27 November 2023 – The Triffid, Brisbane – words by Cody-James Henderson – pictures by Charlyn Cameron
Picture this. You’re 13. You find your first metal album. It might have been Slipknot, System of a Down. Hell, maybe it was a Limp Bizkit album (Nu Metal counts, fight me nerds) you take it home, you start your listening experience and for a moment, the world is bliss.
Then, that member of your family walks in. The sheer face of dread that someone has sold their soul to the devil and now lives a life of worship to Satan himself. They don’t know what a “chocolate starfish” is, and at this point they’re afraid to ask. But t becomes the focal point for family dinners and conversations for a while to come. “Why the black shirts? Why all the screaming? Why this, why that?”
And here you are, just trying to learn what the hell comes after “grab a brush and put a little make up”.
If that’s how your journey into metal started, I feel you. And if you ventured further into metal after that, I can promise you that if they didn’t like what they heard back then; they sure as hell won’t like hearing about Behemoth.
The iconic Polish Extreme Metal band is back in Australia for the first time since 2019 to be a part of the Good Things Festival but not without completing a complimentary stop around the country beforehand. I was lucky to see the band perform at Download festival in Sydney when they were last here. I’d be lying if I said they didn’t have the best performance of the day. So, to be able to be in the company of everyone’s favourite Satanists in a more intimate environment was something not to be missed.
It’s an unfortunate time for travelling bands now. Unfortunately, MUNT had their flight cancelled hours before the show start meaning they could no longer be a part of the Brisbane show. However, at incredibly short notice, local Death Grind act Resin Tomb jumped on the bill to keep the show rolling.
With no long-winded introductions, speeches or over the top “happy to be here’s” Resin Tomb brought the fight to The Triffid right from the very first note. Although a more hardcore based influence compared to the rest of the line up, I believe any kind of heavy music fan found something in Resin Tomb to get behind. Once the crowd started banging their heads; there was no stopping them. It made me sore just watching it happen.
With limited stage space as not to interfere with the Behemoth set behind them (a pun so slightly intended) it didn’t take away from the bands ability to let their energy shine to an almost full room. Each song was a blast-beat from start to finish, yet dynamically the band provided a defiant hellish landscape reinforced with explosive hits enough to send a shiver down your spine.
“We’re only here because a band named MUNT couldn’t be. So, make sure you check them out instead.” As much as I believe the crowd were ready and expecting MUNT; there’s a good chance many punters left the set completely satisfied by what they just witnessed.
Golgothan Remains – The Triffid – photos by Charlyn Cameron
Are you like me and hate the fact that Cannibal Corpse hasn’t been to Australia in what feels like an eternity? Well, my friends, allow me to introduce you to Golgothan Remains. A band so stupidly fast and heavy, it will fill the very void of all things Thrash and Death you’ve been looking for who may also be your new favourite Australian Death Metal band.
In a sea of corpse face paint, battle vests & even Jesus Christ himself, Golgothan Remains took Brisbane on a trip to where the roots of all things extreme metal began. Through barrelling howls and almost Banshee like shrieking, it wasn’t long before the dance floor became one gigantic push pit. Watching the pit get larger and larger as each song went a long, you could see the comfort of the crowd become ever so clearer. Even those standing off to the sides eagerly awaiting Behemoth felt almost inclined to get themselves involved, myself included.
The instrumental side of things was just fanatical. I found myself getting lost in what looked like casual playing but you just couldn’t keep up. As a low hum of drums and bass filled the venue, enough to radiate through your chest, filling that void of heaviness that you’ve been lacking. The ability to drop the tempo to almost literally 0, only to put the pedal to the floor and go beyond 100 was just incredible. It’s best not to listen to this when driving.
“Why yes officer, I know I was doing 110 in a 40 zone but in my defence; just listen to this.” may seem like a good cover, but just like that family member you had in your teenage years, they just won’t get it.
