The Satanist (album)

The Satanist is the tenth studio album by Polish extreme metal band Behemoth. The album was announced on May 31, 2013[5] and released on February 3, 2014 through Nuclear Blast and on February 4 in Poland via Metal Blade Records and Mystic Production, respectively.[6] Release was preceded by digital download single "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" and 12" EP under the same title released on December 4, 2013.[7][8]

The Satanist
Cover art (containing Nergal's blood) by Denis Forkas.[1]
Studio album by Behemoth
Released	February 3, 2014
Recorded	February – June 2013
Studio	Hertz Studio (Białystok, Poland), RG Studio (Gdańsk, Poland)
Genre	Blackened death metal[2]
Length	44:17
Language	English Polish Latin
Label	Nuclear Blast Metal Blade Mystic JVC Kenwood Victor EVP
Producer	Behemoth Daniel Bergstrand Wojciech Wiesławski Sławomir Wiesławski
Behemoth chronology
Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel (EP) (2013) The Satanist (2014) Live Barbarossa (2014)
Singles from The Satanist
"Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" Released: December 4, 2013 "Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer" Released: December 3, 2014[3] "Messe Noire" Released: April 8, 2015[4]
Alternative cover
Alternative LP edition cover art

Background and history

The Satanist was recorded between February and June 2013 in Hertz Studio in Białystok, and RG Studio in Gdańsk, both in Poland, produced by Behemoth, Daniel Bergstrand, and the Wiesławscy Brothers.[9] The album was mixed by Matt Hyde at Hydeaway Studios in Los Angeles, and mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York City. Colin Richardson was the initial producer for the album, but stepped down after four weeks due to creative differences.[10]

A music video was shot for the song "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" which was produced and directed by Grupa 13, and Dariusz Szermanowicz.[11] The video premiered on the Behemoth YouTube channel on December 3, 2013.

On January 7, 2014, Behemoth released the first part of their video prologue for this album.[12] Subsequently, the second part was released on January, 14, the third part was released on January, 21, and the fourth part was released on January, 29.[13][14] Earlier, on January 28, the official lyric video for the song "Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer" was released.[15]

The song "In the Absence ov Light" contains a spoken word quote from the Witold Gombrowicz drama The Marriage (pol. Ślub) which states:

I reject all order, all ideas / I trust no abstraction, no doctrine / I don't believe in god, nor in mind / Forget all gods! I don't believe in God. Give me man! / May he be like me, troubled and immature / confused and incomplete, dark and obscure so that I can dance with him!/ Pretend to him! Ingratiate myself with him! / And rape him, love him and forge myself / Anew from him, so I can grow through him, and in / that way / Celebrate my marriage in the sacred human church!.[16]

Critical reception and legacy

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	92/100[17]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Exclaim!	[18]
The Guardian	[19]
Loudwire	[20]
Pitchfork	8.2/10[21]
PopMatters	[22]
Rock Sound	[23]
Spin	[24]
Teraz Rock	[25]
Terrorizer	[26]

Upon its release, The Satanist received universal acclaim reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 92, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 10 reviews.[17] Joe DiVita of Loudwire noted that the album "sees the band shed away that skin as they simultaneously get back to some of their blackened roots while exploring new areas with ... dynamic songwriting". The album would claim the top spot on Loudwire's list of the best metal albums of 2014, with Loudwire stating that "The disc is a masterpiece from beginning to end, with absolutely no filler to be skipped over".[27]

Grayson Currin of Pitchfork said "The Satanist is a terrific coil of most everything Behemoth have ever done well, a strangely hopeful vision of hell wrested away from its very grip."[21] The editorial staff of Dutch webzine Lords of Metal named it the third best album of 2014,[28] after a score of 93/100 for the initial album review.[29]

In 2019 the album was voted as the "Best Metal Album of the Decade" by various publications such as Loudwire, Consequence of Sound, and others.[30][31]

Track listing

All music composed by Nergal. All arrangements by Behemoth. All lyrics written by Nergal, except where noted.

No.	Title	Lyrics	Length
1.	"Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel"		4:25
2.	"Furor Divinus"		3:06
3.	"Messe Noire"	Nergal Krzysztof Azarewicz	4:04
4.	"Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer"	Nergal Azarewicz	5:35
5.	"Amen"		3:49
6.	"The Satanist"		5:33
7.	"Ben Sahar"		5:34
8.	"In the Absence ov Light"		4:58
9.	"O Father O Satan O Sun!"	Nergal Azarewicz	7:13
Total length:			44:17

Australian bonus track

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
10.	"Ludzie Wschodu" (Siekiera cover)	Tomasz Adamski	Adamski	4:11

Japanese bonus tracks

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
10.	"Ludzie Wschodu" (Siekiera cover)	Tomasz Adamski	Adamski	4:11
11.	"Chant for Ezkaton 2000 E.V."	Krzysztof Azarewicz		5:10
12.	"Qadosh"	Azarewicz		5:00

