Nergal is a perfectionist. With crushing album after crushing album, somehow the man and his infernal legion of lethal musicians demand of themselves to kick it up several notches every time they come near a studio. Maybe there's something in the water in Poland. Whatever the case, "Evangelion" transcends anything BEHEMOTH has ever done in many different ways. For those unaware, Adam "Nergal" Darski is one hell of an educated guy. He studied Ancient History and Latin at University in Poland for six years, and is even qualified to be a museum curator. In other words, when it comes to matters of the past, particularly in areas of religious and spiritual deities and ancient beliefs, you're dealing with a bona fide expert. That and having been raised a Catholic in an extremely religious country has manifested in what is truly one of the most brutal, dependable, creative and intense Death Metal bands in the world: BEHEMOTH.

Many bands form because of a common desire to create and share music; such is certainly one facet of BEHEMOTH. But for some, like MORBID ANGEL, NILE, MELECHESH, and of course BEHEMOTH, they want you to actually learn something, the kind of ancient knowledge and ways that are conveniently missing from your average classroom. Armed with this intricate knowledge of ancient history and a glaring flare of despite for Christianity, BEHEMOTH are able to incorporate tales of darkness, deception and lies buried in the past and translate them into some of the most incredibly intelligent and musically superior albums the world has ever known.

With "Evangelion" - which essentially means "spreading the word of God" - BEHEMOTH are spreading their own message in a musical journey through the perceived lies and will to manipulate the masses that they see as the real evangelion of Christianity. And that musical journey is a dark road indeed, rendered both sinister and diabolical by the lyrical ambition and the musical accomplishments. While sounding every bit as brutal as everything they've done since "Satanica", there has been evolution from one album to the next, and "Evangelion" is the ultimate incarnation of all of the most endearing (and unnerving) elements of the BEHEMOTH sound.

Inferno's utterly insane celerity and unrivaled talent behind the drums have never been more effective, and wherein before there was more separation between bass and guitars, the music here is one symbiotic unit of inhuman musicianship and song crafting. Additionally, Nergal, while as vocally vehement as ever, has incorporated more depth into his deliveries, conveying a much more emphatic and sincere element in the vocals. Embodying the scope of "Evangelion" even more than the musicianship is the staggering scope of the album's production. Featuring several guest vocals, sitar, trumpets, horns, trombones, tubas and probably even church collection plates for cymbals, it's obvious that BEHEMOTH has pulled out all the stops for "Evangelion". What dark days lay in store for the deceivers' evangelion? Why, "Holy gardens reduced to ash, extinguished light ov hope, bringing the end ov the days." What else would you expect?