Behemoth

Behemoth is a Polish extreme metal band formed in Gdańsk in 1991 by vocalist and guitarist Adam «Nergal» Darski. Originally rooted in black metal, the band evolved through the 1990s and 2000s into a distinctive blend of blackened death metal, incorporating symphonic and industrial textures while retaining aggressive, technical songwriting. Their lyrics draw heavily on occult, Thelemic, and anti-religious themes, which have made them one of the most controversial and widely discussed bands in the extreme metal scene.

The band's breakthrough came with albums like «Demigod» and especially «Evangelion» (2009), which won a Fryderyk Award, Poland's top music honor, and cemented their reputation internationally. Their 2014 album «The Satanist», released after Nergal's recovery from leukemia, is widely regarded as a career-defining work, praised for its dark atmosphere and refined songwriting, featuring tracks such as «O Father O Satan O Sun!» and «Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer».

Known for elaborate, theatrical live shows involving ritualistic imagery and corpse paint, Behemoth has become one of the most prominent extreme metal exports from Poland, influencing a generation of blackened death metal acts while maintaining a large international touring presence and a reputation for uncompromising artistic vision.