Behemoth's Nergal: 'Satan stands for everything that is dear to me' – interview

[fps]

Satanism isn't a religion, it's really more like a humanist philosophy wrapped up in "Satan" with purely the intent of bring provocative.

I think this is the root of it. And Satan is always the more interesting character, because Satan is the one who is most human. God's highest angel who falls from grace, he is a much more potent symbol of original "sin" than the blatantly sexist garden of eden story.

 

[Gothic Headhunter]

I find it very weird that people say things like "Nergal's such a badass for beating cancer" instead of "luckily the cancer hasn't shown up again and it looks like he'll only have to go through it once."

Slightly more on-topic, does anyone else find it silly that he kind of adopts Christian sayings and just replaces "god" with "satan"? Like, at one point in the interview he said "satan has left all the doors open for us" or something like that. Just comes across as silly to me.

 

[JoeyW]

Slightly more on-topic, does anyone else find it silly that he kind of adopts Christian sayings and just replaces "god" with "satan"? Like, at one point in the interview he said "satan has left all the doors open for us" or something like that. Just comes across as silly to me.

he's just selling his product. But yeah I agree very silly, how else are all those crazy shaped guitars gonna get sold?

 

[fps]

I find it very weird that people say things like "Nergal's such a badass for beating cancer" instead of "luckily the cancer hasn't shown up again and it looks like he'll only have to go through it once."

Slightly more on-topic, does anyone else find it silly that he kind of adopts Christian sayings and just replaces "god" with "satan"? Like, at one point in the interview he said "satan has left all the doors open for us" or something like that. Just comes across as silly to me.

Yes on all fronts. Sadly beating cancer has little to do with how much of a bad-ass you are. As for Satan, he's selling a product, also it depends whether he believes in God or not. Truly believes in it, rather than as a framework for his concepts. If he doesn't, why Satan? Just asking these questions makes me feel silly, such childish ways of looking at the world, good man bad man.

 

[Xaios]

Satanism is as much a religion as pastafarianism, or djodism.

I object, sir!








That's Djodism, with a capital D!

_____________


Nergal does tend to substitute "Satan" as the benefactor of choice in sentences where you might expect "God" to appear. He's a smart cookie though, and knowing that he most assuredly doesn't believe in the Christian version of Satan, I imagine what he's really trying to illustrate is that, when people credit God for anything and everything in their lives in a public manner ("I wanna thank God for this Academy Award" and such), it smacks of either false-modesty or of being flat-out delusional. It certainly doesn't hurt that the fans who buy into the anti-establishment image eat that shit up too.

 

[Gothic Headhunter]

I think you're giving him far too much credit

 

[Defi]

I mean if you don't like the lyrics don't listen to them. I do that all the time with Christian music and it works wonders. I'd only be in such a tizzy if someone tried to force religious music on everyone and banned all other music, but that's hardly happening here.

I really don't see the issue. The only thing I can conclude is he loves black metal, but apparently all black metal bands sing about Satan, is that the issue? Sounds to me like you don't like black metal if all black metal is this way.

Wait... what christian music is good enough that a non christian would listen to it?

 

[MAJ Meadows SF]

Ahem... As a devout Roman Catholic (oh shit here he goes)... seriously no phucks given. I enjoy Behemoth, I have a respect for the Satanic philosophy, in it's many forms and interpretations. It's a part of the music at times, other times not. So is anti-religious stuff, sometimes not. One wouldn't be without the other, to some degree. I'm hard to offend (dysfunctional veterans are probably the nastiest most f*cked up people alive), and also being well read and studied on my own beliefs and those of others, I take it all with a grain of salt. There's more dangerous and seriously problematic things out there than a minority of people who have some wild philosophies. As long as it isn't forced on anyone, it's to each their own.

In my limited experience I find politicians, judges, fascist fanatics (religious, ideological, political, and social), pop culture, and the international drug trade are far more dangerous to humanity than Behemoth. Otherwise, I take it with a grain of salt. And lime. No chaser, but I'll take a beer too.

And ISIS. F*ck those guys. But they do give me work, so I guess like I said there can't be one without the other?

