First of all, what an awful title. Like, comically terrible. ‘The Shit Ov God’? That sounds like something a Behemoth parody would come up with.
Maybe that’s a point of view that runs even deeper for some. Apparently, there’s been a bit of controversy around the pre-release cuts from this album, and not the kind that Behemoth would likely welcome. There are fans saying that Behemoth have lost their edge, and that this is the culmination of their running out of ideas since The Satanist. And to that, we’ll say…yeah, no shit. Things like that tend to happen when you become the de facto, public-facing lead of a genre. The only thing that differs Behemoth from the rest of metal’s big boys is that they’re still trying to provoke a reaction from devout Christians. It’s really only representative of ‘true’ black-metal in its broadest strokes.
And to be fair, some of the complaints are understandable. Coming from Behemoth themselves, there’s a considerable overestimation of how dangerous and transgressive this actually is. (Comb through the tracklist and it looks less like artistic, metal-coded epigraphy, and more like their U key has stopped working.) It’s harder to defend gripes that are rooted in just accessibility, though. Regardless of whatever kernel of deeper intent they might hold, often it feels more like an attempt to save face and pull some perceived rank, especially in extreme metal. It certainly doesn’t hold weight on The Shit Ov God which, despite the inevitable proclamations of ‘sellout’ it’ll no doubt field, isn’t that bad. In its intent, it’s actually most reminiscent of where Mastodon were on The Hunter or Once More ‘Round The Sun, as Behemoth’s existing form is condensed and redirected, but the fundamentals are mostly unscathed.
In other words, even if The Shit Ov God doesn’t bear the immediate ‘feel’ of a Behemoth album, it definitely is one. Whether it’s a transmogrification that’s as natural as Mastodon’s was is another matter. If there’s an area that has taken a hit, it’s the richness that’s elevated Behemoth into a higher premium of black-metal than many others. Attempts at preservation are made, notably on the title track that’s probably the most successful at wrangling back some grandeur. Elsewhere, though, the production is so dense and, at times, overbearing that it’s just impossible for moments of elegance to break through. O, Venvs Come!, for instance, might feature some additional choral vocals in the beginning, but if it does, they’re so smothered that they’ll only manifest as the ghost of a spirit of a wisp.
The Shit Ov God wants to be intense, often to the point where clutter is an eventuality to be tolerated instead of an outright problem. The drums are at the brunt of that—Inferno is really excellent technically and probably deserves the platform that the album awards to him, but a song like To Drown The Svn In Wine has him close to bulldozing everything else aside. When it becomes more measured and balanced on Avgvr (The Dread Vvltvre) (ugh…)…well, the album’s over; that’s the last song.
It should be noted, though, that the intensity of The Shit Ov God isn’t a bad thing. Considering this is a black-metal album, it’d be more of a problem if there were none. Rather, it works better when repurposed like on Nomen Barbarvm, where the opening chants are the perfect cultivator for its dark, foreboding, black-hot atmosphere. That’s the side of Behemoth (and, indeed, most black-metal) that works the most, allowing for an insidiousness that nails its regal / evil trade-off. Given the nature of this album specifically, that’s not always possible, but it’s good to see something like it here at all.
But even without it, there’s still something here, and it’s not always easy to isolate what that is. This is an album burdened with the various weights of not being fully optimised for new, pared-down format, and yet, there’s rarely significant damage done from that. Perhaps it’s just how apparent the effort is on Behemoth’s part. You can tell this hasn’t just been tossed out; if it has, the status of genre spearheads might be more infallible than anyone anticipated. Even with its myriad shortcomings, the black magic of The Shit Ov God is potent, more so that it has any right to be. It’s in numerous forms, one notably being how thirsty to catch flak the title track is with its awful lyrics that are rammed out so self-seriously (even if the pummelling, chanting chorus goes an obscenely long way to pulling things back). On a more sincere note, Nergal’s voice suits this more brutal style with no scruples towards leaving roughness in. Hell, with a song like The Shadow Elite, there’s almost a flicker of catchiness in there. The abundant clean, sweeping guitar solos, too, carry that sense of borderline invitation that the biggest of metal bands have. It’s not a Metallica-esque middle of the road, but the likelihood is that even a greener metal fan with a bit of variety in taste will find something to like on Lvciferaeon or O, Venvs Come!.
That’s the accessibility mentioned earlier that’ll send some more obstinate fans into a tizzy, but let’s not immediately conflate that with the kneejerk pejorative of ‘selling out’. If this were Behemoth’s proper sellout moment, it wouldn’t be testing the waters as much as this seems to be. Actually, forget that—it wouldn’t have that name! The Shit Ov God is as much of a serious creative endeavour as anything else Behemoth have done, and a genuine listen to it reveals that without delay. It’s rocky and uneven as a new step forward will often be, and although Behemoth evidently aren’t fully acclimated, they’ve got the desire to get there. Just like The Hunter and Once More ‘Round The Sun evolved into some of Mastodon’s more fondly-viewed modern albums, the same could be just around the corner for Behemoth. It probably won’t be this one that gets that kind of reappraisal, but give them some time.
For fans of: Cradle Of Filth, At The Gates, Rotting Christ
‘The Shit Ov God’ by Behemoth is released on 9th May on Nuclear Blast Records.
Words by Luke Nuttall
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