“It doesn’t get more blasphemous than this,” declares Behemoth mastermind Nergal, about the band’s upcoming album, I Loved You At Your Darkest – due out October 5th via Metal Blade Records (North America) / Nuclear Blast (Europe). While it certainly seems an unlikely title for a black metal band, its origin might surprise fans even more than the words themselves. “It’s a verse from the Bible,” Nergal reveals. “It’s actually a quote from Jesus Christ himself. For Behemoth to use it as the basis of our record, it’s sacrilege to the extreme.” A crushing salvo of black metal majesty replete with hellish riffs, thundering drum cannonades and soaring liturgical choirs reminiscent of classic horror cinema, I Loved You At Your Darkest is the group’s most dynamic record yet: extreme and radical on one hand, but also more rock-oriented than any other Behemoth release. Produced by the band themselves, with drum co-production by Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames), mixing by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Children Of Bodom) mastering by Tom Baker (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson), and a 17-piece Polish orchestra arranged by Jan Stoklosa, I Loved You At Your Darkest can be pre-ordered now at: https://www.metalblade.com/behemoth – where the video for the new single, “Bartzabel” (directed by Grupa 13 / https://www.grupa13.com), can also be viewed. The following formats are available in the USA, along with an exclusive t-shirt: –jewelcase CD –digibook CD (hardcover digibook, 40 page booklet) –baltic amber vinyl (limited to 600 copies) –opaque white w/ gold splatter vinyl (Metal Blade Records exclusive – limited to 300 copies) –black / gold split vinyl (Metal Blade Records exclusive – limited to 300 copies) –clear w/ smoky black swirl (Nuclear Blast US exclusive – limited to 300 copies) –clear w/ grey inside (Kings Road exclusive – limited to 500 copies) –“God = Dog” 7″ picture disc (Metal Blade Records exclusive – limited to 666 copies) Nergal comments: “‘Bartzabel’ is a song that came in the midst of a Behemoth rehearsal…We had no structure, no vision – but piece by piece, it came to be, and we were extremely excited by the result. To us, it’s the eye of the ‘ILYAYD‘ storm: sonically calmer and slower than anything else on the record, but definitely one of the darkest! Lyrically, we (myself and Krzysztof Azarewicz) were inspired by Aleister Crowley’s conjuration of the Spirit of Mars – which the video, by our trusted friends in Grupa 13, depicts beautifully…I may even go as far to say that it’s my favourite Behemoth video of all time! I hope you all enjoy it, and we look forward to ‘ILYAYD”s launch this Friday!”
To watch the video for the first single, “God = Dog” (directed by Grupa 13 / https://www.grupa13.com), head over to: https://youtu.be/iI2y_mi7jDI. The video for the second single, “Wolves Ov Siberia” (directed by Kyle Kadow and Steven Cleavland), can be seen at: https://youtu.be/g7yxjTcM7Bs I Loved You at Your Darkest track-listing 1. Solve 2. Wolves ov Siberia 3. God = Dog 4. Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica 5. Bartzabel 6. If Crucifixion Was Not Enough… 7. Angelvs XIII 8. Sabbath Mater 9. Havohej Pantocrator 10. Rom 5:8 11. We Are the Next 1000 Years 12. Coagvla This October/November, Behemoth will hit the road across North America to headline the “Ecclesia Diabolica America 2018 e.v.” tour, featuring special guests At the Gates and Wolves in the Throne Room. This must-see show will also make its way to Europe in January/February 2019. See below for all dates! Behemoth “Ecclesia Diabolica America 2018 e.v.” tour dates w/ At the Gates, Wolves in the Throne Room Oct. 20 – Phoenix, AZ – Van Buren Oct. 22 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Oct. 23 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre Oct. 24 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Oct. 26 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade Oct. 27 – Tampa, FL – Jannus Landing Oct. 29 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground Oct. 30 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Nov. 1 – Boston, MA – House of Blues Nov. 2 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Nov. 3 – New York, NY – Playstation Theater Nov. 4 – Montreal, QC – M-Telus Nov. 6 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall Nov. 7 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall Nov. 9 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues Nov. 10 – Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze Nov. 11 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman Nov. 13 – Denver, CO – The Ogden Theatre Nov. 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot Nov. 16 – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Ballroom Nov. 17 – Edmonton, AB – Union Hall Nov. 19 – Vancouver, BC – The Commodore Ballroom Nov. 20 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Market Nov. 21 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom Nov. 23 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom Nov. 24 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern Theatre Behemoth “Ecclesia Diabolica Evropa 2019 e.v.” tour dates w/ At the Gates, Wolves in the Throne Room Jan. 10 – Frankfurt, Germany – Batschkapp Jan. 11 – Munich, Germany – Tonhalle Jan. 12 – Prague, Czech Republic – Forum Karlin Jan. 13 – Vienna, Austria – Arena Jan. 15 – Zurich, Switzerland – Komplex 457 Jan. 16 – Milano, Italy – Alcatraz Jan. 17 – Lyon, France – Le Transbordeur Jan. 18 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz Jan. 19 – Madrid, Spain – La Riviera Jan. 21 – Toulouse, France – Le Bikini Jan. 22 – Paris, France – Bataclan Jan. 23 – Oberhausen, Germany – Turbinenhalle Jan. 24 – Berlin, Germany – Huxleys Jan. 25 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega Jan. 26 – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet Jan. 27 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller Jan. 29 – Helsinki, Finland – The Circus Jan. 30 – Tampere, Finland – Pakkahuone Feb. 1 – Hamburg, Germany – Grosse Freiheit 36 Feb. 2 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg Feb. 3 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique Feb. 4 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal Feb. 6 – Bristol, UK – Motion Feb. 7 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute Feb. 8 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town Feb. 9 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz Feb. 10 – Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street Feb. 11 – Glasgow, UK – QM Union Behemoth line-up: Nergal – vocals & guitars Orion – bass & vocals Inferno – drums & percussion Behemoth online: https://www.behemoth.pl https://www.facebook.com/behemoth https://instagram.com/behemothofficial https://www.nuclearblast.de/behemoth https://www.metalblade.com/behemoth Photo credit: Grzegorz Gołębiowski |