The Apostasy

The Apostasy is the eighth full-length album by Polish extreme metal band Behemoth. The album was released on 17 July 2007 through Regain Records.

For the renunciation of one's religion, see Apostasy.
The Apostasy
Studio album by
Behemoth
Released17 July 2007 (2007-07-17)
RecordedNovember 2006 – April 2007
Radio Gdańsk in Gdańsk, Poland
GenreBlackened death metal
Length39:39
LabelRegain, Century Media, Mystic, Victor Entertainment
ProducerNergal, Arkadiusz Malczewski
Behemoth chronology
Demonica
(2006)		 The Apostasy
(2007)		 At the Arena ov Aion – Live Apostasy
(2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[1]
Blabbermouth.net[2]
Teraz Rock[3]
Decibel[4]
Metal Injection[5]
The Metallist[6]

Background

The Apostasy was recorded at the Radio Gdańsk Studios from November 2006 till March 2007. The record was then mixed by Daniel Bergstrand in the Dug Out Studio in Uppsala, Sweden in March 2007. Then it was mastered by Bjorn Engelmann in the Cutting Room Studios in Stockholm, Sweden also in March 2007.[7]

Unlike Behemoth's previous studio albums, a piano and a horn section (a trio of trumpet, trombone, French horn) were used in several of the album's songs. During the recording sessions, the band re-recorded a new version of "Chant for Eschaton 2000" – originally released on their album Satanica – which was released on the band's 2008 EP, Ezkaton. The Apostasy is Behemoth's first album to chart on the Billboard 200, having debuted at #149. The album was also put out in vinyl format limited to 500 copies.[8]

The album title refers to "apostasy", the state of having forsaken one's professed belief set, often in favour of opposing beliefs or causes. The album cover artwork is a depiction of the Hindu goddess Kali.[9]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Nergal, except where noted; all music is composed by Nergal.

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Rome 64 C.E." (instrumental) 1:16
2."Slaying the Prophets ov Isa" 3:23
3."Prometherion" 3:03
4."At the Left Hand ov God"Nergal, Krzysztof Azarewicz4:58
5."Kriegsphilosophie" 4:23
6."Be Without Fear" 3:17
7."Arcana Hereticae"Nergal, Krzysztof Azarewicz2:58
8."Libertheme" 4:53
9."Inner Sanctum" 5:01
10."Pazuzu" 2:37
11."Christgrinding Avenue" 3:50
Japanese Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
12."Entering the Pylon ov Light"Krzysztof AzarewiczNergal3:42
13."Slaves Shall Serve" (live)Krzysztof AzarewiczNergal3:27
Special edition DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Making of the Apostasy" (documentary)25:28

Explanation of song titles
  • "Rome 64 C.E." – the Great Fire of Rome occurred in 64 C.E., in which Peter from the bible (and possible other apostles as well), were allegedly killed. This explains the name of the song "Slaying the Prophets ov Isa".
  • "Slaying the Prophets ov Isa" – Isa is the Arabic name for Jesus.
  • "Prometherion" is a portmanteau of Prometheus (Greek: Προμηθεύς; "forethought") and Therion (Greek: θηρίον; "wild animal" or "beast").
  • "At the Left Hand ov God" is referring to the Left-Hand Path (Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path)
  • "Kriegsphilosophie" is German for "philosophy of war".
  • "Pazuzu" – the Pazuzu was a much-feared creature of legend in Mesopotamian mythology, with a deformed head, wings of an eagle, sharp claws of a lion on its feet, and tail of a scorpion. It is the personification of the south-east storm wind, which brings diseases.
  • "Christgrinding Avenue" talks about the Via Dolorosa and the crucifixion of Jesus.

Personnel

Charts
Chart Peak
position
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[10] 9
US Billboard 200[11] 149
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[12] 2
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[13] 24

Release history
Region Date Label
Europe, Poland 2 July 2007 Regain Records/Mystic Production
United States 17 July 2007 Century Media Records
Russia 30 July 2007 CD-Maximum
Japan 21 September 2007 Victor Entertainment
gollark: Oh hey, #2 and #6 work the same way.
gollark: Well, I *am* a certified Enterprise developer, so I know Java too.
gollark: Ah, but #3 refers to my "previous submission". But I didn't actually have one, strictly speaking, since helloboi messed up round 4.
gollark: Well, I did write *all* of them, by some definitions.
gollark: Did you accidentally use the GTech™ atemporal VPN?

References
  1. Bowar, Chad. "Review: The Apostasy". About.com. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  2. Alisoglu, Scott. "Review: The Apostasy". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  3. Filipowski, Robert. "Behemoth "The Apostasy" review" (in Polish). Teraz Rock. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  4. Begrand, Adrien. "Behemoth - "The Apostasy" review". Decibel. www.behemoth.pl. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  5. Bowar, Chad. "Review: The Apostasy". Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  6. "Review: The Apostasy". Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  7. "Behemoth (3) - The Apostasy (CD, Album) at Discogs". Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  8. "Behemoth: 'The Apostasy' Released On Limited-Edition Gatefold Vinyl". Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  9. "YouTube - Nergal of Behemoth - Interview Part 1 - MPJ". Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  10. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  11. "Behemoth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  12. "Behemoth Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard.
  13. "Behemoth Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard.
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