Behemoth – their name so appropriate for summoning such an enormous impact on the extreme music scene – has had quite the career. Fusing black and death metal on sacrilegious tracks like “Antichristian Phenomenon” and “Slaves Shall Serve,” or even the infamous The Satanist album, the Gdańsk-based act has bestowed blasphemy to the international mainstream, even so much as resulting in frontman Nergal facing legal battles against Poland.
With the current lineup also holding drummer Inferno, bassist Orion, and guitarist Seth, Behemoth have just unveiled their thirteenth album The Shit Ov God, and it’s honestly pretty damn good. “Lvciferaeon,” “Sowing Salt,” “The Shadow Elite,” and the title track all carry the group’s usual heavy, atmospheric, semi-melodic, and controversial strengths.
However, after three decades of Behemoth’s reign in Poland, one naturally must have wandering eyes to seek out what other Polish blackened death metal acts are rising up…
Hate
The most formidable contender would be Hate, the Warsaw Slavic mystics who dabbled in Satanic blackened death metal since the same year that Behemoth began – 1991. While never quite reaching the heights of Behemoth, their new album Bellum Regiis (translated to War of Royalty) is arguably superior, full of dynamic, sharp-toothed pieces including “A Ghost of Lost Delight” and “Iphigenia,” produced by David Castillo (Katatonia, Leprous) and mastered by Tony Lindgren (Enslaved, Rotting Christ).
Hållbar
Also bringing a black and death metal fusion from Warsaw, Hållbar would be the young runner-up, freshly self-releasing their debut album Nemesis. Still early in their path, this project is definitely worth keeping an eye on, notably vocalist Gosia Marczak’s merciless screams atop modern heaviness of Wolf King meets Crypta. I need to chew on this material a little longer, but I’m seriously impressed by the new record, mixed and mastered by Filip ‘Heinrich’ Hałucha (Decapitated, Hate, Behemoth).
Across the Shade
Consisting of duo Kamil Sikorski and Bartek Pawlik, Across the Shade represents blackened melodic death metal from Katowice, Poland. In 2019, they dropped the album Hope, but recently unveiled the follow-up titled Madness. Despite a bit rough around the edges, this record is abundant with creativity and perfect for a younger and hungry audience, likely alluring for fans of old In Flames and recent Behemoth.
other recommendations
If you’re looking for more emerging Polish metal in the extreme side of the spectrum, a whole handful more have released this year. I heavily recommend the latest albums by Wesele and Brzask for an earthy, cold onslaught of blackened death metal. Additionally Valkenrag‘s Fury Untamed EP is perfect for scratching the viking itch, while the What Lies Ahead record by Frightful leans towards death-thrash territory. Seriously though, the amount of metal coming out of Poland is immense, from new-comers Infernal Flame and Cursed Darkness to the under-rated death metallers Embrional.