If there's a more vile, evil looking and sounding band than Behemoth going today, I implore you to let me know about them. Check out the lead video for “Ov Fire and the Void” from Behemoth's 2009 album, Evangelion. According to their official bio, “Evangelion” is a Greek term meaning “good news.” It usually refers to the biblical stories of God saving humanity, Jesus and his substitutionary death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead.

The odds are good on Evangelion—no, literally, the odd-numbered songs are the ones that will have your hair standing on the back of your neck, whilst pumping your fist and praising the dark lord Satan for yet another triumphant and apocalyptic Behemoth record. The devastating opener, “Daimonos,” convincingly lets fans know that Behemoth is back. Vocalist Nergal is the extremist of extreme and also one scary looking motherfucker. On the opener, he bellows in his trademark, layered Satanic growl, “All hail! St. Lucifer! All hail! Daimonos!" The even-numbered songs here aren't fodder; they're just more blast-beat-oriented and dwell in the upper levels of extreme, hellbent on ripping your face off. Behemoth possesses the fastest blast beats in current extreme metal, courtesy of Inferno.

The aforementioned “Ov Fire and the Void” has a “Where the Slime Live” tempo, a steady double bass, headed by a slower, heavy, chugging rhythm. Nergal's vocals will have you pumping your fist as if you were a disciple to an unholy throne. What is he barking and screaming about? Who the fuck knows, but it certainly sounds legit, whatever it is. Lead the way, Nergal, and I will follow. The album is laced with shredding solos—from Nergal and Seth—that mimic the best guitar tandems of Megadeth's Rust in Piece, only heavier and at a million miles per hour, as on “Shemaforash”and “The Seed Ov I.” “Alas, Lord is Upon Me” features one of those triumphant Behemoth endings, as if they were single-handedly welcoming in the apocalypse. The aptly named “Lucifer” closes the album. It's eight-minute-plus, brooding piece, ending one of the most extreme pieces of work in years.

What can we take from this? The answer: Don't fuck with Behemoth. If these guys aren't the current kings of extreme metal, I don't know who is. For my review of Behemoth's last effort, The Apostasy, I wrote that the album “defines the new era of extreme music.”After hearing Evangelion, clearly I was wrong.