Taipei Metal

Interview: Behemoth - Part 1

The P.A. cuts in and out, and the crowd surges forward past a lone security guard, who isn't really a security guard at all but the band's local handler pulling double duty as a the world's smallest and most frequently overrun crowd barrier. Put yourself in between Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth and 200 rabid fans, 99.9 percent of whom are even frothier at the mouth given that they have never seen the band perform live before, and see how well you fare. Effects pedals are knocked out of commission, and microphones inexplicably cease to function. Such was the scene when Behemoth, making their first visit to Taiwan, took to the tiny stage at V.U. Live House in Taipei on November 1st, 2008. Such a combination of misfortunes would be enough of an excuse for many bands to cut a set short, call it a night, and pass the buck. And so when the metal gremlins run rampant over a show, does Nergal, a.k.a. Adam Darski, front man and guitarist for Behemoth pack it in and sulk? In his immortal words, "I didn't give a fuck"-a true metal axiom if there ever was one.

And why would he give a fuck? In 17 years at the helm of Behemoth, it's certain he's seen it all. When things go wrong Nergal and his band mates do not seem to be people who will let it bring them down, or worse, affect their performance. Instead, they are compelled to take things even further, to rage against the sinister, invisible force that seems to have the urge in its malignant will to see the show off in short order. They windmill their heads harder, Nergal delivers his vitriolic lyrics with even more conviction, and, in short, they each rock the fuck out with reckless abandon until, when it is all over, they are utterly spent and Nergal's throat is raw.

It's a performance that is even more remarkable when you take into account the fact that the band accomplished the feat on no sleep whatsoever after arriving in Taipei after the previous night's engagement in Beijing and going straight to the venue. And that is why Behemoth cannot be stopped. In true metal fashion, they rebel even against misfortune itself like it was Christianity personified, and turn what could have been a lackluster evening into a memorable performance. This is what separates first tier metal acts from the rest, and what should keep Behemoth among the metal elite for years to come.

Despite having been around for so long, the really scary thing is that Nergal, as the oldest member of the band, is just 31 years of age. It could be that even after such a bold, ambitious and epic offering as The Apostasy, the 2007 album on which Behemoth upped their game, so to speak, incorporating sweeping orchestral arrangements into their increasingly weighty mix of black and death metal, Behemoth has not yet reached its prime. That is a prospect both frightening and auspicious.

The day after their performance in Taipei, after a well-deserved good night's sleep, a visibly refreshed and reinvigorated Nergal spoke to TaipeiMetal.com at The Wall Live House in Taipei.  We began by talking about the fiasco of the previous night.

N: If we knew these things before then definitely we would choose this place [The Wall]. But you learn from your mistakes. When we plan our next tour in Asia we’re gonna definitely make the right choices.
 
TM: It seemed like there were some equipment problems last night.
 
N: Last night was out of control.
 
TM: It must have been frustrating.
 
N: I was not frustrated at all. I just let all my frustration go. I had so much fun last night. It wasn’t really close to what a Behemoth show should look like but it was the most fun out of these three. It was just crazy, it was insane. People were just going nuts, smashing the stage and pedals and everything. It was cool. If it was in Poland or the U.S. or wherever in the world I would go completely nuts. But last night for some reason I was just happy.
 
TM: So even with the problems it didn’t matter.
 
N: Yeah I didn’t give a fuck. It was awesome. People loved it and I loved the fact that people loved it. It’s as simple as that.
 
TM: Did you have any idea what to expect when you came to Taiwan?
 
N: Not at all. Nothing. We were just talking with the Chthonic guys briefly here and there when we were touring in the U.S. and I was in touch with Freddy regarding the show but it was never possible to bring the band just for a show here because the attendance is never big enough to cover all the costs. We said there’s gonna be an occasion sooner or later, we’ll do it, we don’t know when, but if something happens let’s do it. Actually it was kind of weird. I wasn’t really familiar with the schedule of this tour. Some shows were planned, some shows wouldn’t happen. But so far so good. This is the most fun place out of these three countries. We like Japan, we like China too…
 
TM: Except the women. (Editor’s Note: At the show the night before Nergal shouted from the stage that China had some of the ugliest women in the world, and how happy he was to be in a place with some good looking women, much to the crowd’s approval)
 
N: Yeah that’s what I said. It’s probably true man. I know that my statements aren’t going to make more friends.
 
TM: Here it will.
 
N: I know. I’m just being honest. You know what? I was so worn out the night before in China. I was still sick and the show was rough. Knowing that this country is so fucked up, China, and these people are far from being happy. You feel sympathy. We stayed for like two hours after the show signing everything, talking to them. Because maybe we are the only thing that’s gonna bring some joy to their lives. That’s why it’s all worth doing this tour, the tour that has no income, the tour that is supposed to bring something extra to these people in Asia, especially China because they are so fucked up by their system. What we saw in China was striking. The city was dead at 10 p.m. It was dead, there was no people
 
TM: Which city was this?
 
N: Beijing. Man, it’s nothing you see anywhere in the world. And then you go to Taipei and it’s like New York or fucking Paris or Warsaw.