“XXX Years Ov Blasphemy”: Following 2020’s triumphant “In Absentia Dei”, Behemoth delivers an awe-inspiring cinematic celebration for their Legions of fans

Eagerly awaited, as demonstrated by the clear buzz on social media preceding the event, Behemoth’s 30-year anniversary online concert “XXX Years Ov Blasphemy” presented a most sacrilegious set of images, complete with burning crosses, tortured headless statues, and a brief appearance of the Dark Lord himself, goat-headed ̶ even if for a fleeting moment. A most perfect Halloween evening, one might say.

Presented in three sets portraying different eras from the band’s blasphemous discography, the livestream progresses in tone and colour, from the ashes of a scorched forest through a blood-red cross-filled calvary, to a multi-coloured church in ruins. There is a clear artistic build-up in aesthetic that transports the audience deeper and deeper into the fiery chasms of Hell. As it should be.

The first set, “The Scorched Forest”, takes place in a stone quarry amidst the woods in cloudy daylight, with a dark, grim and smoky atmosphere. The black and white footage portrays more traditional black metal imagery, referencing “Sventevith” with the totem that stands tall between scorched tree trunks. Behemoth’s debut studio album is represented right at the start through “Chant of The Eastern Lands”, as Inferno takes blast beats to another level. “Lasy Pomorza” follows, a great Pagan chant to the Forests of Pomerania. Here, a dark male figure walks through the darkened woods, breathing fire, before “Summoning Of The Ancient Ones”. The scenic presence of all band members is remarkable, as they never break out of their sombre characters, especially Nergal, holding up a skull in ritualistic manner. “Blackvisions Of The Almighty” brings a new character to the stage: a woman wearing big dark horns that spring out of her back, as a witch-like fallen angel. “Cursed Angel Of Doom” and “Pure Evil And Hate” close the first set, with a fast musical frenzy in which Orion and Seth truly shine.

Then comes “The Path Of Via Dolorosa”, a bloody and ungodly celebration of suffering represented by the sign of the cross ̶ and oh, how many crosses would be enough, in all sizes and materials, from the simplest to the most refined, scattered all around the calvary. The red atmosphere draws us closer to the mouths of the underworld, the smoky aura now turned to fire, as the band lures the spectator into the impious realms portrayed in the lyrics, looking into the camera, as if casting a spell on the viewer. During the set-opener “The Thousand Plagues I Witness”, we get a glimpse of the demon seen on the cover art of “Pandemonic Incantations” (for the joy of all long-term Behemoth fans out there), followed by “Decade Ov Therion” and “Christians To The Lions”, because of course, when in Rome, do as Romans do, to paraphrase Nergal’s words. “44 (The Youth Manifesto)” opens with a great guitar ostinato at the hands of Seth, clear-sounding and technically perfect, a hypnotic counterpoint to the harsh vocals. Nergal appears in a metal mask, looking more devilish than usual, followed by a brief appearance of a goat-headed male figure, in a prelude to the Thelemic “Heru Ra Ha (Let There Be Might)”, invoking the god of War and Vengeance. The set of Behemoth’s second decade comes to a fiery frenzy with “Chant For Ezkaton 2000”, as Nergal throws his guitar at the finale, in true rock star style.

The third decade of Blasphemy, the one that brought us the extreme metal masterpiece “The Satanist”, is set at “The Desecrated Temple”. Now in full colour, with a light show to match the best headlining sets at any heavy metal festival, the art department turned a ruined castle in a lush and dark green forest into a desecrated church, complete with inverted crosses and a fallen church bell. “Demigod” breaks the brief silence with savagery, aerial shots and strobe lights. “At The Left Hand Ov God” opposes red and green lights, bringing the art film ambience that prevailed on both previous sets to an end, going into full metal concert mode. “Alas, Lord Is Upon Me” is followed by “Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer”, which melts the most hardened blasphemous hearts out there, while bringing the pyrotechnics up a notch. The light show escalates, and so does the profanity, as “Rom 5:8” represents 2018’s “I Loved You At Your Darkest”, proclaiming an inverted Christ, reborn in hate. And inverted crosses are what we get, burning in all their glorious infamy, as the show comes to an end with “O Father O Satan O Sun!” in a fiery paroxysm, as aerial shots show the Desecrated Temple as the very mouths of Hell. Truly, a sight to behold.

Overall, “XXX Years Ov Blasphemy” brings us intelligent music accompanied by a complete artistic project, presenting the grotesque with aesthetic refinement, turning it to beauty, in a crescendo that tells the history of Behemoth with perfection, as every important stage of the band’s career is represented. Satan creeps in, little by little, with each new song, closer and closer to the viewer, until he is summoned by Nergal in all His unholy glory with the last song. The video editing is remarkable, going hand to hand with the cinematography and colour treatment of the images, keeping the momentum going throughout all three sets. The sound mix is perfect, showcasing the heaviest version of some of Behemoth’s songs, especially their earlier material. Nergal is as dashing as usual and displays great musicianship, as well as all band members, Inferno, Orion and Seth. One can only hope this impressive work of art someday gets released in physical format. Indeed, a Halloween treat for all.