Review: Joshua Hobbins
Photography: Nate Rose

Thirty-plus years into their career, Behemoth remain one of extreme metal’s most uncompromising forces. Last night at The Tivoli proved that legacy isn’t something they rest on and showed exactly how longevity in extreme metal endures when conviction meets consistency.

Opening duties fell to fellow Polish black-metallers Nidhogg, who delivered a set balancing theatrical darkness with genuine emotional weight. After the first two tracks, the band dramatically uncloaked before launching into Transilvania, with frontman Nidhogg barking “the blood will be mine” while throwing horns and staring down the crowd. It was a moment that immediately cemented his commanding stage presence.

From there, the mix noticeably improved, allowing the subtleties of the performance to shine through. Sic Luceat Lux (Let there be light from Lucifer) marked the first of three songs drawn from Nidhogg’s former black metal duo Wilczyca, blending slow melodic passages with traditional blast-driven ferocity. Those restrained sections landed just as hard as the faster moments, adding real depth to the set.

One of the most human moments came when Nidhogg spoke openly about recently losing his dog, adding, “even black metallers cry.” It was a rare flash of vulnerability that resonated deeply with the crowd. The set closed with a powerful cover of Territory by Sepultura, prefaced by a pointed call-out of Putin, Zelensky and Trump, and a reminder that war never leads to peace.

Then came Behemoth.

What a testament to their endurance that more than three decades on, they still sound this savage.

We were treated to a set spanning Behemoth’s vast catalogue, and they wasted no time asserting dominance. Opening with The Shadow Elite from 2025’s excellent The Shit Ov God, before launching into Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer from 2014’s The Satanist, the band immediately had the Tivoli crowd in their grip. That momentum only intensified as Conquer All crashed directly into The Shit Ov God, an absolutely massive one-two combo that had the entire room roaring “we are the shit ov god!” back at the band. It was an early highlight that set the tone for everything that followed

Cursed Angel of Doom carried historical weight as the first song Behemoth ever wrote back in 1991. Nergal asked the crowd to raise their horns if they were born after that year and seeing so many hands in the air underscored just how far their influence now reaches across generations of extreme metal fans.

Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel was pure evil incarnate, while Ov Fire and the Void landed as a colossal crowd favourite, its crushing groove hitting with surgical precision. Bartzabel unfolded epically, with Orion (bass) and Seth (guitar) delivering melodic vocal lines during the “come unto me Bartzabel” chorus, providing a haunting counterpoint to the surrounding brutality. When Nergal, Orion and Seth sing together, the impact is immense, a wall of voices reinforcing the ritualistic atmosphere.

Introducing their cover of Bathory’s The Return of Darkness and Evil, Nergal cited Bathory and Venom as two of the most important bands in shaping extreme metal, a nod to the lineage Behemoth now firmly sit atop. Closing the set, Chant for Eschaton 2000 was enormous. Seth’s tremolo riffing was metronomic, Orion’s bass thundered through the room, and Inferno’s drumming was utterly impeccable.

For the encore, Ojcze Nasz (O Father O Satan O Sun!) cast the room into a gloriously doomy finale. Cloaked in darkness, with spotlights fixed on Nergal, Orion and Seth as the final chords rang out, Behemoth left the Tivoli bathed in shadow and reverence.

This opening show of the tour was a relentless reminder that Behemoth are not merely surviving their legacy, they are still actively expanding it, commanding the stage with the same fire and authority that first put them on the map while continuing to shape the future of extreme metal.