For years I’ve been trying to figure out Behemoth‘s popularity. Many of my like-minded friends have been singing the praises of this Polish-based trio for more than a decade. I’d heard a couple of tracks of theirs over the years and their music just failed the capture my attention. Surprisingly, Metal Blade Records recently put me back on their promo mailing list and the first album that found it’s way to my PO Box is Behemoth‘s Ezkaton. The release is a 7 track EP featuring 4 “new” songs (leftovers from The Apostasy recording sessions) a re-recording of "Chant Of Ezkaton 2000 e.v." (originally recorded on 1999′s Satanica), a new track titled "Qadosh", a cover of Czech-black metallers Master’s Hammer‘s "Jama Pekel" (with guest vocals from Big Boss and Igor of Root and longtime Behemoth co-lyricist Krzysztof Azarewicz), a cover of The Ramones‘ "I’m Not Jesus" and three live tracks from the band’s European Apostasy Tour.

I’ve never listened to Satanica or the original recording of "Chant Of Ezkaton 2000 e.v.", but after listening to the re-recording I’m going to hunt the album down immediately. High paced blackened death metal with a catchy vocal cadence and dual vocal assault that’s reminiscent of early Deicide with the highs and lows sung in unison. The track simply slays and I cannot stop listening to it. In the past 12 hours I’ve probably listened to it 50 times! 50 fucking times! Consecutively! That’s the sign of a killer track!

"Qadosh", the lone new original recording on this release, starts off with a slight modern Slayer vibe before exploding into a blackened death metal track. The track itself is pretty fucking bad ass, although the vocals don’t flow with the instruments as well as it should and takes away from my enjoyment of the track a bit.

The cover of Master’s Hammer‘s "Jama Pekel" is pure black metal filled with blasts, nasal black metal vocals and group vocal chants. I’m not familiar with the work of Master’s Hammer or how the cover compares to the original, but the track itself is actually pretty fucking catchy.

The cover of The Ramones‘ "I’m Not Jesus" sounds similar to other death metal covers of punk songs from other bands. Punk is just a genre that doesn’t convert well to death metal and I really wish bands would stop trying. Six Feet Under already proved that it’s a terrible idea that should never, ever, be repeated.

The three live tracks, recorded in Holland in 2007, are pretty much what you’d expect from a live recording. The audio is a little rough, there are several noticeable mistakes, the vocals aren’t as powerful as the CD recording… the same typical shit you’d expect from any live recording. The one thing that had me cracking up is Nergal screaming at the crowd in broken English. I shouldn’t laugh, because my Polish is terrible, but the accent is definitely very thick. The live songs themselves are pretty cool, but I’m just one of those people who doesn’t give a fuck about live recordings. They always lack the polish of a finished album recording.

The digipak packaging and artwork are totally my style: clean and simple. Everything is black with silver artwork and clean, legible fonts for the liner notes. Overall, I’m surprised to say that after all of these years of not “getting” Behemoth, I think they’re finally starting to grow on me. I was definitely impressed with the material on this release and will absolutely be digging through the band’s discography to see what else of theirs will catch my attention. Definitely recommended for fans of Behemoth, at the very least and I think everyone should check out the re-recording of "Chant Of Ezkaton 2000 e.v.", it’s catchy, fun and fucking metal!

Review byTeufel