Special edition DVD (Live Barbarossa – Behemoth September 26, 2012, Ekaterinburg, Russia)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Length
1.	"Intro" (instrumental)		2:44
2.	"Ov Fire and the Void"	Nergal	4:38
3.	"Demigod"	Nergal	4:11
4.	"Moonspell Rites"	Nergal	7:20
5.	"Conquer All"	Nergal	4:09
6.	"Christians to the Lions"	Nergal	5:05
7.	"The Seed ov I"	Nergal Krzysztof Azarewicz	5:40
8.	"Alas, Lord is Upon Me"	Nergal	3:59
9.	"Decade ov Therion"	Azarewicz	3:46
10.	"At the Left Hand ov God"	Nergal Azarewicz	5:11
11.	"Slaves Shall Serve"	Azarewicz	3:37
12.	"Chant for Ezkaton 2000 E.V."	Azarewicz	6:50
13.	"23 (The Youth Manifesto)"	Nergal	4:33
14.	"Lucifer"	Tadeusz Miciński	9:34
15.	"The Satanist: Oblivion" (documentary)		25:04

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.

Behemoth Adam "Nergal" Darski – vocals, guitars, lyrics Tomasz "Orion" Wróblewski – bass guitar Zbigniew Robert "Inferno" Promiński – drums, percussion Production Wojciech Wiesławski – producer, engineering Sławomir Wiesławski – producer, engineering Daniel Bergstrand – producer Matt Hyde – mixing Ted Jensen – mastering Urban Näsvall – drum technician Denis "Forkas" Kostromitin (Денис "Форкас" Костромитин) – cover art Metastazis (Jean-Emmanuel "Valnoir" Simoulin) – additional design Zbigniew Bielak – additional design Arkadiusz "Malta" Malczewski – mixing, mastering (DVD) Grupa 13 – producer (DVD; Documentary) Aga Krysiuk – filmmaker (DVD; Documentary) Iwo Ledwozyw – filmmaker (DVD; Documentary)

Additional musicians Patryk Dominik "Seth" Sztyber – guitars Michał Łapaj (Riverside) – keyboards, hammond organ on "O Father O Satan O Sun!" and "The Satanist" Krzysztof "Siegmar" Oloś (Vesania) – samples Krzysztof Azarewicz – lyrics Jan "Dziablas" Galbas (Octopussy) – backing vocals on "O Father O Satan O Sun!" Artur Jurek (Sanacja) – orchestrations Marcin Janek (Durys Band) – saxophone on "In the Absence ov Light" Grażyna Michalec (Polish Chamber Orchestra Sopot) – cello Magda Miotke-Bajerska (Polish Chamber Orchestra Sopot) – cello Alicja Leoniuk-Kit (Polish Chamber Orchestra Sopot) – cello Pawel Hulisz (Hevelius Brass quintet) – flugelhorn, trumpet Michał Szczerba (Hevelius Brass quintet) – French horn Łukasz Lacny (Hevelius Brass quintet) – French horn Bogdan Kwiatek (Hevelius Brass quintet) – trombone Adam Sierżęga – percussion (uncredited, track 10; DVD) Note Recorded at Hertz Studio in Białystok, Poland, Feb-June 2013 Additional recording at Dug-Out, Radio Gdańsk, Soundsgreat Studio Mixed at Hydeaway Studio, Los Angeles, Aug-Sept 2013 Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York City, Sept-Oct 2013 'Live Barbarossa' was filmed during Phoenix Rising tour in Ekaterinburg, Russia, Sept 2012

Release history

Region	Date	Label
Europe	February 3, 2014	Nuclear Blast
United States	February 4, 2014	Metal Blade
Poland		Mystic
Japan	February 5, 2014	JVC Kenwood Victor
Australia	February 7, 2014	EVP
CIS	February 18, 2014[32]	New Aeon Musick/Фоно/Metal Star

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[33]	78
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34]	24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35]	88
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36]	74
Canadian Albums Chart[37]	46
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[38]	14
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[39]	34
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[40]	70
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[41]	7
French Albums (SNEP)[42]	52
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[43]	11
Japanse Albums (Oricon)[44]	86
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[45]	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[46]	45
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47]	33
UK Albums (OCC)[48]	57
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[49]	4
US Billboard 200[50]	34
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[51]	6
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[52]	9
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[53]	4
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[54]	3

References

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2. "THE BEST METAL ALBUMS FROM 40 SUBGENRES". Loudwire. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
3. "BEHEMOTH "Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer" Music Video".
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6. "BEHEMOTH's NERGAL: 'The Satanist' Is 'More Human Than Any Other Record We've Made'". www.blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
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8. "BEHEMOTH: Third 'Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel' Teaser Posted Online". www.blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
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10. "Behemoth: 'The Satanist' Cover Painting To Include NERGAL's Blood". 2014-02-05. www.blabbermouth.net.
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16. For original quote in Polish: Behemoth, The Satanist, Nuclear Blast, Catalogue No. 27361 31040, NB 3104-0, Europe, 2014
    For translation: Shallcross, Bożena (2002). Framing the Polish home: postwar cultural constructions of hearth, nation, and self. Ohio University Press. p. 71, ISBN 9780821414361
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30. https://loudwire.com/best-metal-albums-decade-2010-2019/
31. https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/11/top-metal-albums-of-the-2010s/4/
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