Behemoth destroys live and are worth seeing every time. I've had a very good conversation with Nergal. Brilliant guy, dedicated to his craft. I'm glad he beat cancer.

 

[Chemical-Pony]

Wait... what christian music is good enough that a non christian would listen to it?

An awful lot of classical music. Like Mozart's Requiem and a lot by Bach.

If you don't want to give it a chance because it's "Christian" then you'd be missing out. And it's in Latin, anyway, so you don't have to listen to the words.

 

[dedsouth333]

You obviously care as much about the lyrics as I do .
In school I used to wear my "end of god, the way it must be" shirt just to enrage the faculty. I'd wear it twice a week too .

That's the way it's always been for me. I always looked at vocals as just another instrument in the band and care far more about how it sits in the band/mix than what any of them actually have to say. Honestly they could be talking about polka dotted elephants and pink ponies and couldn't care any less than if they were talking about Satan, their bad day at work or their girlfriend. If I like it, I like it. If I don't, I don't. I've never understood how people can get so up in arms over something as insignificant as lyrics.

 

[Defi]

An awful lot of classical music. Like Mozart's Requiem and a lot by Bach.

If you don't want to give it a chance because it's "Christian" then you'd be missing out. And it's in Latin, anyway, so you don't have to listen to the words.

Ah i see, i was just thinking metal...ish. Like POD or something.

 

[Defi]

That's the way it's always been for me. I always looked at vocals as just another instrument in the band and care far more about how it sits in the band/mix than what any of them actually have to say. Honestly they could be talking about polka dotted elephants and pink ponies and couldn't care any less than if they were talking about Satan, their bad day at work or their girlfriend. If I like it, I like it. If I don't, I don't. I've never understood how people can get so up in arms over something as insignificant as lyrics.

I find it impossible to get into a song if a really bad lyric pops out. If I can't make out what he's saying fine, but really cheesy, or forced, or cliche lyrics detract from the experience instantaneously.

On the flip side, lyrics such as those on A Deeper Kind of Slumber (deserves capitalization) by TIAMAT (deserves capslocks), are absolutely mind twistingly blowingly cool.

English is not this dude's first language (.... if I even know if the words he's using are properly utilized...) but it is artistically significant how they wind together, and paint such a... picture of someone dramatically misinterpreted, or lost. I don't know. They HIT. Dayumn.



Oops, double post. Blame the scotch

 

[Explorer]

I love Behemoth's music, but could care less what he thinks or says, although I do wish they'd turn the vocals down a notch or two so it wasn't so out-front, but i say that about 95% of all rock/metal music (don't listen to much else so i won't comment on other styles).

...Yes I absolutely love instrumental metal stuff .

omg dat fvckin' croakin' all the time make it stop

Wait... what christian music is good enough that a non christian would listen to it?

Reverend Lovejoy: Friday, you will have the chance to... [waving hands] "party down"... in the church basement to the Jesus rock stylings of... Testament. That's on Friday, 6 p.m. sharp.

Bart: [scoffs] All the best bands are affiliated with Satan.

 

[fps]

mod edit: in the future please don't quote spam posts


I mean, nothing's a religion until people buy into it. Scientology is a religion, that's how these things gets started right there, just happened to occur in modern times.

 

[MAJ Meadows SF]

I mean, nothing's a religion until people buy into it. Scientology is a religion, that's how these things gets started right there, just happened to occur in modern times.

Scientology is a global financial phucking scam, but what isn't I guess. At some point, in some way, every philosophy/religion/ideology/principle gets marketed for cash. That's a religion in itself, too.

Satanism is more philosophy than religion. Occult rituals and all don't really sit at the core of it; it's more of symbolism to create a visual appeal, or an artistic rejection of established traditions within religion. The frame of mind is more important, and to have absolute mental freedom from any earthly restrictions other than that of the natural world. Some look at it as a religion, but believing in "the devil" as a being of reality is a sort of acceptance of pre-established religious norms, which validates them. I don't think anyone has a firm foothold of what it is, as it has many interpretations. But the general mental principles behind it seem to be the truest form, albeit basic.

TIAMAT absolutely commands capslock.

