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Another Behemoth album, which once would have been something I was really excited about, but to my mind this band has been getting less interesting ever since the overrated Demigod. I think they really peaked creatively with Zos Kia Kultus and have yet to really top that disc. I thought the much-hyped The Apostasy in 2007 was pretty much a snoozefest, and I was not expecting much out of this, their ninth studio album.

Happily, this is a definite step up for Nergal and his boys. Stylistically this is nothing new at all, with the usual blasting, aggressive Death Metal we expect from this outfit. If you have heard the last few Behemoth discs, then you know what this is going to sound like. The biggest improvement here is in the production, which is scaled back to a considerable degree. A major failing of the last two albums has been the horrible overproduction, with a twenty-guitar rhythm track, triggered drums, and about sixteen Nergals mashed together into a digital disaster. This album actually has some room to breathe, and it sounds miles better for a more naturalistic sound. This is still very tight and sharp, but it sounds like it was played on actual instruments, rather than by a computer. Nergal is still double and triple-tracked on his vocals, but that sounds so much better than when there were ten of him. You can actually make out his lyrics, which are worth hearing. Here and there the band even slows down and plays some doomier riffs that really punch up the dynamic and keep this from turning into a blur of high speed sound.

This is nothing new for Behemoth fans, but they haven't sounded this good in years, and for the first time since Zos Kia Kultus the recording does not get in the way of enjoying the actual music. All of this results in a Behemoth album that is actually fun to listen to, and not a chore. I'll drink to that.