BEHEMOTH’s Nergal “Not Guilty” On Blasphemy Charges, “The Satanist” Debuts At #34 On Billboard Top 200

Metal Blade Records have announced that Nergal found NOT GUILTY on blasphemy charges yesterday to conclude six-year long battle in Polish court.

Behemoth’s highly anticipate new album, their first full length since 2009, “The Satanist“, has exceeded and demolished expectations on every front. It is with great pride that we officially announce that the album has debuted at #34 on the Billboard Top 200 charts, 21 spots higher than the band’s previous album, “Evangelion.” In Canada, the album debuted at #46 on the Top 200 current albums chart. The complete listing of “The Satanist” North American chart debuts has been posted below.

behemoth-billboard

BEHEMOTH U.S. Chart Numbers:
Billboard Top 200 – #34
Top Overall Albums – #34
Independent Albums – #6
Current Hard Music – #4
Overall Hard Music – #4
Overall Core Rock – #8
Top Current Rock – #9
iTunes Metal – #3
iTunes Rock – #4
iTunes Top Albums – #24

BEHEMOTH Canadian Chart Numbers:
Top 200 Current Albums – #46
Current Digital Albums – #36
Hard Music Chart – #5
iTunes Metal – #1
iTunes Rock – #2
iTunes Top Albums – #19

Every artist’s goal is to continue to top their previous efforts, but rarely is it ever done in such a convincing fashion. Behemoth front man Nergal reacts to the news: “This news just knocked us out while getting ready to hit the stage in Lyon. It’s actually unheard of… I don’t think that ANY black or death metal artist reached a higher position on Billboard ever! We are eternally grateful to our fans worldwide for making “The Satanist” the game changer in Behemoth’s history! We’d like to show our deepest respect to Metal Blade and our manager, Chuck Andrews, for working their asses off for us and making this all happen. It’s fuckin’ surreal and we can’t even describe how proud we are. With “The Satanist” we are making history here! Hail Freedom! Hail Satan!”

“The Satanist” can be purchased now at your local record store. Head to recordstoreday.com to find a store near you, and as always, phone ahead for availability.

“The Satanist” is also available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify:
https://itunes.apple.com/album/id765742794
http://www.amazon.com/The-Satanist-Behemoth/dp/B00I0QQ4ZG
http://open.spotify.com/album/7l0L2YHlQwAyI4QyZTIWGS

In other news, Nergal announced yesterday via his official facebook page that he was finally found not guilty on blasphemy charges leveled against him in Polish court. This brings to a close the highly publicized legal battle that has been ongoing since 2008.

A video for “Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer” and the music video for “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel can be found at the Metal Blade youtube channel HERE and at metalblade.com/behemoth. “Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer” includes artwork and text from inside the digipak booklet. Ora pro nobis, which is latin for “pray for us”, features lyrics penned by Nergal, along with Krzysztof Azarewicz.

“The Satanist” was produced by Behemoth, Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawscy and Daniel Bergstrand in Hertz Studio. “The Satanist” was mixed by Matt Hyde (Slayer) and mastered by Ted Jensen (Metallica, AC/DC) at Sterling Sound. The cover art for “The Satanist” was painted by renowned Russian painter and occultist, Denis Forkas (denisforkas.com). The paint used included some of Nergal’s own blood! Additional art and design was completed by Metastazis (Paradise Lost, etc.) and Zbigniew Bielak (Watain, Ghost).

“simply the best Behemoth record ever.” Decibel Magazine

“perhaps the most enjoyable Behemoth LP ever…Before long, the line between aggression and artistry becomes blurred, and it is then that The Satanist truly impresses…perhaps their most glorious display ov blasphemy yet.” Sputnikmusic.com

“the most extreme thing they’ve produced since their early days as a pagan black metal band, with far more of that old cold, macabre atmosphere settling in, and a certain feral intensity deliberately tarnishing the band’s more recent penchant for polish.” SPIN.com

“A writhing, densely layered, brutally violent and sinister record, it is quite unlike anything ever unleashed within the canon of heavy music. As such it demands attention, offering ever-greater sonic and emotional depth with every listen.” Drumhead Magazine

Behemoth will be returning to North America this Spring as part of the Metal Alliance Tour 2014! This will be the band’s first North American tour in support of their new album, “The Satanist.” Joining Behemoth on this tour will be Metal Blade label mates, Goatwhore, along with additional support from 1349, Inquisition, and Black Crown Initiate. The Metal Alliance tour will begin April 4th in Tempe, AZ and runs through May 3rd.

BEHEMOTH
w/ Cradle Of Filth, In Solitude, Inquisition, Svarttjern
02/13 Pratteln, CH Z7
02/14 Wiesbaden, DE Schlachthof
02/15 Bochum, DE Matrix
02/16 Antwerp, BE Trix
02/18 Tilburg, NL O13
02/19 Luxembourg, LU Atelier
02/21 Wien, AT Gasometer
02/22 Chemnitz, DE Südbahnhof
02/24 Gothenburg, SE Traedgarn
02/25 Stockholm, SE Tyrol
02/26 Copenhagen, DK Amager Bio
02/27 Aarhus, DK Voxhall
02/28 Hamburg, DE Grünspan
03/01 Berlin, DE Postbahnhof

BEHEMOTH
Metal Alliance Tour
1349, Goatwhore, Inquisition, Black Crown Initiate
04/04 Tempe, AZ Club Red
04/05 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
04/06 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
04/08 Denver, CO Gothic Theater
04/11 Dallas, TX House of Blues
04/12 Austin, TX Emo’s East
04/13 Houston, TX House of Blues
04/15 Orlando, FL Beacham Theater
04/16 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
04/17 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
04/18 Worcester, MA Palladium
04/19 New York, NY Irving Plaza
04/22 Montreal, QC Club Soda
04/23 Toronto, ON Opera House
04/24 Cleveland, OH Agora Theater
04/25 Chicago, IL House of Blues
04/26 Minneapolis, MN Skyway Theater Studio B
04/27 Winnipeg, MB Garrick Center
04/29 Calgary, AB Macewan Hall
04/30 Edmonton, AB Union Hall
05/02 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theater
05/03 Seattle, WA Studio 7