BEHEMOTH 'I, Scvlptor'

BEHEMOTH
I, Scvlptor
Nuclear Blast Records

An EP disguised as what some outlets have called an album, Poland’s gold coin known as BEHEMOTH put out another release titled “I, Scvlptor” only just a year apart from their recent “The Shit Ov God” (which ALSO was short-changed with only 8 songs). Featuring unreleased and re-worked material and a couple of covers, would such a short time in between releases be enough to warrant a new release? As BEHEMOTH has become more mainstream (yup, I said it), the traditional Black Metal sound isn’t as present in their music, so it’s easy to say that TRVE Black Metal fans won’t tout them as much as some of the mainstream sites would like you to think. Be that as it may, this new release is a mix of songs new and old that capture just a hint of BEHEMOTH’s respected legacy, going back as far as the early 90’s. 

On this EP are songs that didn’t make the original cut for their last album, those being the opening title track ‘I, Scvlptor’ and ‘Begotten’ which actually carry the tone from that album, slow midtempo songs that pick up briefly towards the end. The second track ‘Lord Of The Horizons’ is actually a new song that also follows the same formula. Revisiting their early work starting with the 1993 demo “The Return Of The Northern Moon” is a new, re-worked version of ‘Rise Of The Blackstorm Of Evil’. The other from the 1998 album “Pandemonic Incantations” with the song ‘In Thy Pandemaeternum’. Also on this new release are a couple of covers. One as a live track featuring ROTTING CHRIST vocalist Sakis Tolis from a performance captured earlier this year in Greece for a cover of Black Metal forefathers BATHORY and their rendition of ‘The Return Of Darkness and Evil’. The other cover, an actual studio production features Shagrath, vocalist of DIMMU BORGIR (who recently also released an album and put on an outstanding show out here in L.A.) for a cover of VENOM’s ‘In League With Satan’. This one was thoroughly entertaining, an awesome duet that just seemed to work for a very good interpretation of the cult classic.

So again, all the songs on “I, Scvlptor” abide by the same monotonous formula and don’t really produce enough extreme moments, if only briefly showing BEHEMOTH’s slower side. As a band that has become more about the visual aesthetic of Black Metal, they released a video for the title track, as well as their VENOM cover. Both visually very good, as have been many of BEHEMOTH’s recent artistically edgy music videos. Despite its shorts, in both comings and playlist, the production on every song does a great job in making BEHEMOTH’s sound massive. 

Calling it as it is, just like The Metal Archives Encyclopedia Metallum which I trust (as should you too), this EP is filler to hold off fans while BEHEMOTH sets off on an nicely billed tour in Europe with DIMMU BORGIR and Swedish Black Metal Legends DARK FUNERAL for what's coincidentally called the “In League With Satan” tour. As a whole  “I, Scvlptor”, like the last couple of releases, falls short for any long time fan that still holds BEHEMOTH in high regard as they eyeball that patch on their battlevest, allowing it to exist there a little while longer. Over time BEHEMOTH have distanced themselves a tad bit from the traditional Black Metal sound (and old school fans too) becoming more “Blackened Death Metal”. While not necessarily a bad thing,  to me 2009’s “Evangelion” was the last great BEHEMOTH album.

3.0 Out Of 5.0