Behemoth is fuckin' right. This hulking beast will swing you around like the pathetic human being you are with its latest release Zos Kia Cultus. Behemoth gets my vote for the first crusher of the year. In the ever expanding genre of death where technicality is the name of the game, Behemoth does not let down. With a career spanning over a decade and only maintaining one founding member, Behemoth is as wicked as ever.
Nergal and Havoc do a bang-up job on the guitars combing straight-up brutality and notable technicality. During some riffs I found a hint of Nile within, yet not quite as technical. What is it about Poland having such crushing bands with pounding drums (i.e. Decapitated and Vader)? The drums sound great on this release. Inferno plays fluidly and with style. Nergal's vokill styling reminds me of Vader, but with more of a growling sound to them. The layered vokills sound great too. Occasionally you will think you have hit the calm of the storm with some of the slower breakdowns, but instead you've just hit the eye and fury quickly picks back up. My favorite tracks on this release are easily "Modern Iconoclasts" and "Blackest ov the Black".
My only real complaint with this album, although it's a minor qualm, is that I would have liked the guitars a slight bit crisper. Sometimes the clarity of the riffs gets lost in all the mayhem. Never does this ruin my overall enjoyment of the album though. If you want a release to get your blood flowing into the New Year, have no fear in laying down that $15 for Behemoth's Zos Kia Cultus.