Behemoth Nergal hints at post-punk influence on next album

Nergal says that he has been inspired by the “avant-garde” when writing Behemoth’s upcoming record.

The frontman previously said that the follow-up to 2014’s The Satanist would be a “new chapter” for the band which would redefine their music.

And Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski reveals he listens to classic rock bands and artists from other genres when writing a record – admitting he’s “getting more into blues” as he grows older.

Nergal tells Asq me: “Theres some rigid strength in the punk scene – they have this thing that makes you come back to the origins like a boomerang. I drift away, then come back to classic heavy metal, punk, goth. I’m not a big goth fan but Fields Of The Nephilim is a classic.

“Once in a while I rediscover them for myself, like Bauhaus and Siekiera, Sabbath, David Bowie coming back with a new record.”

Nergal also says that it’s “crucial” that younger fans explore the roots of rock and metal by listening to bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and the Beatles – and that they should check out blues artists including Howling Wolf, Robert Johnson and Buddy Guy.

He adds: “I just try to keep my eyes and mind open for other genres. It’s just amazing, the older I get, the more into blues I get. It’s not direct inspiration for the radical music we make, but I do like avant garde stuff.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if on the next Behemoth album you heard some post-punk influences – the beats especially. I’m really keen on the primitive, primal tempos, so you never know.”

Nergal previously hinted the band’s next album may be coming sooner than expected, with the band eyeing 2017 for release. Behemoth will be heading on their European tour at the end of the month in collaboration with artist and costume designer Toxic Vision.

Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.

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