The Satanist

Ten albums into their career, Polish death metal stalwarts Behemoth might not have anything to prove, but that certainly isn't stopping them from trying, as evidenced by The Satanist. A vital, crushing monster of an album, it feels as though the band is digging deep here, tapping into hidden reserves of infernal power to deliver an album of profane and powerful sonic destruction. The album is disarming at first, with opening track "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" lulling the listener into a trance with its plodding, doomy riffs before turning on a dime at the halfway point and opening up into a frenzied blast of fractured guitars and explosive blastbeats. From there, the band continues the assault, attacking the listener with track after track of furious death metal. It would have been easy for Behemoth to phone this one in, especially given the health issues faced by frontman Nergal, and an album sounding like the band phoned it in would almost be expected. Instead, Behemoth sound revitalized and ready to destroy everything that stands in their path, and fans should be ready to either go along for the ride or be crushed. ~ Gregory Heaney