BEHEMOTH // This Stage Is My Domain

Behemoth are masters of their craft and create an atmosphere unlike no other.

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They have perfected their live show over the years and the black metallers show no signs of stopping. The Behemoth of today is a mighty force to be reckoned with and a performance you will not want to miss. Hysteria spoke with Nergal of Behemoth about touring with Slayer, the new record and their plan to crush Download Festival.

Behemoth and Anthrax have been accompanying Slayer on their final world tour and have arrived on our Australian shores. Nergal had this to say about the current tour with Slayer. “Touring with Slayer has been a huge privilege. They have been my heroes from the very early stages. It feels so special and even more special because we have become very good friends as well. This upcoming Australian tour with Slayer is the third time we have toured with them and we might be doing more shows with them in the summer. We are still talking about it and are very excited.”

This stage is my domain and that’s exactly what it will be in this 45 minutes at Download Festival.
[ Nergal ]

Behemoth have a theatrical and immersive stage show which is quite different to Slayer’s live show. Fire, cloaks and props adorn a Behemoth stage while Slayer play heavy without bells and whistles. Behemoth have been impressing Slayer fans and Australians will have the chance to see for themselves. “Slayer was known back in the day for having complicated and uncompromising fans. That has changed or somehow we are appealing to their energy and taste. When we did our headlining rounds after the Slayer tour people would come up and say that they saw us at Slayer and decided to come back and see the Behemoth show.” If you are lucky enough to see Behemoth in Brisbane and Adelaide with Slayer then you are in for a treat.

Behemoth haven’t been to Australia since 2015 and have a new album I Loved You At Your Darkest. An album which has pushed Behemoth to greater lengths and boundaries which they hadn’t broken before. When listening to the new album, it keeps the listener on their toes as the ebb and flow constantly changes. “It’s a very diverse record, I don’t want to say it’s controversial but I haven’t read one comment that says it’s what I expected from Behemoth, which is exactly what my goal was. It proves basically that we did not compromise, that we came back with the most unique and original opposite we could afford at the time. It is what it is and people seem to love it. I’m really happy that the record does this for people, it seems to be very engaging and it’s a grower too. The Satanist album, people got straight away but the difference with I Loved You At Your Darkness is once people get it they are addicted.”

Download Festival is when Behemoth are not holding back to show Australia that they are better than ever. Their music is powerful and their live performances are show stopping. “The one thing you must know is that we have never been in better shape than before. We have really perfected our showmanship and our abilities to express ourselves on stage. And I can feel it every time we go on. I remember a few years I used to get stage fright but now it’s gone completely and I have no more fears at all. This stage is my domain and that’s exactly what it will be in this 45 minutes at Download Festival. I reign supreme and no one can fuck with me and with this attitude we have no weakness. With all due respect to other bands sharing the stage but don’t fuck with us as we are going big.

Catch Behemoth at Download Festival and supporting Slayer with special guests Anthrax:

Thursday 7 March // Riverstage // Brisbane w/ Slayer & Anthrax
Saturday 9 March // Download Festival at Parramatta Park // Sydney
Monday 11 March // Download Festival at Flemington Racecourse // Melbourne
Wednesday 13 March // AEC Theatre // Adelaide w/ Slayer & Anthrax

Tickets available here.