For fans of Behemoth, the Messe Noire Live DVD/Blu-Ray is a no-brainer, it’s a must-have, walk up, throw ya money down, walk out happy. If, however, Behemoth aren’t really on your day to day listening schedule, even though you’re a lover of heavy music, I’d suggest checking this one out.
Right now I can feel the Behemoth army gasping at that last statement, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T LISTEN TO BEHEMOTH EVERY DAY?” Well, believe it or not, I don’t. Extreme metal, black metal, whatever you wanna try and pigeonhole Behemoth as isn’t on my high rotation list. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that I prefer other forms of metal more. The reason I’m qualifying this is that, when I was asked to review a live Behemoth DVD, I instantly thought of a couple of friends of mine who are HUGE fans. One even named her cat Nergal. These super fans don’t miss shows, they don’t miss interviews, they don’t miss chances to inject some Behemoth into their lives. They are the reason I got interested in Behemoth. That much passion deserves investigation.
The first thing that grabbed me was the production quality. It’s simply outstanding. The multitude of camera angles never leaves you wondering or asking for more vision of bands members or the crowd for that matter. What they have achieved with this DVD is the energy and power that a live Behemoth gig spews out in massive chunks. I honestly felt like I was at the show and at that moment I completely understood why no one in their right mind would miss one of their gigs, regardless of your heavy metal bent. It is a spectacle that needs to be experienced and I feel stupid for knocking back tickets in the past based on my “I’m not a passionate enough fan of their music” reasoning. I’m a fool, and I’ve missed out.
A bugbear for a lot of live DVD’s can be the sound quality or the mix. This is not even close to being an issue because it is so goddamn good it’s setting a benchmark. It’s phenomenal. Crisp, clean, powerful, and truly a credit to the people who put it together. It absolutely highlights the playing prowess, and for me, left me gobsmacked at the ability of Inferno on the drums, live. I don’t want to give too much away, but they intertwine visuals into the Warsaw show that work so beautifully, the editing is perfect, and for me, this is what a live DVD should be.
Here’s what Nergal has to say about it: “Well, that is everything that the BEHEMOTH live magick represents, and we‘re stoked that we have a true representation on record for everyone out there to enjoy. ’Messe Noire‘ captures the true intensity of what we do as a band and the energy we share with our fans. This is also an exclamation mark, the perfect way to conclude »The Satanist« cycle which has been an overwhelming experience and amazing chapter in BEHEMOTH‘s career and our lives so far! By the release of Messe Noire we would like to hail our legions all around the world for undying support! Now let the art speak...."
The art does speak, loudly, and with stunning clarity. It’s a bloody fantastic live DVD that any metal fan should own.
- Higgo
The Messe Noire DVD/Blu-Ray is available Friday 13 April via EVP Recordings. Get your copy here.
