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Exclusive 5cd box set with huge booklet only released in Poland. This box set includes newly re-mastered and repackaged versions of the albums And The Forests Dream Eternally, Sventevith, Grom, Pandemonic Incantations and Live In Krakow. And The Forests Dream Eternally – 1994 It's often been said that Slayer's music is the 'perfect soundtrack for entering hell' and upon hearing one of Behemoth's first-ever releases, 'And The Forests Dream Eternally' the same could be said about this Polish black metal band. When you hear the phrase black or death metal, you pretty much know what's in store — growled vocals, metronome drumming, amphetamine-like guitar riffs, horror movie-like lyrics, Satanic song titles, ghoulish make-up and attire. And Behemoth follows the checklist perfectly. No real musical surprises here, but that's how the majority of death metal-heads would prefer it. Despite black and death metal lurking in the depths of the underground for much of the '90s, it still had a heartbeat, as evidenced by 'And The Forests Dream Eternally'. Sventevith (Storming Near The Baltic) – 1995 Production value is acceptable, with all instruments at equal levels for a balanced feel, but not overproduced in any way, keeping the now famous "black metal atmosphere" present throughout the recordings. The album's first track starts out with a melody that is similar to, but not copying, Emperor's opening track on 'In the Nightside Eclipse". Herein lays the beauty of this album; a keen appreciation and understanding of the aesthetic in early 90's Norwegian black metal, and being able to create an artistic piece that uses that influence without being a rip off copy. Negral is under the belief these days that this strong Norwegian influence on Behemoth's early works is, in fact, too present; a contributing factor to the change in direction he later took to better express himself in an "original" way and not in the way of others. There can be some truth to such statements, but Behemoth had an uncanny skill in creating something genuine that adds to the genre. The songs here are put together too well for there to not be a true understanding of the art form. The melodies, played with distorted riffs, burn brightly over the pounding hypnosis of drumming fury, all the while the bass clearly connects the two, playing the role of intermediary. Vocals screech in established black metal form, giving the listener a feeling of familiarity now expected within these kind of song structures. Surprises include "Ancient", which is a piece that is what it claims to be; a nod to older, traditional, folk songs (of what origin I cannot say; Polish?). Grom – 1996 Behemoth is a name that has long been associated with the highest quality heavy metal, especially since the band started making a big name for itself with its death metal releases, beginning with 1999’s ‘Satanica’. Mostly due to availability issues, many fans are unaware that the band had put out three official releases prior to that (excluding demos). What’s more, the albums were quite far away from the precision death metal crafted by the band now; instead the albums fell squarely within the confines of mid-90’s black metal, right down to the extreme heathenistic lyrics. ‘Grom’ was the band’s third release, surfacing to light in 1996. So what does Behemoth circa 1996 have in store for us? Well, like I said, it’s pretty extreme black metal, cold and evil. The band at the time consisted of main man Nergal, plus two accomplices named Ravenlock and Les, neither of whom would survive until the next full-length. Nergal has said that ‘Grom’ his least appreciated album in the Behemoth canon, not liking the experimental aspects that band tried, such as female vocals and choirs. Personally I found these to be small elements of the album, not really adding anything, but not detracting from the experience either. For the most part, this is searing black metal done up right. Favorites include the blistering ‘Spellcraft And Heathendom’ which probably features the most tortured vocal performance on the record, and the catchy fuzzy bass of ‘Thou Shalt Forever Win’. It is clear that Nergal was a master riff craftsman even back in ’96, as each song on here is memorable, except the somewhat annoying ‘Lasy Pomorza’. So while it is quite a different beast