The Satanist is the tenth studio album by Polish extreme metal band Behemoth. The album was announced on 31 May 2013 and released on 3 February 2014, through Nuclear Blast and on 4 February in Poland via Metal Blade Records and Mystic Production, respectively. Release was preceded by digital download single "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" and 12" EP under the same title released on 4 December 2013.
Background and history
The Satanist was recorded between February and June 2013 in Hertz Studio in Białystok, and RG Studio in Gdańsk, both in Poland, produced by Behemoth, Daniel Bergstrand, and the Wiesławscy Brothers. The album was mixed by Matt Hyde at Hydeaway Studios in Los Angeles, and mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York City. Colin Richardson was the initial producer for the album, but stepped down after four weeks due to creative differences.
A music video was shot for the song "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" which was produced and directed by Grupa 13, and Dariusz Szermanowicz. The video premiered on the Behemoth YouTube channel on 3 December 2013.
On 7 January 2014, Behemoth released the first part of their video prologue for this album. Subsequently, the second part was released on January, 14, the third part was released on January, 21, and the fourth part was released on January, 29. Earlier, on 28 January, the official lyric video for the song "Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer" was released.
The song "In the Absence ov Light" contains a spoken word quote from the Witold Gombrowicz drama The Marriage (pol. Ślub) which states:
Critical reception and legacy
The Satanist received acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 92, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 10 reviews. Joe DiVita of Loudwire noted that the album "sees the band shed away that skin as they simultaneously get back to some of their blackened roots while exploring new areas with… dynamic songwriting". The album claimed the top spot on Loudwire's list of the best metal albums of 2014, with Loudwire hailing it "a masterpiece from beginning to end, with absolutely no filler".
Grayson Currin of Pitchfork wrote: "The Satanist is a terrific coil of most everything Behemoth have ever done well, a strangely hopeful vision of hell wrested away from its very grip." The editorial staff of Dutch webzine Lords of Metal named it the third best album of 2014, after a score of 93/100 for the initial album review.
In 2019 the album was voted the "Best Metal Album of the Decade" by publications such as Loudwire, Consequence of Sound and others.
"It's a really intense album," observed comedian Bill Bailey. "And the music is so orchestral, almost: the guitars layered on and this sort of tornado of drums… It's epic. I listen to it when I'm cycling."
Track listing All music composed by Nergal. All arrangements by Behemoth. All lyrics written by Nergal, except where noted.
Personnel Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
Behemoth Adam "Nergal" Darski – guitar, vocals, lyrics Tomasz "Orion" Wróblewski – bass Zbigniew Robert "Inferno" Promiński – drums Production Wojciech Wiesławski – producer, engineering Sławomir Wiesławski – producer, engineering Daniel Bergstrand – producer Matt Hyde – mixing Ted Jensen – mastering Urban Näsvall – drum technician Denis "Forkas" Kostromitin (Денис "Форкас" Костромитин) – cover art Metastazis (Jean-Emmanuel "Valnoir" Simoulin) – additional design Zbigniew Bielak – additional design Arkadiusz "Malta" Malczewski – mixing, mastering (DVD) Grupa 13 – producer (DVD; Documentary) Aga Krysiuk – filmmaker (DVD; Documentary) Iwo Ledwozyw – filmmaker (DVD; Documentary)
Additional musicians Patryk Dominik "Seth" Sztyber – guitar Michał Łapaj (Riverside) – keyboards, hammond organ on "O Father O Satan O Sun!" and "The Satanist" Krzysztof "Siegmar" Oloś (Vesania) – samples Krzysztof Azarewicz – lyrics Jan "Dziablas" Galbas (Octopussy) – backing vocals on "O Father O Satan O Sun!" Artur Jurek (Sanacja) – orchestrations Marcin Janek (Durys Band) – saxophone on "In the Absence ov Light" Grażyna Michalec (Polish Chamber Orchestra Sopot) – cello Magda Miotke-Bajerska (Polish Chamber Orchestra Sopot) – cello Alicja Leoniuk-Kit (Polish Chamber Orchestra Sopot) – cello Pawel Hulisz (Hevelius Brass quintet) – flugelhorn, trumpet Michał Szczerba (Hevelius Brass quintet) – French horn Łukasz Lacny (Hevelius Brass quintet) – French horn Bogdan Kwiatek (Hevelius Brass quintet) – trombone Adam Sierżęga – percussion (uncredited, track 10; DVD) Note Recorded at Hertz Studio in Białystok, Poland, Feb–June 2013 Additional recording at Dug-Out, Radio Gdańsk, Soundsgreat Studio Mixed at Hydeaway Studio, Los Angeles, Aug–Sept 2013 Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York City, Sept–Oct 2013 'Live Barbarossa' was filmed during Phoenix Rising tour in Ekaterinburg, Russia, Sept 2012
Release history Region Date Label Europe 3 February 2014 Nuclear Blast United States February 4, 2014 Metal Blade Poland Mystic Japan 5 February 2014 JVC Kenwood Victor Australia 7 February 2014 EVP CIS 18 February 2014 New Aeon Musick/Фоно/Metal Star
Charts Chart (2014)Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 78Canadian Albums Chart 46 Japanese Albums (Oricon)86US Billboard 200 US Independent Albums US Top Rock Albums US Top Hard Rock Albums US Top Tastemaker Albums
References