Not a single thing seemed out of place, time or step for Golgothan and not a lot of support acts can say that. It was the epitome of making a great first impression to someone who didn’t know who they were but leaving a long-lasting impression. There would be an argument that ‘Golgothan Remains’ deserves to be bigger than what they are. Truth be told, they really deserve to be.
Dim the lights, say a prayer (to Satan of course) and prepare for the legions of Behemoth to grace you with their presence. To the sound of ‘Post-God Nirvana’ our favourite Black Metal frontman Nergal hits the stage in a blast, flashing his face in the midst of a white light and bellowing to the audience. As the rest of the Polish Icons follow suit, we are greeted with ‘Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer’ (Pray For Us Lucifer) and the room is electric. It’s hard to believe it’s a work night for most. I also had no idea that the legions of Queensland knew how to speak Polish and Latin so eloquently either.
Behemoth – The Triffid – photos by Charlyn Cameron
Since the bands last visit in 2019, the band had released a new album Opvs Contra Natvram (which loosely translates to ‘A Work Against Nature’) and they made sure to sprinkle it through the set of the bands greatest hits. Songs like ‘Malaria Vvlgata’ and ‘Once Upon a Pale Horse’ getting large reactions from the ever faithful in Brisbane. But to say that the classics were favoured would be an understatement. And as the band cranked out songs like ‘Conquer All’ from their more Black Metal days, Behemoth proved their intensity has never faded, even after 31 years of being a band.
The band took their time thank the Australian Legions for decades of support. Reminiscing of the bands first visit to Brisbane in 2006 and highlighting that even after 40 hours of travelling to be here, the fans always make it “so f*cking worth it”. Although presented so demonic, the level of interaction Behemoth had with their audience even in the middle of songs, taking time to point them out, share picks and drumsticks whenever getting the chance. I never want to hear that anyone satanic is hateful or spiteful. ‘Behemoth’ is an exception to the mould that they didn’t deserve to be cast in to begin with.
I say that, only to mention that Nergal would go on to tear the pages straight from a bible before destroying it completely much to the immense ovation from the crowd. For those of you unaware, Nergal was once prosecuted and faced jail time in his homeland of Poland for doing this exact act. Even after all of that, Nergal has still maintained his reputation to do this as an ‘act of art’. And I’ve got to say, it really doesn’t get more poetic than that. Love them or hate them, art is an expression. And it’s important to allow art to remain open to interpretation and honesty.
Behemoth – The Triffid – photos by Charlyn Cameron
Nergal also made it very clear as we made our way to the back of the set, that he doesn’t care if people love him or hate him, that cancel culture is such a “bullsh*t thing” & how the following song was a defiance against it even before ‘Cancel Culture’ was such a modern phenomenon. Now usually, hearing a rant so anti-cancel is enough for me for me to wince. But I understand where it was coming from. Behemoth have been such an easy target for anyone wanting to target anti-religious people. The band has a right to feel angry about these things and honestly; I can’t say I blame them.
My only gripe about the entire show? The band needs to be playing in a much larger venue. That is nothing against ‘The Triffid’. The intimate setting was a wonderful experience to share with everyone. But in comparison to what the band gives with their stage show in a larger environment, there is so much more to experience when it comes to Behemoth. Whether its fire shooting into the sky, Satanic Crosses or the colour black covering a 30-foot-tall stage, Behemoth deserve to be playing the largest areas possible when they return.
Am I a little salty the band aren’t playing the main stages of Good Things this year? Absolutely. But Behemoth have been through it all, quite literally to hell and back. They have formed one of the most influential legacies in not just Extreme Metal, but Metal as an entire genre. So, if you got to witness Behemoth in such a close-knit environment, I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as I did. If you are waiting til Good Things to witness them, I promise you it is going to be beyond worth it.
But if you’re not planning on seeing them or have a gap in your festival schedule, allow me to say this… Reconsider. Make sure you see Behemoth. I promise you; you will regret it if you don’t.
