The Apostasy

The Apostasy
Studio album by Behemoth
Released	July 17, 2007
Recorded	November, 2006 – April, 2007 Radio Gdańsk in Gdańsk, Poland
Genre	Blackened death metal
Length	39:39
Label	Regain, Century Media, Mystic, Victor Entertainment
Producer	Nergal, Arkadiusz Malczewski
Behemoth chronology
Demonica (2006) The Apostasy (2007) At the Arena ov Aion – Live Apostasy (2008)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[1]
Blabbermouth.net	[2]
Teraz Rock	[3]
Decibel	[4]
Metal Injection	[5]
The Metallist	[6]

The Apostasy is the eighth full-length album by Polish extreme metal band Behemoth. The album was released on July 17, 2007 through Regain Records.

Background

The Apostasy was recorded at the Radio Gdańsk Studios from November 2006 till March 2007. The record was then mixed by Daniel Bergstrand in the Dug Out Studio in Uppsala, Sweden in March 2007. Then it was mastered by Bjorn Engelmann in the Cutting Room Studios in Stockholm, Sweden also in March 2007.^[7]

Unlike Behemoth's previous studio albums, the piano and a horn section (a trio of trumpet, trombone, French horn) were used in several of the album's songs. During the recording sessions, the band re-recorded a new version of "Chant for Eschaton 2000" – originally released on their album Satanica – which was released on the band's 2008 EP, Ezkaton. The Apostasy is Behemoth's first album to chart on the Billboard 200, having debuted at #149. The album was also put out in vinyl format limited to 500 copies.^[8]

The album title refers to "apostasy", the state of having forsaken one's professed belief set, often in favour of opposing beliefs or causes. The album cover artwork is a depiction of the Hindu goddess Kali.^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Rome 64 C.E." (instrumental)		Nergal	1:16
2.	"Slaying the Prophets ov Isa"	Nergal	Nergal	3:23
3.	"Prometherion"	Nergal	Nergal	3:03
4.	"At the Left Hand ov God"	Nergal, Krzysztof Azarewicz	Nergal	4:58
5.	"Kriegsphilosophie"	Nergal	Nergal	4:23
6.	"Be Without Fear"	Nergal	Nergal	3:17
7.	"Arcana Hereticae"	Nergal, Krzysztof Azarewicz	Nergal	2:58
8.	"Libertheme"	Nergal	Nergal	4:53
9.	"Inner Sanctum"	Nergal	Nergal	5:01
10.	"Pazuzu"	Nergal	Nergal	2:37
11.	"Christgrinding Avenue"	Nergal	Nergal	3:50

Japanese Bonus Tracks
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
12.	"Entering the Pylon ov Light"	Krzysztof Azarewicz	Nergal	3:42
13.	"Slaves Shall Serve" (live)	Krzysztof Azarewicz	Nergal	3:27

Special edition DVD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Making of the Apostasy" (documentary)	25:28

Explanation of song titles

• "Rome 64 C.E." – the Great Fire of Rome occurred in 64 C.E., in which Peter from the bible (and possible other apostles as well), were allegedly killed. This explains the name of the song "Slaying the Prophets ov Isa".
• "Slaying the Prophets ov Isa" – Isa is the Arabic name for Jesus.
• "Prometherion" is a portmanteau of Prometheus (Greek: Προμηθεύς; "forethought") and Therion (Greek: θηρίον; "wild animal" or "beast").
• "At the Left Hand ov God" is referring to the Left-Hand Path (Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path)
• "Kriegsphilosophie" is German for "philosophy of war".
• "Pazuzu" – the Pazuzu was a much-feared creature of legend in Mesopotamian mythology, with a deformed head, wings of an eagle, sharp claws of a lion on its feet, and tail of a scorpion. It is the personification of the south-east storm wind, which brings diseases.
• "Christgrinding Avenue" talks about the Via Dolorosa and the crucifixion of Jesus.

Personnel

Behemoth Adam "Nergal" Darski – rhythm, lead and acoustic guitars, vocals, choir arrangements Zbigniew Robert "Inferno" Promiński – drums and percussion Tomasz "Orion" Wróblewski – bass guitar, additional vocals Additional musicians Patryk Dominik "Seth" Sztyber – rhythm and lead guitars, additional backing vocals Leszek Możdżer – piano on Inner Sanctum Warrel Dane (Nevermore) – vocals on Inner Sanctum Piotr Głuch (Manthu) – trumpet, trumpet arrangements (deceased) Jacek Swedrzynski (Kyrios) – French horn Marcin Dziecielewski (Majestic) – trombone Hanna Kwiatkowska (Cappella Gedanensis) – soprano Anna Asmus (Cappella Gedanensis) – soprano Sylwia Falecka (Cappella Gedanensis) – alto Tamara Hejka–Grom (Cappella Gedanensis) – alto Piotr Macalak (Cappella Gedanensis) – basso Franciszek Iskrzycki (Academic Choir of the University of Gdansk) – tenor Grzegorz Zieba (Academic Choir of the University of Gdansk) – tenor

Production Krzysztof Azarewicz – incantations, spells Kuba Mankowski (Pnemua) – choral arrangements Piotr Banka – trumpet arrangements Arkadiusz "Malta" Malczewski – sound engineering, co–production Marcin Malinowski – assistant engineer Daniel Bergstrand – mixing Bjorn Engelmann – mastering Tomasz "Graal" Danilowicz – cover concept, design and artwork, mask design Krzysztof "Sado" Sadowski – band photography Zbigniew Jozwik – mask sculpture Sharon E. Wennekers – grammatical consultations Note Recorded at RG Studios November 2006 - March 2007. Mixed in Dug Out Studio, Uppsala, March 2007. Mastered in Cutting Room Studio, Stockholm, March 2007. Samples on track IX recorded in Ilaga Sophia, Turkey, 2006. Samples on track X recorded in Swayambunath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2005.

Charts

Chart	Peak position
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[10]	9
US Billboard 200[11]	149
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[12]	2
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[13]	24

Release history

Region	Date	Label
Europe, Poland	July 2, 2007	Regain Records/Mystic Production
United States	July 17, 2007	Century Media Records
Russia	July 30, 2007	CD-Maximum
Japan	September 21, 2007	Victor Entertainment

References

1. Bowar, Chad. "Review: The Apostasy". About.com. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
2. Alisoglu, Scott. "Review: The Apostasy". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
3. Filipowski, Robert. "Behemoth "The Apostasy" review" (in Polish). Teraz Rock. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
4. Begrand, Adrien. "Behemoth - "The Apostasy" review". Decibel. www.behemoth.pl. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
5. Bowar, Chad. "Review: The Apostasy". Retrieved 23 August 2009.
6. "Review: The Apostasy". Retrieved 23 August 2009.
7. "Behemoth (3) - The Apostasy (CD, Album) at Discogs". Retrieved 2009-08-17.
8. "BEHEMOTH: 'The Apostasy' Released On Limited-Edition Gatefold Vinyl". Retrieved 2009-08-17.
9. "YouTube - Nergal of Behemoth - Interview PART 1 - MPJ". Retrieved 2009-08-17.
10. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
11. "Behemoth – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Behemoth.
12. "Behemoth – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Behemoth.
13. "Behemoth – Chart history" Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums for Behemoth.