Evangelion (album)
Encyclopedia
Evangelion is the ninth full-length album by Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth
. The album was released on August 7, 2009 through Nuclear Blast Records and on August 11, 2009, through Metal Blade Records
in the USA.
The album title refers to the Good News in Christianity
; the message of Jesus Christ.
The album cover artwork is a depiction of The Great Harlot of Babylon
, the figuress of evil mentioned in the Book of Revelation
in the Bible
.
to begin work on the album on February 16, 2009. The band managed to tap Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah
, In Flames
, Dark Funeral
) to produce drums on the record. Bergstrand used some unconventional techniques—a big room for the drums to create ambience and 22-channel recording for a more "organic and natural" sound.
In March they were close to finish recording the guitars, with help from Wojciech and Sławomir Wiesławski from Studio Hertz. Within five days they completed three songs and laid down three rhythm guitars on each side, after which they worked on the bass, solos and vocals simultaneously.
The band also managed to tap Colin Richardson
to mix the album. The band had tried to book him before for their previous album, The Apostasy
, but he wasn't available then.
In early May, tracking was completed and on May 12 Nergal flew to the United Kingdom
to join Colin Richardson to mix the record at Miloco Studios
, London
. Also in May, Metal Hammer
was given the opportunity to listen to three fully completed songs in Miloco Studios. Nergal stated that this was the most relaxing and at the same time the most creative studio session he had ever been a part of.
Additional musicians and production
Behemoth (band)
Behemoth is a Polish blackened death metal band from Gdańsk, formed in 1991. They are considered to have played an important role in establishing the Polish extreme metal underground, alongside bands such as Vader, Decapitated, Vesania and Hate....
. The album was released on August 7, 2009 through Nuclear Blast Records and on August 11, 2009, through Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
in the USA.
The album title refers to the Good News in Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
; the message of Jesus Christ.
The album cover artwork is a depiction of The Great Harlot of Babylon
Whore of Babylon
The Whore of Babylon or "Babylon the great" is a Christian allegorical figure of evil mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. Her full title is given as "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations of the Earth." -Symbolism:...
, the figuress of evil mentioned in the Book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
Recording and production
In January 2009, the band was in the final stages of the songwriting and rehearsal process for the album. Behemoth entered Radio Gdańsk studio in PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to begin work on the album on February 16, 2009. The band managed to tap Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah
Meshuggah
Meshuggah is an extreme metal band from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1987. Meshuggah's line-up has primarily consisted of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, and rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1992...
, In Flames
In Flames
In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. Since the band's inception in 1993, they have released ten studio albums and one live DVD...
, Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral is a black metal band from Stockholm, Sweden, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They are one of the bands to have emerged in Sweden during the Second wave of black metal....
) to produce drums on the record. Bergstrand used some unconventional techniques—a big room for the drums to create ambience and 22-channel recording for a more "organic and natural" sound.
In March they were close to finish recording the guitars, with help from Wojciech and Sławomir Wiesławski from Studio Hertz. Within five days they completed three songs and laid down three rhythm guitars on each side, after which they worked on the bass, solos and vocals simultaneously.
The band also managed to tap Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums, and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres such as:*Anathema*As I Lay Dying*Behemoth*Bullet for My Valentine...
to mix the album. The band had tried to book him before for their previous album, The Apostasy
The Apostasy
- Explanation of song titles :* "Rome 64 C.E." – the Great Fire of Rome occurred in 64 C.E., in which Peter from the bible , were allegedly killed...
, but he wasn't available then.
In early May, tracking was completed and on May 12 Nergal flew to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to join Colin Richardson to mix the record at Miloco Studios
Miloco Studios
Miloco Studios are a leading independent group of recording studios based in London, England. There are currently twelve commercial recording studios underneath the Miloco umbrella, plus a selection of private long-let programming rooms...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Also in May, Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
was given the opportunity to listen to three fully completed songs in Miloco Studios. Nergal stated that this was the most relaxing and at the same time the most creative studio session he had ever been a part of.
Track listing
Personnel
Behemoth- Adam "Nergal" DarskiAdam DarskiAdam Michał Darski also known by his stage name Nergal and previously Holocausto, is a Polish musician and television personality, best known for being the frontman for blackened death metal band Behemoth.- Biography :...
– vocals, lead guitar - Tomasz "Orion" WróblewskiTomasz WróblewskiTomasz Wróblewski , stage name Orion, is a Polish death metal musician, current bassist/backing vocalist of Behemoth and Black River, and the vocalist/guitarist of Vesania. He also contributed with the band Neolithic and performed backing vocals with Machine Head during the Sounds of the...
– bass, samples arrangement, additional vocals - Zbigniew Robert "Inferno" PromińskiZbigniew Robert ProminskiZbigniew Robert Promiński , stage name Inferno, is a Polish death metal drummer. He has contributed to bands such as Behemoth, Azarath, Witchmaster, Damnation, Deus Mortem, Artrosis, Christ Agony and Devilyn. Also, his endorsements include Paiste, Czarcie Kopyto, Spaun Drums, Vic Firth, and...
– drums and percussion, backing vocals on Daimonos - Patryk Dominik "Seth" SztyberPatryk Dominik SztyberPatryk Dominik Sztyber , stage name Seth, is a Polish heavy metal musician. He is the rhythm, lead and acoustic guitarist and also backing vocalist in Behemoth...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Additional musicians and production
- Krzysztof "Siegmar" Oloś – keyboards, arrangements
- Maciej Maleńczuk – guest vocals on Lucifer
- Tomasz "Ragaboy" Osiecki – sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
- Pawel Hulisz – trumpet
- Piotr Kowalkowski – trumpet
- Michal Szczerba – horn
- Bogdan Kwiatek – trombone
- Lukasz Gruba – tuba
- Boris "Hatefrost" Kalyuzhnyy – backing vocals on Daimonos
- Maciej "Manticore" Gruszka – backing vocals on Daimonos
- Daniel Bergstrand – drums producing
- Colin RichardsonColin RichardsonColin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums, and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres such as:*Anathema*As I Lay Dying*Behemoth*Bullet for My Valentine...
– audio mixing - Arkadiusz "Malta" Malczewski – sound engineering, backing vocals on Daimonos
- Kuba Mańkowski – sound engineering
- Wojciech Wiesławski – guitars co-producing
- Sławomir Wiesławski – guitars co-producing
- Jan Bryt – solos and vocals tracking
- Tomasz "Graal" Daniłowicz – cover design and artwork
- Ted JensenTed JensenTed Jensen is an American recording engineer. Jensen is the chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound. He started his career as a mastering engineer in 1976 and is currently the most active Mastering Engineer in the industry...
– mastering
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Charts | 45 |
| Canadian Albums Charts | 61 |
| Canadian Independent Chart | 6 |
| Canadian Hard Music Chart | 10 |
| Dutch Indie Charts | 5 |
| Finnish Albums Charts | 17 |
| German Albums Charts | 59 |
| Polish Album Charts | 2 |
| Swiss Albums Charts | 88 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
55 |
| US Hard Rock Albums | 5 |
| US Rock Albums | 17 |
| US Independent Albums | 5 |
| US Hard Music Albums | 6 |