BEHEMOTH Mainman Comments On Australian Tour

Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH have just returned home from their first-ever trip to Australia. Organized by Aussie company Soundworks, this tour wraped up the 16-month touring cycle with 225 shows done in support of BEHEMOTH's last record, "Demigod".

Commented mainman Nergal: "This tour was simply unreal! From day one we felt surprisingly comfortable… (I guess it has something to do with Dave and THE AMENTA getting me drunk so bad the first night, ha ha). Adelaide show was a blast. The temperature was around 35 degrees Celsius and was killing us but it was already a perfect start of the tour.

"When we got to Melbourne, jetlag got really bad, 'coz after Adelaide show we slept maybe two hours. I remember almost passing out at the soundcheck so I took off to the hotel for a few-hour nap.

"The show seriously kicked my ass, I can tell you! The heat on stage was unbearable but we got such a strong kick from the crowd… unbelievable. In comparison to other crowds, Melbourne was maybe a bit less into moshing, but still these fuckers were screaming their lungs out and throwing horns in the air all the time!

"Next day we played this under-18 show in a small bar and…I have never witnessed anything like that in my life. Imagine 15-, 16-year-old kids chanting along lyrics of 'Slaves Shall Serve', 'Christians to the Lions' or even older songs like 'From the Pagan Vastlands'. We couldn't be more impressed. For some reason, it was my personal highlight of this tour, 'coz it just felt so right and so refreshing to see there is a new generation of BEHEMOTH legions growing. I'm speechless.

"After Melbourne, we flew to Perth and raised hell at Dyson's (our tour manager's house). Perth welcomed us with a clear sky and great weather. The show itself was nothing but great. 300 kids were screaming louder than P.A. and storming the stage relentlessly! No bullshit! It was almost scary, ha ha… Our days off in Perth we spent by the ocean, hanging out and grilling kangaroos (as a matter of fact, we hated taste of that meat, eventhough Dyson did great as a grill master, ha ha…). We also hailed former AC/DC singer Bon Scott by visiting his grave. Next stop was Brisbane. Probably the biggest surprise, 'coz for a city with a not-so-big metal scene 350 kids that showed up that night was a massive turnout. And so was the concert. Intense from the start 'till the last bits of the second encore song, 'Pure Evil & Hate'. Yep, a little fact that made this tour so memorable is that there was NO show in Australia that we wouldn't do encore. Or crowds wouldn’t let us go without doing it, ha ha. Sydney was the last date. And in my eyes it was just the perfect ending for this tour. Brisbane aftershow party went a bit out of control therefore when we got to Sydney we were like walking dead, ha ha. The heat that day was merciless, too. I guess it was around 35-40 degrees Celsius and the sun was simply killing us.

"After doing soundcheck we were brought back to the hotel and slept 'till late evening. When we got back to the venue, HOBBS' ANGEL OF DEATH was already on. It was pretty freaky to see this legendary band opening for us. I remember buying their pirate cassettes in late '80s as a teenage metalhead. I must say they did really great. Despite his age, Hobbs was having a blast and kids loved it! 24.00 [midnight] we hit the stage and from the first bit of 'Sculpting the Throne of Seth' I knew it'd be awesome. Everything, the sound, the vibe, perfect interaction with the crowd, channeling the energy…everything that makes BEHEMOTH show what it should be was there that night. Later on we celebrated the grand finale in local bars 'till morning hours and all I can tell you that at some points things went much out of control, ha ha. Next day we spent on sightseeing in Sydney which was much enjoyable. (thanx Neithan for tour guiding!)

"This was probably the best tour we did for this record… not that the others were bad whatsoever, but touring Australia was just a perfect combination of very professional work and pure fun. Dyson, Brad, David, Kelli, THE AMENTA and FUROR and EVERY single promoter, BIG hail to all of you for endless support and hospitality. To ALL the crazy fans that showed up: you guys made this tour! It was not about us, it was about YOU and YOUR devotion! We can't wait to conquer you all once again! Respect & horns up!!!"

Check the "Misc Photo" section at www.behemoth.pl for a photo documentary of the tour.