It’s not really a surprise when BEHEMOTH announces North American dates, as the Poles have spent plenty of time on these shores in the last two years. But when the “tour” consists of only five dates (NE Metalfest, an opening slot for DIMMU BORGIR, another for CANNIBAL CORPSE and a pair of headlining shows), that’s rare. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to see what it was like in the US,” deadpans Nergal, the soft-spoken singer/guitarist. Jokingly underestimating, “We haven’t toured (here) in seven months. Spending 12 months in the studio, I was starting to go insane, literally. At a certain stage I lost control of it. I just had to stay away, just give it to (other) people. It might sound silly, but it’s true. I can’t say I’m happy. I’m relieved! After this never-ending studio session, I can say Behemoth doesn’t record albums, we give birth to albums. There’s a huge difference. I’ve never been pregnant, but I know what it’s like, the problems, depression, the tension and anticipation. I had it all. I can’t wait to give (the music) to people now.”

Those fans are eager to hear some new material, as something is bubbling, just below the surface, in term of the band’s profile. “I can feel it. I could tell, once we put up the first (in-studio) episode online. It got 20,000 hits. I was blown away by the comments. We put a one-minute demo of a song online and people were like, ‘Wow, it’s going to be better than Demigod.’ How the fuck do you know it will be better after listening to a one-minute demo? I realized how much people give us credit. They have so much faith in the band. This scared me, but I know why. We did 400 shows for Demigod - 15 people, or 5000, we always did our best. They get the same show, no matter what. People saw that and appreciated it. This is the payoff. I think the best stuff is still to happen, with this record and beyond. I don’t want to think that this is our five minutes and it’s over.”

Highly doubtful, given the dedication the band gives to their fans, onstage and in the studio. It all begins with Nergal. “We bust or asses, but it’s not about pleasing audience’s taste, it’s about pleasing myself,” he says matter of factly, before elaborating. “Being an artist is being an egotist. They’re equal. I have a strong need for expression. I don’t want to be self-confident, that (the public) would buy anything. They probably would, we have loyalty like that, but that’s not us. We spent three months in the studio for Demigod and we’ve spend more time on this one (The Apostasy) and twice as much money. We hired real choirs, real musicians playing trumpets and horns, Warrel Dane (NEVERMORE) singing on ‘Inner Sanctum’ and this jazz pianist who played on the last DAVID GILMOUR (PINK FLOYD) solo album. It’s one of the most depressing songs I’ve written. Let’s do our best to make this the biggest, most diverse album we can afford. I love Demigod the most of all the old albums, along with Satanica, but when you listen to it, compared to The Apostasy, Demigod sounds that thin (raises one pinky finger) and this is so much thicker (clenches his opposing fist). Actually, some of the people at Century Media said, ‘Maybe it’s too thick.’ How can it be too thick? It’s extremely technical, insanely inhuman, but also organic, very natural sounding. Some people didn’t like the vocals on Demigod, because they were too crazy. I loved them, thought they sounded sick. On the new one, I had a different approach, which some people will appreciate. I had two months of training with a vocal coach: regular shit, no growling. I went to the studio and I had the strongest growl of my life. With Demigod, I killed my voice after a few days, then I was spitting blood, so we multiplied the tracks, to make it still sound strong. This time, I double tracked vocals on the entire record and when I was mixing it with Daniel Bergstrom, in most cases we said, ‘Fuck the extra track,’ because the original vocal was so strong, juicy, in your face. I also had a few months practicing classical, flamenco and jazz (guitar). That doesn’t mean the new record is jazz- and flamenco-inspired.”

“Some people might think Behemoth is going THERION. People couldn’t be more wrong! People say, ‘Demigod is so intense. Do you think the new one will be as intense, or maybe a little more mellow?’ Bad news for you, with all the choirs and stuff that might soften the sound, it’s more insane, more technical. It’s still the catchy, Behemoth vibe of the other albums, but a demanding, aggressive record. This album is a statement of who we are. We don’t need to appeal to people’s taste. We’re not here to be MTV or radio-friendly. We are who we are. When SLAYER puts out a record, they don’t give a fuck. That’s what we do now. If it needs choirs, we do it. If the album needs to be mixed on Mars, we do it!”

The confrontational, if not controversial title, refers to someone who disowns/disavows their religious heritage. In full make-up, seated in the backstage catering area, his computer at the ready, this dichotomy of an onstage/off-stage figure discusses the title, its origins and theme behind it. “I was considering having the Greek version of the word (apostasis), would sound more magical. I like the way it sound, epic. It sounds heavy. I like the fact that we’re getting bigger, yet we don’t compromise. I like the comparison to Slayer. When I saw the cover of Christ Illusion, I couldn’t believe it, but it’s Slayer. They don’t give a fuck. I love that. We have a similar attitude. Visually, it has to be tasteful too. It’s not just about blasphemy. It’s not just about going against authority because kids dig it. There has to be an intellectual background to it. We use simple lyrics too. ‘Christgrinding Avenue’… come on, it’s sort of grotesque. We have some straight, in-your-face lyrics, like ‘Soldiers on the altars of liberation crucify the whore;’ others are more occult. When it comes to lyrics, maybe I open myself up too much, but the last year wasn’t the most fun period of my life. Finishing two years of the partying Demigod touring cycle, we went back home, Inferno (drums) twisted his ankle and we couldn’t rehearse. I just spent all this time with myself, thinking about stuff. It took weeks and weeks. I started to feel depressed. In the rehearsals for The Apostasy, we didn’t talk to each other and I wasn’t really there, you know. Maybe this music isn’t meant to come out of someone who is in love and entirely happy. I’m a vibrant and friendly person, but I have my moments, and Apostasy was written in one of those periods.”