I won't make any grand introductions — I'll just say that the leaders of the Polish metal scene released their 8th album on July 2, 2007, titled "The Apostasy." Almost 3 years had passed since the previous disc. During that time, Nergal and company had decisively pushed VADER off their perennial throne and become the most successful band from Poland. In the roughly two years since the release of their previous album "Demigod," they played around 300 concerts worldwide, with the majority of performances taking place in North America — a region not so easy for Europeans to break into. The new album was recorded from November 2006 through March 2007. The booklet still lists only 3 musicians in the band's lineup — Nergal himself, drummer Inferno, and bassist Orion. Guitarist Seth formally remains a session player. What is apostasy — the word denotes religious defection, or a believer's renunciation of their faith. Ideologically, everything remains on unchanged ground. This is fairly aggressive anti-Christianity interspersed with occultism in an ancient Eastern vein, heavily influenced by the works of Aleister Crowley. The collaboration with Krzysztof Azarewicz continues, though he co-authored only two lyrics. Each composition has its own creation story written by Nergal. It can easily be said that Nergal is virtually the sole author of the entire album — concept, lyrics, music...
Let's be straightforward — the album is fantastic, as good as a death metal release can possibly be. The intro is titled 64 AD — the very year of the great fire in Rome. Whether Nero started it remains an open question; in any case, Christians were blamed. Two absolutely stunning bangers open the album — blasting riffs, demonic growling, incredibly complex drum patterns, a choir of three male and four female voices, aggressive high-speed passages alternating with mid-tempo sections. Nowhere does the music devolve into mindless pummeling; the compositions are excellently memorable — one might even say they etch themselves into your mind. BEHEMOTH remain true to themselves. The ominous, slow "At the Left Hand ov God" is cut short by the triumphant yet fast "Kriegsphilosophie," which, in addition to riffs, is built on brass sections (three brass musicians were invited for the recording alongside the choir). Two short aggressive compositions give way to arguably the most technically accomplished piece on the album — "Libertheme." And the album's gem is "Inner Sanctum" — despite this track being musically quite different from the rest of the material, it fits brilliantly into the album. As a guest vocalist, we hear Warrel Dane of NEVERMORE — the composition turned out to be the strongest on the record. Two more bangers close the album. Now let us try to find fault with this album. The attempt is doomed to failure — it is impossible. This album has no weaknesses. BEHEMOTH have released what is probably their best album, once again raising the bar for other bands.