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Behemoth to release 12th album ‘Opvs Contra Natvram’ on Sept. 16

Greg Maki

Behemoth will release its 12th studio album, “Opvs Contra Natvram,” on Sept. 16, 2022, via Nuclear Blast. Pre-order or pre-save the album here.

Watch the cinematic video for the first single, “Ov My Herculean Exile,” directed by Zuzanna Plisz, below.

The 10 chapters of fury that make up “Opvs Contra Natvram” were written and recorded over the course of a strange year for the globe. As with previous studio outings, the album was produced by Behemoth, with mixing handled by Joe Barresi (Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Alice in Chains).

Behemoth frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski reveled in the depressurized environment afforded by the pandemic. It meant that for nearly the first time since the band’s inception over 30 years ago, there was no deadline to observe, allowing for a nearly unprecedented level of attention to the process of writing and recording. 

Behemoth has grown to become nothing less than the personification of rebellion, individuality and unflinching self-expression informed by a literate worldview and worldliness that’s resulted in a locking of horns with everything from the mainstream press to the Polish Catholic church—most notably manifesting in Nergal’s trial for blasphemy in 2010 that only served to expose the deep-seated hypocrisies that his music seeks to challenge. 

“The album title means going against the current,” Nergal said. “It’s the negative of the values and morals and ethics that I stand against. I’ve seriously been wrestling with destructive tendencies in pop culture—cancel culture, social media and tools which I feel are very dangerous weapons in the hands of people who are not competent to judge others. That’s something which I find very destructive and disturbing—and extremely limiting coming from an artists’ perspective. This is my middle finger to that. There’s a song on the record called ‘Neo-Spartacvs.’ Spartacus was one of the most iconic rebels in history who went against the most powerful empire of all time. In the end, it’s me screaming, ‘I am Spartacus, and so are you!’ I want to spark that flame of rebellion. If something seems wrong, then stand up to it!”

“Opvs Contra Natvram” track listing:

“Post-God Nirvana”
“Malaria Vvlgata”
“The Deathless Sun”
“Ov My Herculean Exile”
“Neo-Spartacvs”
“Disinheritance”
“Off to War!”
“Once Upon a Pale Horse”
“Thy Becoming Eternal”
“Versvs Christvs”

“Opvs Contra Natvram” features twin cover art available in both black and white, and will be released in the following array of physical formats designed by Bartek Rogalewicz (Lodge.Black).

Behemoth is wrapping up its North American co-headline tour with Arch Enemy. The remaining dates are below.

Behemoth tour dates:

5/11 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theater 
5/13 — Berkeley, CA — The UC Theatre 
5/15 — Los Angeles, CA — The Hollywood Palladium

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