"Music that is so extreme, so politically incorrect and so evil."

One final contribution to Pagan Values Blogging Month . . . . .

The interview below with Nergal of Behemoth first ran in Metal As Fuck back in February of this year. Much of the interview focuses on Nergal's trial for the crime of violating Article 196 of the Polish Criminal Code which prohibits actions that "offend religious feelings." In case you missed it, the charges against Nergal were dismissed just a couple of days ago.

Behemoth's Nergal takes time out of conquering the world to speak to MAF

It would be hard to find another band that keeps up a touring schedule like Behemoth. We talk to Nergal on one of his rare days off about touring and being the clergy's Enemy Number One.

The phone crackles into life, and despite the band's on stage presence, the fires of hell are not unleashed; instead Adam Darski a.k.a Nergal answers quietly – it is morning after all.

Behemoth have just finished a gruelling tour of Europe, doing 34 shows in 35 days. Being a co-headlining tour with Devildriver meant 60-minute shows for the band.

‘It was pretty rough to be honest, it’s pretty exhausting to perform that long and it’s physically very demanding. It’s very brutal, after a few weeks you feel exhaustion and it shows. While on the bus one would get the flu, and eventually everyone would get sick, so it was pretty rough. Other than that, it was a great tour – a crossover audience because Devildriver draws a pretty different group of fans, so it was very good and beneficial to both bands.’

For anyone who has seen a live Behemoth show, it’s no surprise that each band member gives everything they have on stage. Keeping up a touring schedule that sees the band play a show almost every night leaves very little room to recover and prepare for the next venue.

‘Now that we don’t have to worry about moving our own equipment because we have a professional crew,' Darski said. 'We can now chill and do whatever we want and in most cases it’s just generally talking with friends, talking to girlfriends. Usually after a show I’ll grab a cab, go downtown, do some shopping and just chill out and try to relax. If there is a day off, I’ll usually try and watch some movies, just to keep myself entertained. Nothing in the sense of heavy partying, because that’s not what I’m into anymore. I’d rather have a decent sleep and get ready for the next show, because our shows are so demanding. It would be a huge disrespect for the people who buy tickets if I was hungover and not capable of putting on the best show I can.’

The band’s latest release Evangelion has proven to be a massive success for the band. Even though extreme metal as a genre accounts for a very small proportion of albums, the new record has made people sit up and take notice. Recently in Poland, the album was listed as the Number 1 seller in a large mainstream chain store, outselling releases from the likes of Michael Jackson and U2. Could it be more than just the pride Polish people have for Behemoth?

‘It definitely is encouraging. Seeing music that is so extreme, so politically incorrect and so evil, and it’s just selling and people dig it and people start to understand it – and I’m not talking about the masses that dig our music. The Apostasy sold 8,000 records, while Evangelion sold 15,000 in the same time period – it’s a huge step up and a great feeling.’

Poland has a very rich history of extreme metal bands. Could the fact that it is a country that counts its population of Catholics as one of the highest in the world per capita be an influencing factor on this?

‘It’s probably frustration,' Darski laughs. 'I don’t know, I’m looking out the window right, and all I see on one side is rain and grey, and I see a huge cross from the church that is 50 metres from my home. I have many reasons to be pissed off and to be unhappy, and to try and release my anger and frustration.

'It’s something in the air in Poland – there must be a reason why the Polish people and musicians try to create music that is so extreme. There isn’t much power metal here, or other genres to be honest. It’s 80% death and black metal – it’s very brutal, yeah.’

Anyone with knowledge of European history will know that Poland is a country that has endured a lot of conflict and occupation by foreign powers. It could be that the prevalence of extreme metal – music that always speaks its mind and meets controversy head on – stems from the fact that you want people to have their own opinion; you don’t want things to be forced on them by the establishment. Darski is quick to agree.

‘The way I see Behemoth is that I like to think that we can be a tool to free people. And I’m not saying that were on some sort of mission and trying to change things on a big scale – no.

'It’s cool if I get to hear or see that people who listen to Behemoth get the same feeling. If they read the lyrics and say “oh shit – I’ve never seen things like this”, they kind of open their eyes and make up their own mind. And that’s cool you know – that’s one of the main reasons we make this music – we do it for ourselves but if there’s people who can use it as a tool, it’s awesome, it’s a good feeling.’

Behemoth's popularity has not gone unnoticed by the very people that the music warns you about. Poland’s strong Catholic community – or at least the public leaders, have been very outspoken about the Behemoth stage shows and extreme music in general. By law, it is illegal to desecrate a religious icon in Poland, or perform acts that could be considered as an offence to the church.

