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Summer of 2006 I had the pleasure of seeing a live performance by a band that I think may very well be one of the single best live acts I have ever seen; Behemoth. The Polish blackened metal quartet has come under a lot of fire by their long time fans that enjoyed their true Black Metal sound rather than their new, more Death Metal approach to music. To me, it doesn’t matter. Black Metal days, Death Metal ear, Behemoth still sounds great and if you have yet to see them live, you can always substitute the live feeling for a home version. Art of Rebellion: Live Eschaton presents Behemoth in the environment they are best in. Recorded live in Europe (I imagine in Poland somewhere, but I don’t speak Pollish, so I’m merely guessing) Art of Rebellion features Behemoth unleashing a blistering ten song set filled with all of the same intensity as when I saw them. There are a few differences however as this incarnation of the band features members who are no longer a part of the mighty Behemoth these days. Marcin "Novy" Nowak, now a member of another Polish Death Metal outfit, Vader, left the band and was replaced in 2004 by Tomasz "Orion" Wróblewski. This is also, as I refer to them, the “jeans and t-shirt” Behemoth, not the leather clad, Cenobite inspired musicians that I saw, but no matter what, the punch the Behemoth packs is still the same. The video quality is exceptionally well done with plenty of different camera angles that show each and every member of the band and focus on the incredible musicianship of each of them. Inferno is really the one to watch and he might be one of the best drummers in the genre today with some amazing speeds, fills, and tempo changes, but that’s not to say that the other members are any less impressive. The audio at first seemed to be a bit under par, but I soon realized that this is Behemoth in a small club, not some huge arena like they have played at in Europe of other locations, so the audio quality actually does do the band justice. The only thing missing is the feelings that you get from seeing them in a true live environment, but you’ll at least have the pleasure of hearing and seeing Behemoth perform some of their best tracks from Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) up to Satanica. There is more than just the concert video however, and you will find two music videos, Decade of Therion and Chant for Eschaton 2000 included. There is also an interview, in Polish, with Adam "Nergal" Darski, and he’s quite a bit different than what you may have been expecting after watching the band live. Nergal’s interview though comes across as very incitful and gives you a lot more background on the band. There is also a collection of biographies on the members of Behemoth. As another bonus feature, you will find six audio tracks included from Behemoth’s early demos, and these also have recently become made readily available thanks to the band releasing their Demonica collection featuring the early demos are rare tracks, something to appease fans until the release of The Apostasy. The DVD continues with bonus features including a discography, photos, artwork, wallpapers, and web links. If you’ve never experienced Behemoth live or have been afraid to attend one of their events, this should give you a good insight into how powerful and amazing the band can truly be. It should be the type of thing that not only should inspire other musicians but to get fans to get into the club and see Behemoth live for themselves, and with a new CD just around the corner, the opportunity will be quickly approaching again. I know I’ll be there, devil horns ready to thrust into the air, and showing my own Art of Rebellion. -mike-
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