Polish black metal outfit Behemoth walk out onto the stage; singer holding a knuckle-duster with flames emanating from the demonic forces that reside within the venue tonight, clad in his hooded Jedi outfit – Adam “Nergal” Darski is proud of his allegiance to the dark side.
The introductory interlude is an incendiary spectacle indeed! Setting the mood for what’s in store for their “minions of the dark army”.
With the band being unable to use their light sabers due to safety regulations, we are treated to a swinging chalice instead, complimented with chants to summon up the Sith Lord himself.
Blasting into ‘Blow Your Trumpets, Gabriel’, the band make an indelible mark as one of Poland’s finest exports on the metal scene.
Zbigniew “Inferno” Prominski’s drum playing sounds like ground warfare; a battleground full of ridiculous blast beats, and double bass maneuvers that should probably be illegal due to the chaos they create through the abused PA system.
‘Slaves Shall Serve’, ‘Christians to the Lions’, ‘Ov Fire and the Void’ and ‘At the Left Hand ov God’, set subliminal signals to the minions of the dark army; going crazy in the “pit of death,” (which was consequently partitioned within a perimeter of barbed wire).
The vocal pairing of Nergal and bassist Tomasz “Orion” Wroblewski are impressively intertwined – allowing for a guitar soloing frenzy alternating between Nergal and Patryk “Seth” Sztyber.
This ain’t Thin Lizzy we are talking about; these guitars scream at a frenzied pace of ten-plus-notes-a-second, solely acting as tools of destruction; sent to the deep pits of hell, and merely here to destroy souls with evil ‘harmonic minor’ scales.
Only in Glasgow will you find a crowd conjuring up a massive sing-along to ‘Jingle Bells’ while awaiting Behemoths return to the stage for their obligatory encore, which is further testament that – underneath all the black make-up, attire (hail Satan T-shirts) and piercings, it’s all a bit of fun ’n’ games.
Not only do the band excel musically; they also put on one hell of a show for their posse of dedicated fans.
Words: Derek Robertson
