Behemoth have established themselves in the metal industry for their occult aesthetic, blasphemous lyrics, and grandiose blackened death metal compositions. With a body of work that spans over two decades, they truly live up to their namesake.

The first single from their new album (which released October 5), “God = Dog,” is a vicious diatribe inspired by The Book of Law II:19-21 by Aleister Crowley. The main theme of the song speaks about transcending one’s situation and finding God within to achieve your will.

The song starts with a relatively mellow intro (by Behemoth’s standards) before thunderous double bass drums act as a portent for the rest of the song. The first verse displays a beautifully chilling orchestral backtrack behind Nergal’s guttural vocal performance. The lyric “There’s a serpent coiling around my neck,” and much of the first verse is a reference to the Hindu god Shiva, who is often portrayed with a snake wrapped around his neck three times to represent past present and future. Later in the song, a chilling children’s chorus can be heard in response to Nergal’s abrasive, “Is a God to live in a dog?” This ominous chorus can be heard littered throughout I Loved You at Your Darkest, after being established in “Solve” the album’s intro track. This follow up to their massively successful previous album The Satanist builds on the momentum they gained rather than branching out into new and different territories; a critique that could impact the enjoyability of this album to longtime Behemoth fans but one that is warranted based on the acclaim Behemoth received on The Satanist.

You can catch Behemoth in Detroit on Wednesday, November 7, at Saint Andrews Hall for their Ecclesia Diabolica tour.