BEHEMOTH's NERGAL Says 'The S*** Ov God' is 'Not A Stupid' Album Title: 'It's More Philosophical Than You Think It Is'

In a new interview with Australia's Heavy, BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski was asked if it gets "easier or harder" for him to come up with something that sounds fresh and vibrant every time he makes a new album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Obviously, it's more and more demanding, more challenging. But then who we are to say that. Just take [JUDAS] PRIEST or METALLICA, how much of a task it is for those bands to come up with something that's gonna be… I mean, [METALLICA's] James Hetfield, he openly talks about it now. [METALLICA's] 'Black Album' was that, and then ever since it's a struggle. And 'I've never been entirely' — that's what he said — 'I've never been entirely happy with what we do.' And he said that. So, trust me, it's not an easy task. And just take, for instance, JUDAS PRIEST. But JUDAS PRIEST, last record is fucking amazing. The one before, 'Firepower', was fucking amazing. So I look up to those bands and I'm, like, 'You know what? They still can do it. If they can do it, I can do it.' But it's not easy. It's far from that. That's why sometimes I have to zero myself."

Referencing BEHEMOTH's latest album, 2025's "The Shit Ov God", Nergal continued: "Some people get it, some people didn't get that. When I gave our latest record that title, they were, like, 'Uh, Nergal, you can do better than this.' No, I can't do better. This is the best I can give you. This is the best I can give you. And if you don't wanna look into that and just see it's not just a primitive slogan or simple or whatever, it's something way more than just provocative title. It's something way more than that. And you just need to dig into that. It's not a stupid title. Just get the record, read the lyrics. It's not a stupid title. And it makes sense. You just need to make an effort as a fan to digest that, to process that and eventually understand that. But it's up to you. I did my work. Now it's up to you. And I know it's a challenging title and it's a challenging record, and it's not some Satanic chitchats. There's never been. It's a very challenging, very demanding album with the title that you may think, 'Oh, there's something wrong with those dudes. They didn't come up with something complex and philosophical.' And it's more philosophical than you think it is."

Nergal added: "But with ['The Shit Ov God'] album title, I kind of zeroed myself, because I remember thinking, 'Fucking hell.' I stole this 'Opvs Contra Natvram' title from [psychiatrist Carl] Jung, but who knows who Jung is? And then I stole 'I Loved You At Your Darkest' from the Bible… It's inspired by the Bible. And I thought it's a beautiful title, yet people were bitching about it. But I thought there's so much depth there, and let me explain you. But they're, like, 'You can't top 'The Satanist'.' 'The Satanist', that kind of title is one in the world, one in a lifetime. And there's one 'Evangelion' and one 'The Apostasy'. I mean, trying to top that, you'll fail. You must do something completely opposite that's gonna just get people off the guard, like, boom. And they're, like, 'What the fuck is that?' And that's what 'The Shit Ov God' is. So now when I zeroed myself, if you know what I'm trying to explain, now I can again build something way more sophisticated and complex, just to build the dynamics. If you analyze BEHEMOTH's album titles — 'The Satanist', then 'I Loved You At Your Darkest' — something completely different, the dynamics. It goes somewhere else. And then the Latin title that I stole from Jung, 'Opvs Contra Natvram'. And then 'The Shit Ov God'. It's, like, you have four album titles that are completely different. And that's what makes it cool, at least for me. Every one [of them] is different, and I'm not doing those to make you like them. I'm doing those to fucking confuse you. That is my main goal — to confuse the fuck out of people. And I succeeded."

"The Shit Ov God" came out in May via Nuclear Blast Records. Production on the LP was helmed by the inimitable Jens Bogren of Fascination Street Studios (EMPEROR, ENSLAVED, KREATOR, ROTTING CHRIST et al.). Working closely with the band, Bogren's deft hand underscored the band's natural sound while sacrificing none of the mayhem and ferocity which permeates the band's essence. As is always the case with BEHEMOTH, the visuals were as carefully constructed as the sound. The band tapped longtime collaborator and partner in crime Bartek Rogalewicz (BLACK.LODGE.IS.NOW) as well as Dark Sigil Workshop to make the beautifully ominous and unique cover art.

Photo credit: Sylwia Makris and Christian Martin Weiss (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)