to see it again.
 

Let’s talk about ‘The Satanist’, the upcoming album. Tell me about the writing and recording process.

It was long man. It took forever. What can I say, we started rehearsing in December last year in my home town then we moved out to Warsaw where we continued rehearsing and pre-production. Then we entered the home studio and it took us about four months to record the tracks. Once again, it was long! But we finished then we started mixing. We sent it to the mixer but after four weeks he gave up. He said he just had no idea what to do with the record with its sound and what not. So we moved on and said thank you for his cooperation. We sent it to a new mixer in LA and he has just been amazing! He did a great job; he made a very organic and rocky mix. Not your typical noisy death metal. It’s a kind of sound that’s very real and a little different, I love it.
 

Behemoth have been active for over twenty years and have grown stronger with each release. Did you ever see yourself doing it for this long and becoming this prominent?

Not at all man. We were just kids trying to copy our favourite bands. It took us awhile to find our identity. There was energy from the start and we have a lot of passion for the band even now and that’s what’s kept it alive so long. I do need to add that we are super proud of all the band's achievements. It’s just great.
 

I’ve read in an interview you studied six years of history at university. Is that something you’re quite passionate about or is it just an interest you decided to pursue?

Well, I’m not some history geek or whatever. There were certain periods that I found inspiring within history. And when there was the chance to go to university, everyone was picking law or economics or shit like that and I never took to that. I didn’t want to end up like that, another piece in the chain reaction, just another corporate guy. No fucking way! So I went with something that was interesting to me because the band was starting to roll and we were touring and recording album. But that was at the start so it wasn’t fully sufficient. I was still relying on my parents’ economic situation and they wanted me to have a backup so I went with what interested me. So that’s why I started studying history. I’ve never been a big fan. I wouldn’t call myself a geek like I said.
 

I know it’s a bit far away but what plans do you have for 2014?

We’re putting out the record in early February then from there we are going to fucking dominate. We have a huge touring plan starting with Europe than the US then Russia, then Poland then South America. Then in 2015 we’re gonna repeat the whole thing again. Pretty much, two or three years of touring because we’ve had a gap from it. We are going to reactivate the whole touring plan. It’s going to be awesome man.
 

How did you get into this kind of really heavy music? Like death metal and black metal and all that.

Well I had a brother who listened to some heavy stuff. The more classical heavy stuff like Mayhem and Van Halen. He basically got me into this music. Once I’d discovered it myself I explored it more and more and I realised that heavy metal is my thing. From there on I was learning by myself. There were other people who showed me some more extreme stuff but it was definitely my brother who got me into it.
 

I recently read that you were a coach on The Voice of Poland two years ago. Is this true?

Yeah man, I was on the first season when it started in Poland. I was one of the judges and actually one of my guys went on to record a really good record. It was great to see ‘cause he was such a good kid.
 

What things do you do before you go on stage, like habits?

I just like to do some stretches, warm up my voice and my guitar. I also like to stay in a calm room; a nice quiet room. I don’t like to listen to the music then, I drown it out. I just want some time alone to get in the right feel and mood before I go out there.
 

Last one, Adam. What is the craziest thing you have ever seen a crowd do?

(Laughs) I’ve seen a lot of things the crowd does but the best thing was this one time, we were playing and the crowd was going insane, they were really into it. And there was this one guy in a wheelchair and the crowd lifted him above their heads and took him down to the barrier! It was crazy because it was such an energetic show too. He was crowdsurfing…in a wheelchair!
 

Well Adam, thanks so much for your time and all the best for the Australian tour and the release next year.

Thanks, my man, bye.



Catch Behemoth in Australia this October.

 BEHEMOTH with HOUR OF PENANCE and local supports performing at:

October 24th – Capitol, Perth
October 25th – The Esplanade Hotel, Melbourne
October 26th – The Manning Bar, Sydney
October 27th - The Hifi, Brisbane
October 29th – Auckland, Kings Arms