Behemoth, Evangelion

There’s just something strangely cool about seeing the new Behemoth CD/DVD, Evangelion, advertised in the Sunday ad for Best Buy. Right next to upcoming indie-rockers and pop-start wannabes is this trio of corpsepaint-wearing Polish Satanists. Fucking awesome.

For the uninformed, Evangelion is the 9th release from Behemoth, and they’ve been working their way up the metal hierarchy with each release. They get tagged as “black metal” for their lyrical content and makeup, but they have a better sense of song than many of their comrades. Think of the scenes in 28 Days Later where the infected are rampaging through the streets, and you’ll have some idea of the general feel — it’s frenzied, maddening, a little scary, and oh so enjoyable.

Singer/guitarist Nergal — I know, but all black metal guys have silly names, I guess I’ve just gotten used to it — has a great style, in that his playing borders on the flashy virtuoso edge but doesn’t get to the level of “masturbatory.” One person that must be praised is drummer Inferno (ease up, we already talked about the names), whose legs go at a pace that’s the equivalent of Usain Bolt running after doing meth for a week. What he really excels at, though, is the cymbal work. The extra little touches that he adds can take an average track to the next level. One other step the band took was in hiring Daniel Bergstrand just to record the drums. His unconventional techniques give Inferno’s sound the extra boost that only luminaries like Dave Lombardo and Chris Adler have reached.

Since Best Buy has this in their “Find ’em First” section, it’s only $7.99, and that also includes a DVD of the making of the album. So, if you have an extra $8 and want the musical equivalent of a stampede of the undead, Behemoth’s Evangelion is what you need to get.