Political organisations groups such as the All-Polish Committee for Defence Against Sects act as a watchdog and publically go after people and bands who are, in their eyes, dangerous and promote murder and Satanism. This was just one of the attacks aimed directly at Behemoth – that their music entices their fans to commit murder.

Adam Darski is not one to be afraid of controversy, and ready to speak his mind. Back in December 2007 during a concert in his home city of Gdynia, the frontman was said to have pronounced the Catholic Church as “the most murderous cult on the planet”, then called the Bible a pack of lies and tore it up on stage.

This was when the All-Polish Committee for Defence Against Sects, as well as the conservative political party Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc (Law and Justice) were required to make a very public denouncement of Behemoth. They even went so far as to call for Darski's arrest. All this despite bassist Orion (Tomasz Wróblewski) stating that the band had been doing this for two years prior. After a formal complaint was lodged with Polish authorities, the case was dismissed two months later.

One man in particular has taken a very vocal interest in Darski: Ryszard Nowak, who is the leader of the All-Polish Committee for Defense Against Sects. After calling Nergal a criminal in a public interview, though, it seems that the Babylonian god from whom Darski takes his stage name had had enough. He took Nowak to court over his statements and won. The court ruled that Nowak had to make a public apology for his remarks, and pay Darski an undisclosed sum – one which he directed be made to a local dog shelter. It must have been a surprise for Darski when the courts ruled in his favour.

‘It was surprising on one hand, but you know what, the whole thing with Ryszard Nowak – the way I see it, and the way the majority of people who use their brains,' DArski laughs, 'see it. It is no longer a clash of different religious sides – it’s not a religious conflict – it’s a war between stupidity and narrow mindedness and backwards thinking against the opposite. Obviously I represent the open mindedness and liberation. So that’s the way the people saw that, that I’m not necessarily satanic, they don’t like the music – but I’m right.' He laughs again. 'You know, things change and I think that were on the right track to get to the right spot.’

This wasn’t the end of the attack on Behemoth however, with the case being reopened (this time by Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc) in January of this year, to investigate whether the tearing up of a bible constitutes a crime.

Darski recently won the Gdansk Young Culture Creators award, which recognises young people for their contribution to a country’s culture - a far cry from the allegations that keep following Behemoth.

‘It’s funny – it’s a big contradiction. On one hand there’s all these accusations of us being Public Enemy Number 1, we should be prison, we should be stabbed and burned. And then on the other hand we are winning everything on the way. It’s crazy and awesome at the same time. On one hand we are doing something very artistic and it’s always recognised and respected by a renowned group of people – the Behemoth fans. And now it seems like the big people in the mainstream media recognise that there is a band that does something for this country and it's good and quality – and it's art, and it's recognised in the world. And that’s a good feeling; it’s something that is in a way humorous.

'In one of the biggest polish magazines, The Activist, we picked up the award for the best band, and we picked up awards with all these big pop artists. It’s awesome, it’s good.’

Extreme metal is not what anyone outside the metal fanbase would consider a popular genre, yet this clearly shows that the talent in creating the music is being recognised for its artistic merit, despite the fact that it is not considered mainstream.

‘I see this as a very positive thing, and it seems to be a very European way of thinking. People’s minds are open to hearing new stuff, things they are not used to.’

Fans of Behemoth know that their live shows are a very intense experience. The band has always been known for their elaborate stage costumes and make up – and bucking the trend of where some black metal musicians take their corpsepaint make up skills to comedic levels – sometimes intentionally and other times not.

During the interview, Darski comes across as a quietly spoken person, a far cry from the brutal visage of Nergal (named after a Babylonian god) on stage. If a Behemoth show doesn’t leave you with the hair on your neck standing up, you may want to check your pulse rate to see if you are alive.

It must be a difficult task to separate the beast Nergal from Adam Darski and go back to everyday life, considering the punishing tour schedules.

‘Not really,' Darski laughs. 'People can’t see me smiling a lot. When I’m on stage, wearing the mask and makeup – I can’t stop laughing and smiling when I see the energy and see the people going completely crazy for us. I think wow, that’s awesome, it’s killer and I just can’t stop smiling.

'It’s not like there is someone completely different there, but then again it’s like two different sides of one coin – it’s still one coin. It’s just a different attitude.’

Something not widely known, at least not outside the Polish gossip press, is Darski’s relationship with Polish pop star Doda (Dorota Rabaczewska). It may seem odd that the leader of what is arguably one of the biggest extreme metal bands and enemy number one for religious conservatives is dating a pop star. What it has led to, however, is the fact that even regular weekly press, normally full of articles and badly photoshopped images of actors and starlets, now features photos of the frontman. Darski is quick to dismiss the notion.

