NERGAL Says BEHEMOTH Will Take 'At Least One Year Off' After Fall 2026 Tour: 'Nothing, No Activities'

In a new interview with Norway's Tons Of Rock festival, BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski was asked about the fact that the Polish extreme metallers are only doing a handful of shows in Europe this summer. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The thing was that we either choose to do a full summer run or we do a proper headlining, co-headlining tour in the fall. And we chose the latter. It's already been announced — DIMMU BORGIR, BEHEMOTH and DARK FUNERAL across Europe, 16 dates. So this is the main focus. So in order not to jeopardize that tour, we just decided to do very selected festivals only in June. So nothing in July or August that would just interfere with those October dates. So just four festivals, big festivals, big slots, and then a full-on production, and then three months nothing, and then the final tour. Because beyond that tour, we plan nothing. So, basically, we wrap that October tour, and BEHEMOTH is on hold."

Regarding why BEHEMOTH is planning on taking most of 2027 off, Nergal said: "We need to recharge batteries. Basically, we need to rethink rejuvenate, so to say, and for that you need time. So I definitely don't wanna rush anything. So we're looking for at least one year off — nothing, no activities. We might be dropping some music. We are releasing a new EP album. It's 40 minutes of music. So we're dropping that right before the tour. We're planning something for the next year as well, some special release. I can't say much about it now. So there's gonna be things happening in the BEHEMOTH camp, but there's gonna be no live activities from us. I have stopped doing interviews for most part as well. So we just wanna chill."

Nergal also talked about BEHEMOTH's upcoming European tour, saying: "It's selling great now. It's amazing. I know it may sound arrogant, but we are aiming for the biggest black metal tour of all times. And I know for a fact that with the previous tour, with SATYRICON and ROTTING CHRIST, we set the bar really high. We had the biggest Wrocław [Poland] show, which was 6,000 tickets, and it was a sold-out show. So it was anything between, like, 2,000, 3,000 average, and this one being the biggest, 6,000. So I think there's quite a chance that we're gonna surpass those numbers with this fall tour. Plus, we're good friends with DARK FUNERAL. We're good friends with DIMMU BORGIR. I've been buddies with those guys since early '90s. And so we have a long history together, and now sharing the stage, doing this again, because we did tour with them in U.S., like, 20 years ago. It feels awesome, and I'm very excited about it."

BEHEMOTH's "I, Scvlptor" will be out on September 4, 2026. The effort is an exclusive release featuring eight previously unreleased songs — seven new studio recordings and one live track. It is an autonomous body of work that bridges the band's foundational past with their present creative fire. The release features brand-new studio material embodying the full force of BEHEMOTH's live energy and intensity. Two tracks — "Rise Of The Blackstorm Of Evil" (from "The Return Of The Northern Moon", 1992) and "In Thy Pandemaeternum" (from "Pandemonic Incantations", 1998) — are newly re-recorded versions of early BEHEMOTH material, reshaped with modern sonics while preserving their original spirit. There are also tributes to the bands who had a huge influence on BEHEMOTH: "In League With Satan", originally by VENOM, featuring Shagrath of DIMMU BORGIR; and "The Return Of Darkness And Evil", originally by BATHORY, featuring Sakis Tolis of ROTTING CHRIST. It will be made available on CD, LP, MC and limited-edition box set through Massacre worldwide and in digital via Nuclear Blast.

BEHEMOTH's ascent from the Polish underground to the upper echelons of the international album charts is one of extreme metal's most remarkable stories. With virtually every major release over the past two decades, the band has broken new ground commercially — without ever compromising a single note of their uncompromising vision.

"The Apostasy" (2007) marked the band's first-ever entry on the U.S. Billboard 200, debuting at No. 149 — a landmark moment that signaled the arrival of a new global force in extreme metal. "Evangelion" (2009) raised the bar further, debuting at No. 56 on the Billboard 200 and making it clear that BEHEMOTH's fanbase was growing at an extraordinary rate. "The Satanist" (2014) shattered all expectations. Debuting at No. 34 on the Billboard 200, it became the highest-charting black or death metal album in the chart's history at that time — a record-breaking achievement that sent shockwaves through the industry. The album simultaneously debuted at No. 1 in Poland on the OLIS chart, the band's home country — cementing BEHEMOTH as a mainstream cultural phenomenon as much as an underground institution. Nergal himself called it "unheard of" and noted that no black or death metal artist had ever reached a higher Billboard position. "I Loved You At Your Darkest" (2018) continued the momentum, debuting at No. 85 on the Billboard 200. In Poland, the album again dominated, reaching No. 1 on the vinyl chart and No. 4 overall. The album also charted highly across Germany, Sweden, the UK, Australia and beyond. "Opvs Contra Natvram" (2022) saw BEHEMOTH chart once more across multiple territories, including a Top 20 entry on the U.K. official albums chart (No. 19),further cementing their position as one of the most commercially viable extreme metal acts in the world.