 

[DarkWolfXV]

I don't know about other guys, but in case of Nergal, you would have to be born and raised in Poland to understand why he is saying things like that. I've been born and lived in Poland for better (or maybe I should say worse) half of my life.

I'll describe it in this way - go find an empty church in one of small Polish villages and convert it to a house (it's cheap enough)

1. You won't find any or won't be allowed to buy if you do.
2. If you somehow manage, you will get harassed daily by large groups of catholic extremists which are usually middle to old age ladies wearing mohair berets led by local priest. They will literally stand next to your house and sing psalms all day and spit on you when you come out. They will plant crosses and pictures of Jesus all round your house too.
3. There is very high probability that even when you overcome all of the above, your newly converted ex-church home will be eventually burned

That plus 50+ years of communist/soviets oppression. Nergal is too young to remember communism, but the mentality and trauma is still there, deeply rooted in people around him.
Basically post WW2 Poland was/is a weird mix of post-communism and rather extreme catholicism - both of these were and are quite oppressive in different ways.
I think he just rebelled against all of this shit at some point and then (when he grew up) it sort of stuck.

Or he is just taking a piss... (which is as likely as all of the above)

This. I've had experiences similar to Nergal. I've faced extreme discrimination due to my beliefs, and it's not fvcking funny in the slightest. Plus Poland is a poor, shitty barren wasteland that honestly should get nuked, and I say that as (unfortunately) a citizen of Poland. The people, the economic and political situation, the fvcking general mindset... It's beyond toxic. Hopefully I'm getting out of here as soon as I can, because there is no hope for this country. I wish I was born somewhere else, like in the west, so I could live a relatively normal life from the very beginning.

 

[MerlinTKD]

Yeah. I'm in the US, but the history of Europe, from the late Roman Empire on, is dominated by the Roman Catholic church, and historically it's been as violent and oppressive as the more extreme 'Islamic' groups are considered to be now. Combine that with the Communist 'interlude' and it could make for a pretty anti-authority, anti-theist response.

Not like we in the US have had any better history with oppression...

Re: Satanism, it's my understanding that most black metal Satanists subscribe to a more LaVeyan interpretation:

Contrary to popular belief, LaVeyan Satanism does not involve "devil worship" or worship of any deities. It is an atheistic philosophy that uses the character of Satan as a symbol of pride, carnality, liberty, enlightenment, undefiled wisdom, and of a cosmos which Satanists perceive to be permeated and motivated by a force that has been given many names by humans over the course of time. Satan (Hebrew: שָּׂטָן satan, meaning "adversary") is seen as a symbol of defiance to the conservatism of mainstream philosophical and religious currents, mainly Abrahamic religions, that see this character as their antithesis.

Or, as I recall someone once putting it (wish I could remember who), basically humanism but more assertive

 

[Riverrunsred]

I generally try to tune out lyrics. They get in the way of the riff.

 

[fps]

Scientology is a global financial phucking scam, but what isn't I guess. At some point, in some way, every philosophy/religion/ideology/principle gets marketed for cash. That's a religion in itself, too.

Satanism is more philosophy than religion. Occult rituals and all don't really sit at the core of it; it's more of symbolism to create a visual appeal, or an artistic rejection of established traditions within religion. The frame of mind is more important, and to have absolute mental freedom from any earthly restrictions other than that of the natural world. Some look at it as a religion, but believing in "the devil" as a being of reality is a sort of acceptance of pre-established religious norms, which validates them. I don't think anyone has a firm foothold of what it is, as it has many interpretations. But the general mental principles behind it seem to be the truest form, albeit basic.

TIAMAT absolutely commands capslock.

To my mind, Satanism concerns itself too much with rejecting some other thing, which is therefore specifically acknowledged as an established power structure, and reacted against, for its followers to be free. It exists within the framework of fighting against something else and rejecting it, rather than building something new from scratch for yourself. In fact, edit, having re-read, I agree, entirely, it validates established norms by kicking against them, couldn't have said it better.

As for scientology being a cash cow and a scam... how is it not a religion?

 

[fps]

mod edit: in the future please don't quote spam posts


I mean, nothing's a religion until people buy into it. Scientology is a religion, that's how these things gets started right there, just happened to occur in modern times.

Sorry, completely unaware that I did?