Behemoth - The Shit Ov God (Album Review)

Behemoth - The Shit Ov God
‍Released: May 9, 2025

Line Up

Nergal // Lead Vocals & Guitar
Inferno // Drums
Orion // Bass & Backing Vocals 

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For over 30 years Behemoth have become one of the biggest bands in black metal. Their earliest stuff fit the mold of typical black metal with its lo-fi quality and satanic lyricism. Things changed with the release of The Satanist (2014), which brought widespread acclaim. They’ve shot up festival bills, found themselves in high profile support gigs and continue to spread their message to an expanding audience. Part of this has been shredding some of the mystery that usually is associated with black metal bands. On The Shit Ov God they combine their provocative tendencies with a streamline approach to songwriting that may well see them become the biggest black metal band of all time.

The album’s title reveals their intentions by being sacrilegious and incredibly blunt. These are songs with big hooks and big moments that are left ringing in your ears even after the song is finished. Opener ‘The Shadow Elite’ kicks off with the chorus so that by the second time it comes around you’re already singing along. Make no mistake - it is still black metal with all those trappings but it has an infectious energy. First single ‘The Shit Ov God’ is probably the most glaring example of this. It’s got an unmistakably hooky song structure with a simple repetitive chorus, though the title itself of course eliminates any actual commercial possibilities. It’s the kind of song that you’ll hear at a festival and be like “I know this band. I heard this on a playlist”. Whether it opens the doors to a wider fanbase or not, you can’t deny it’s gonna be a lot of fun to see at their live performances. The lyrics are completely corny but that’s kind of the point because it’s a song that uses the lyrics as a blunt instrument to declare their intent not some poetic masterpiece.

Even with a couple of songs that really do sound like they’re built to be singles, the album itself mostly sticks to Behemoth’s strengths, which is blasphemous blasts and heavy symphonic black metal. ‘Sowing Salt’ is just a punishing example of unadulterated hate and pain. They still have those experimental flavours that they carry from the last couple of albums, there’s a touch of thrash to ‘Lvciferaeon’. ‘Nomen Barbarvm’ has some serious groove. They also retain their melodic sensibility that ensures the songs are never just a blanket wall of noise.

The closing ‘Avgvr (The Dread Vvltvre)’ is an epic explosion of black tones with operatic accompaniment and some thunderous double kicks. The acoustic guitar and vocal layers in the song’s close elevate it to something else. Beyond mere noise born of anger, into something more majestic and composed.

It’s worth noting Nergal’s growth as a songwriter as he still keeps those black metal tropes intact but pushes lyrics and the guitar playing so that there are more distinctive moments, whether it’s a refrain, a hook or a riff that is more recognisable than just smashing away strings and drums. ‘To Drown the Svn in Wine’ really captures this aesthetic, opening with some insanely tight drumming and riffing before slowing the burst just slightly and gunning those blast beats alongside the “My captain my captain” refrain. ‘O, Venvs Come!’ is almost a traditional metal song with doom chords, changes in tempo and Slayer-esque guitar solos that make it very different to the rest of the LP. The way it drops in some acoustic guitar in the final minute to go with the chanting is pretty cool. 

The absolute traditionalists in the black metal fandom won’t like it but Behemoth clearly doesn't care. The Shit Ov God is a hellscape of Nergal's making that promises to extend their reach beyond the genre’s self imposed limitations. Behemoth wants to convert millions to their cause and they’ve got the hooks to do it. 

Rating: 8.5/10
‍The Shit Ov God is out May 9, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records. Pre order here
Words by KJ Draven @kjdraven