DanielEmmerson.com Loch Ness

September 9th 2007

Behemoth Live at Loch Ness, Krakow

I arrived in Krakow with enough time to explore the city a little, make sure I knew where the venue was and to take a few photographs. For the last six days it has been raining continuously in the South of Poland so today’s display of wet weather was nothing of a surprise. The Loch Ness club opened its doors at six o’clock in the evening, I was able to chat with a few die hard fans that arrived early, I asked them about the support bands for tonight’s show and what they thought of Behemoth’s latest album. The majority of people I meet at these kinds of events seem rather jolly and light hearted considering their appearance; the entrance soon filled with a sea of black clad leather metal soldiers, eager to watch the first act of the evening. The line outside the doors assembled quickly, but instead of flocking with the rest of the heard, I met my mate Pawel. We grabbed ourselves a beer at a small bar near the venue and spoke of our mutual respect for the band we were about to see. The general vibe about the two unknown supporting acts was not particularly promising but nevertheless, after a cold bottle of Zywiec, we eagerly made our way to the now two-hundred strong line of people waiting to get in. The security guard at the entrance made me throw away the apple I had in my bag, which pissed me off slightly, but who knows what kind of chaos could be bred if the audience were allowed to take fresh fruit into the venue. hmmm.

Loch Ness is not a big club, and that soon became furtherly apparent as the first act started and people from every corner began pouring towards the front of the make-shift stage. Rootwater, a Polish metal band from Warsaw, open things up by getting the crowd jumping around like loonies and testing the speakers with their nu-metal fused Polish jock rock. Their style is somewhat sadly similar to early Korn material; a style that I feel died and was buried along with the whole nu-metal era. But by the mawkish sound and onstage antics that Rootwater provide, they are in no danger of opening another floodgate of the genre and lets hope it stays that way.

I manage to sink two vodkas, befriend a Ukranian fellow named Alex and get myself in a good standing position in the time between the first and second act. Danish thrash metalers Hatesphere are up next and by this point I am ready to see something hard, fast and angry. Behemoth have been one of the most talked about metal acts of the year so far, but if all they can muster are second rate nu-metal acts to support them on their homecoming tour, there is something wrong. Hatesphere on the contrary prove not to disappoint, their polished thrash capabilities are second to none in warming the crowd immensely for what is to follow. I count four crowdsurfers during their opening song, which is saying a lot for the size of the venue. Although they only have half an hour, Hatesphere plough through an eclectic set, displaying talent and prowess in thrash, doom and melodic death metal. As their show comes to a close, I manage to get myself right at the foot of the stage before Behemoth come on.

The venue is so cramped at this point that I’m pouring with sweat and gasping for air before the sound check finishes. People are screaming, jumping and punching their fists skywards even before the pentacle microphone stands, Apostasy flags, cast iron eagles and upside down crosses are brought out to decorate the stage.

As award-winning drummer Inferno takes to the stage to initiate the performance, the crowd erupts and swallows me like a brachiosaur in a tar pit. I find myself sandwiched between a rather large woman, who must be four times my size, and her equally portly boyfriend as Nargal and the crew get onstage. They storm into ‘Slaying the Prophets ov Isa’, a track that sees Inferno displaying his immense quality as a drummer, reaching speeds of 260bmp. After getting a face full of gothic breast and having my torso repetitively punched, I clamber onto the shoulders of an overly enthusiastic, but unsuspecting headbanger. I manage to catch a glimpse of Pawel at the front snapping pictures and Alex the Ukranian pulverising metal chumps to the increasingly fast beat of the drum. Nargal, Behemoth's vocalist, proves to be on top form, from the moment he hit the stage in his all black, spiked body armour outfit he had the audience in his palm. With their trademark corpse paint and ultra tight set list it is impossible for Behemoth to go wrong. I last several songs at the front, catching the glare of the Nargal from time to time, before being savagely flung into the mosh pit for ‘Slaves Shall Serve’. Throughout their eighty minute set, Behemoth master a variety of material, old and new, as well as covering tracks by Turbonegro and black metal legends Mayhem.

The heat of the venue and the distinctive flashbacks of being trapped at the front of stage and pummelled in mosh pits, lead me to come to terms with the fact that maybe, just maybe, I am getting too old for this. As I am lured further away from the ever-erupting carnage at the front of the venue by the sweet serenity of cool air and a small gap in the proximity of my neighbouring metalheads, I am able to stand back and admire Behemoth for what they truly are. As the set finishes and the lights return to normal, the battled state of the audience sums up my thoughts entirely, we are in the presence of one of the most practiced, confident and entertaining bands on the underground music circuit. Behemoth are not only sharp, accurate and extreme in their methods, but they are undoubtedly in the prime of their game and have certainly left tonight’s audience gasping for breath and gagging for more.

- CLICK HERE for Kwiatek's Photos

- CLICK HERE for Behemoth World tour dates

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