Claire: Would you still term Behemoth as being a black metal band?
“I came to the conclusion lately – I’ve been a fan of Laibach and Rammstein for, like, two decades now, and they’re bands that are much more than just rock bands. They definitely are rock, or industrial or whatever, but they’ve always had something that’s more than music. They create an entire world around what they’re doing. We are a black metal band, of course, but we are also something beyond that. Our artistic vision is vast, and we’re just trying to explore the channels as much as we can. I don’t wanna just be another rock‘n’roll band. I don’t want to be in a cycle of something that is out of the box. We want to do things our own way, not what the market says we should do, or what our management says we should do, or whatever. We’re eager to ‘go there’ and explore and try out.”
Nick: You’ve always been very outspoken against religion. Why is that?
“Well, I come from Catholic roots. I was baptised and had Communion, but when I was 16 I just rejected it. My upbringing wasn’t particularly strict or radical, though. It wasn’t like I came from a super-religious household where it was a problem for me and I was made to live a life I didn’t like or wasn’t comfortable with. It was all just so shallow. My rebellion wasn’t against my parents. It was against the church and it came from my observations. It’s just against my nature. When I renounced my religion, there was responsibility to it – I can do whatever I want to do with my life. I’ve always been a thinker, and I’ve always been a guy who likes to express and explore. You should always ask questions, because that’s how you understand and grow.”
Behemoth are supporting Slipknot across the UK and Ireland in early 2020. Get your tickets now.
Slipknot UK and Ireland tour 2020
January
14 Dublin, 3Arena
16 Manchester, Arena
17 Newcastle, Utilita Arena
18 Glasgow, The SSE Hydro
20 Sheffield, FlyDSA Arena
21 Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
22 Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
24 Birmingham, Arena
25 London, O2 Arena