than the Behemoth of today, the band’s black metal era is nothing to be ashamed of. ‘Grom’ is definitely worth finding. Pandemonic Incantations – 1998 Behemoth truly lives up to their name. Throughout the years they have been consistently releasing albums under the guidance of Nergal without ever giving into trends and buckling under their own popularity. Of course many of you know that they have progressed from a raw black metal band to a pagan metal outfit to eventually arrive at their current spot i.e. Thelema inspired death metal with obvious Morbid Angel influences. Pandemonic Incantaions marks their step away from the black/pagan scene into the death metal battlegrounds. They do not entirely forsake their roots on this record yet. The familiar sound of old is still present as are the black metal themed lyrics and song titles. Slowly but surely, though this record unveils what is to come in future (now already past) years and Behemoth's transition into one of the most formidable forces on the metal scene today. The record opens up with an amazing intro. I am not much of a fan of long intros in general, unless it's an epic/pagan release where the intro plays an integral part of the record, this one however sets a chaotic and dark atmosphere which really draws you into the record without ever becoming boring. Almost seamlessly the intro flows in the opening track ` The Thousand Plagues I Witness'. After you have picked yourself up from the floor after receiving a sledgehammer spot on in the centre of your face, you should start enjoying the brutal, aggressive and at the same time intricate and highly technical compositions of the band. What this record lacks compared to the later releases like Zos Kia Cvltvs in terms of technical proficiency it more than makes up for in the brutality department. The sharp production manages to project the musical ideas of Nergal and co. much clearer than on some of their earlier, somewhat muddy records. The songs also seem more focused and less chaotic than previously. Whereas before they often tried to squeeze a little bit too much into one song in terms of riffs and compositions they now limit themselves to the central idea and work around it without straying to far. This provides for significantly more coherence and `recognition' to the songs. As I have said before they have not entirely abandoned their black metal roots and this (at least thematically) culminates in the final track (excluding live bonus tracks) `Chwala Mordercom Wojciecha'. St.Wojciech was the first Christian Bishop in Poland who was murdered by the followers of ancient Slavic faiths. The song obviously pays homage to his murderers. All in all this a great record, which should appeal to both the fans of Behemoth's early work as well as their later more death metal oriented output. Live in Krakow This live disc is exclusive for this box set only Track listing: Disc 1: And The Forests Dream Eternally – 1994 1. Transylvanian Forest 2. Moonspell Rites 3. Sventevith Storming Near The Baltic (Version 94) 4. Pure Evil And Hate 5. Forgotten Empire of Dark Witchcraft 6. With Spell of Inferno (Mefisto) 7. Hidden In The Fog 8. Sventevith Storming Near The Baltic-Version 97 Disc 2: Sventevith (Storming Near The Baltic) – 1995 1. Chant Of The Eastern Lands 2. The Touch Of Nya 3. From The Pagan Vastlands 4. Hidden In A Fog 5. Ancient 6. Entering The Fantasian Soul 7. Forgotten Cult Of Aldaron 8. Wolves Guard My Coffin 9. Hell dwells In Ice 10. Transylvanian Forest Disc 3: Grom – 1996 1. Intro 2. The Dark Forest (Cast Me Your Spell) 3. Spellcraft And Heathendoom 4. Dragons Lair (Cosmic Flames And Four Barbaric Seasons) 5. Lasy Pomorza 6. Rising Proudly Towards The Sky 7. Thou Shalt Forever Win 8. Grom Disc 4: Pandemonic Incantations – 1998 1. Diableria (The Great Introduction) 2. The Thousand Plagues I Witness 3. Satans Sword (I Have Become) 4. In Thy Pandemaeternum 5. Driven By The Five Winged Star 6. The Past Is Like A Funeral 7. The Entrance To The Spheres Of Mars 8. With Spell Of Inferno 9. Chwaka Mordercom Wojciechan (997-1997 Dziesiec Wiekow Hanby Disc 5: Live in Krakow 1. Diableria 2. Decade Of Therion 3. Lam 4. Satans Sword (I Have Become) 5. From The Pagan Vastlands 6. Driven By The Five-Winged Star 7. Chant For Ezkaton 8. Pure Evil And Hate 9. Chwaka Mordercom Wojciechan (997-1997 Dziesiec Wiekow Hanby