Review / Behemoth @ Motion: 'The whole room had their fists in the air'

By Vicki Wolfhart, English Literature

'They wore robotic style masks, and the stage was dominated by a huge pyramid backdrop', Vicki Wolfhart reviews Behemoth at Motion.

As I walked in to Motion, I could already feel the atmosphere beginning to build, and a growing excitement amongst the crowd of black clad metal heads. Motion’s concrete and steel interior felt industrial and apocalyptic, the perfect atmosphere for Blackened Death Metal.

The first band to play were Wolves in the Throne Room. I hadn’t heard of them before, and to be completely honest I was planning to use their set time to get a beer and some chips, but as soon as I heard them play their first few notes, I had to stay and pay attention. They somehow managed to blend an ambient sound with death metal, creating a whole body sensation of impending doom, in a good way. I’m hooked.

Next up were Swedish death metallers, At The Gates. They are a band I had listened to in passing a long time ago and completely forgotten about, so being introduced to them again was a treat. Their sound was much faster and cleaner than Wolves in the Throne Room, with a melodic core flowing through everything that they played. The whole room had their fists in the air, utterly consumed by the music. I loved every second.

As At The Gates finished their set, a black curtain went up in front of the stage. The anticipation was almost more than I could bear. Finally, after we had almost given up all hope, the curtain came down and Behemoth walked on stage. They wore robotic style masks, and the stage was dominated by a huge pyramid backdrop. I’m getting a shiver in my spine as I recall them starting to play. Behemoth are melodic and dark, eerie and haunting. The only way I can describe it, is that if the apocalypse came and there was an enormous battle between angels and demons; Behemoth would be the soundtrack. Their set was flawless, as was the stage show.

The robot masks came off revealing corpse style make up, and the pyramid played occult footage, including Aleister Crowley. After what seemed like no time at all, they reached their final song. The set closed with the immortal ‘Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel’, which has one of the most incredible openings I’ve heard. A simple guitar riff begins, slowly building in intensity as the drums kick in, until finally Nergal’s demonic voice begins to sing his blasphemous lyrics. What a way to end the night.

Outstanding, over the top, and completely amazing. My ears are still ringing.

Featured Image: Behemoth/ Nuclear Blast Records

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