“Former AMG writer, Natalie Zed, described Behexen in her Nightside Emanations review as a second-wave black metal band. Nothing more, nothing less. And, in all honesty, that is exactly what they are. But, Behexen are not only innovators of the style, but are also damn good at it.” Innovation be damned.
““Love at first sight” is an interesting concept: a basic mammalian response formed by some pesky, involuntary biological and cognitive mechanisms. And I wonder, can music elicit something similar? Can you, perhaps, start loving a record during the first minute of a sample track? Can this kind of appreciation evolve into a long-lasting bond with a piece of music? The début by Finnish black metallers Sacrificium Carmen, Ikuisen Tulen Kammiossa, had that sort of a struck-by-lightning influence on me.” But will an early frost kill this blooming love?
Behexen are very much creatures of the second wave of European black metal, and their identities are firmly rooted in that aesthetic and culture. Not ones to deviate from their chosen path, and certainly not about to start experimenting now. Rather than opting to make drastic changes in approach, they have instead chosen to pursue subtle refinement. Staying within the rigidly proscribed confines of raw, early black metal, Behexen up the finest interpretation of that sound that they can while still maintaining its integrity.
Happy Metal Guy really loved Black Breath. You’d think such love would help Martyrdöd out, but HMG is a fickle mistress indeed.
