Polish extreme metal pioneers Behemoth have brought delight and surprise to fans everywhere by releasing an incredible four-track offering, mere weeks after first announcing it. “A Forest” is a hauntingly melodic EP, containing two brand new songs, with the title track being a cover of the Cure’s original. But Behemoth have taken the concept of this original piece and managed to give us something entirely new with a unique and brave sound, proving that they can try anything and succeed.

Their two new songs, “Evoe” and “Shadows ov Ea Cast Upon Golgotha,” as well as the above cover, are technically B-sides. But you wouldn’t know it from listening to them. It’s hard to imagine the difficult decisions bands need to make with what to include on albums and which tracks end up becoming B-sides. Fans can thank these guys for releasing these ones which otherwise may have gone unheard.

“A Forest” is merely the latest example of musical artistry by a band that seems to constantly surprise and enrapture us. With both a studio and live version of the title track included, we get to hear Behemoth’s entire current line-up on one album. Adam “Nergal” Darski (lead vocals and guitars), Tomasz “Orion” Wróblewski (bass) and Zbigniew “Inferno” Promi?ski (drums) provide the studio versions, with Patryk “Seth” Sztyber stepping in to help out on guitar for the live track. As an added bonus, Niklas Kvarforth of Shining appears as a guest vocalist for the headline song. 

With a career now spanning almost three decades, Behemoth are a band that truly defy labelling or classification. Some have called them death metal, black metal, thrash metal, but their range and willingness to experiment and blend so many aspects of different styles set them apart from any one genre. These guys can mix and match from a variety of metal influences to create a vastly unique experience with every single song they construct. They are willing to break the rules, not just bend them, constantly challenging themselves to strive for greater complexity and give us even more impressive music. 

Author: Harley Houghton

Harley Houghton is a writer and blogger, based in Melbourne, Australia. Her passions include music, especially metal, gaming and comics. Check out her blog www.harleysmadhouse.com and follow her on Twitter.