Behemoth – I, Sculptor
Behemoth – I, Sculptor
Nuclear Blast
Release date: 04/09/26
Review by: Oli Gonzalez
5/10
Behemoth. A name that needs little introduction to the world of extreme metal. They’ve graced the stages of every festival and stage worth playing on the planet, and have built legions of fans globally along the way. Albums like “The Satanist” thrust them well and truly into the limelight and can be considered their strongest release. Then “The Shit Ov God” came along, receiving mixed reviews. To put it diplomatically! Just that title alone is cringey enough. So in many ways, “I, Sculptor” would be a chance to redeem themselves and build some trust with fans. A redemption arc, if you will. Frontman Nergal describes the album as:
“not a regular studio album and is, in fact, more of a compilation, the mere fact that it contains songs nobody has ever heard before makes it a significant release for us”
Ermm, excuse me? The whole point of a new album is that you’re releasing NEW MUSIC that nobody has heard before! How furious would you be if a car salesman said ‘’this car is significant as it has 4 wheels”. Kind of the bare minimum, right? That statement makes it seem like Behemoth is doing the bare minimum here.
It gets worse too.
Let’s look at the numbers. Out of 8 songs in total, 2 are covers. So no, not songs that ‘nobody has ever heard before’. Especially considering that 1 – a cover of Bathory’s ‘The Return Of Darkness and Evil’ – is a live recording! This also features the vocals of Sakis Tolis from Greek legends Rotting Christ. Considering that the second cover – ‘In League With Satan’ – also features the vocals of Dimmu Borgir’s Shagrath, this paints the picture of a band who lack confidence in their own creative abilities and need the added starpower of musicians from bands they perceive to be lower than them. All to help prop up their brand!
Am I sounding harsh?
Maybe. Or maybe once we look at the numbers further, it seems justified. See, 2 songs (‘Rise of the Blackstorm of Evil’ and ‘In Thy Pandemaeternum’) are re-recordings from previous albums. This adds further weight to the appearance of a band running out of ideas! A bit deceptive to say they’re songs we’ve never heard before.
So, how many songs are actually new?
- Out of 8.
‘I, Sculptor’, ‘Lord ov the Horizons’, and ‘Begotten’. As a collective, they represent a new direction for the band. One where the gritty and aggressive blackened death sound of their earlier back-catalogue seems like a distant memory. A sound many fans still crave, but won’t find here. The production levels are impressive though, and add a sense of cinema and lean into a newer theatrical sound for the band. That’s the only real saving grace here. Rehashing ‘Lord ov the Horizons’ and offering a demo copy of that to your fans not only stinks of a band running out of ideas, but screams blatant disrespect and nothing more than a cash grab.
Look, if you want to spend your hard-earned cash on only 3 new songs, then I can’t stop you. But Behemoth, you need to do better!
TRACKLISTING:
01. I, Sculptor
02. Lord ov the Horizons
03. Rise of the Blackstorm of Evil
04. In Thy Pandemaeternum
05. Begotten
06. In League With Satan (Venom cover)
07. The Return Of Darkness and Evil (live – Bathory cover).
08. Lord ov the Horizons (rough studio mix)
LINKS:
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