Year: 2020
Total Time: 19:20
Label: New Aeon Musick

About a year after the release of “O Pentagram Ignis” EP, the Black/Death Metallers BEHEMOTH return with a new EP, entitled “A Forest”. This release includes four songs, two unreleased compositions, from the sessions of their 2018’s album “I Loved You at Your Darkest” and a cover of CURE’s song “A Forest”  in live and studio recording.

The EP starts with “A Forest”, in which Niklas Kvarforth, SHINING’s frontman, participates as a guest on  vocals. Nergal tried to give a raw-sinister character to the original song through BEHEMOTH’s sound and he succeeded. However, the song loses its original dark atmosphere. In addition, the guest vocals from Niklas, sound pleasant, giving a wild beauty to the song. Of course, comparisons have already begun with the cover of CARPATHIAN FOREST for same song, which is darker and closer to the atmosphere of the original.

Next song is the live version of “A Forest” from a BEHEMOTH’s concert, with Niklas Kvarforth taking the stage for his guest vocals, next to Nergal. Excellent sound, to the point that, if you remove the crowd voices, it sounds like a studio version. We continue with BEHEMOTH’s two new songs, “Shadows Ov Ea Cast Upon Golgotha” and “Evoe”, which make you realize why the band did not include them in the album. They are quite simplistic and mediocre. A typical BEHEMOTH sound in “I Loved You at Your Darkest”, with a slightly more commercial approach which will be quickly forgotten.

BEHEMOTH keep their fans hot with the release of their second EP (in 10 months) and are slowly preparing for the recording of their next album. But, if “Shadows Ov Ea Cast Upon Golgotha” and “Evoe” are representative of the next album’s quality, we don’t have much to expect. In conclusion, “A Forest (EP)” is only for BEHEMOTH’s die-hard fans.

Rating: 5/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: BEHEMOTH – Official Page