Behemoth

Satan has been a longtime ally of metal, but in many cases it goes only as deep as bloody farm animals, fiery pentagrams and fey promises of eternal damnation. On Behemoth’s 10th album, The Satanist, the Polish band’s dark overlord Adam “Nergal” Darski grapples with evil from the point of view of someone who’s actually read some verses. But more compelling is the fact that this is the band’s first record since Nergal was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 (a successful bone marrow transplant led to his recovery). Needless to say, the deep gaze into mortality makes The Satanist all the more heavy. Musically, it’s a brilliantly varied record. Dynamics are given serious thought. Horns and otherworldly synthesizers find their places in the calamity. And the album’s pristine production and—dare I say—sense of melody threaten to push extreme metal into new realms (and a wider audience). Simply put: The Satanist destroys on every level, and in every circle of Hell. And we’re all going.