‘You know... it is what it is, I don’t really care about it. I’m in it for my relationship, I’m not in it for the public relations – it is great PR, but I just don’t analyse it.’

Finishing the European tour in late December, the band only had a few weeks to relax before starting a new tour of the US in January, to be followed by shows in Greece and Turkey in March. Darski happily reveals that Australian fans are about to be treated to another round of Behemoth after that – a (recently announced) combined tour with Goatwhore and Job for a Cowboy.

Behemoth are also confirmed for the Summer Breeze 2010 festival in Germany, and are doing a 12-week festival tour, with both festival and side shows. Playing big festivals, in front of tens of thousands of fans must be a very different feeling to playing a club gig with a more intimate setting.

‘Obviously it is different, it’s more open – it’s crazier in many ways. I enjoy both though. To me though, a club with a 1,000-person capacity totally packed and sold out – that is the best.’

Being involved in a genre like extreme metal would lead people to believe that most musicians would only listen to metal. Darski reveals that it is not only pounding drum blasts and piercing guitars that help him enjoy his days.

‘Oh wow, I listen to a variety of stuff that I enjoy like electro new wave gothic stuff which is awesome. I don’t think most Behemoth would dig it,' he laughs, 'because it's odd stuff. The new Alice In Chains is fucking awesome and other bands like Catharsis are absolutely amazing. So, yeah, there’s definitely a lot of killer metal music too.’

A constant touring schedule means Behemoth gets to share the stage with many bands. You could play the six degrees of separation game with Behemoth and come up with almost every extreme and heavy metal band in the world.

‘We’ve toured with most of the big bands, but we still haven’t played with Metallica. If one day we stand on the same stage as Metallica it would be a huge thing for us,' Darski laughs.

Coming to the end of the interview, Darski has a simple message for the Aussie fans.

‘I know the new album is out on Riot, I just hope you all grab a copy and enjoy the record. I can’t wait to come back; I have nothing but great memories from Australia. Come down to the show if you have a chance.’

We wouldn’t miss it for anything.

"We're not sinners, we're just disconnected from the Divine Life-Force." (My contribution to Pagan Values Blogging Month)

"Go see Avatar: the most demonic, Satanic film I've ever seen .... See, in that movie it is a completely false ideology, it is a sermon preached. It is the most popular movie ever made. It tells you ... that we're not sinners, we're just disconnected from the Divine Life-Force. Just classic, classic, classic Paganism. That human beings are to connect, literally, with trees and animals and beasts and birds -- and that there's this spiritual connection that we're all a part of, and we're all part of the Divine. It presents a false mediator with a witch. It presents false worship of created things rather than the creator god. It's the absolute antithesis of Romans 1:25"
[Pastor Mark Driscoll, of Mars Hill Church]

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
[Romans, 1:25]

The Plato Code?

Jay Kennedy (a visiting scholar at the University of Manchester) has produced a detailed study of what he claims are regular, objectively quantifiable, "musical" patterns in the works of Plato. These mathematical patterns, according to Kennedy, are strongly Pythagorean. A quick look at Kennedy's own "Introduction for Scholars" to his work justifies, in my opinion, taking him and his work seriously.

Although there are some real problems (surprise!) with how Kennedy's research is being hyped in the media, there are some very positive aspects to what he is up to. The important thing to remember, however, is that Kennedy's "discovery", in fact, merely confirms the predominant view of Plato and his philosophy that held sway for well over 20 centuries, and which was only very recently replaced with a new "scholarly consensus".

Here is what Kennedy has to say in his own words:

The distance between 'neo-Platonism' and Platonism has been steadily diminishing since the work of Dodds. This work implies that the reports among Plato students that he was a Pythagorean in some strong sense were correct. This reaffirms the views among some neo-Pythagoreans and neo-Platonists. How is the history of the reception of Plato now altered?

Hinduism: "The best surviving of the great Pagan traditions"

David Frawley is founder and director of the American Insitute of Vedic Studies. Though American born, in India he is recognized not only as a Vedacharya (Vedic teacher), but also as a Vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor and teacher), Jyotishi (Vedic astrologer), Puranic (Vedic historian), a Hindu acharya (Hindu religious teacher) and a Yogi.

Dr. Frawley is the author of numerous books, including Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses (a book on the Hindu Goddesses known as the Mahavidyas), Awaken Bharata: A Call For India's Rebirth, and How I Became a Hindu.

Frawley's vision of Hinduism is expansive and inclusive while being solidly rooted in Vedic tradition. He is one of the most articulate proponents of the view that Hinduism and Paganism share a very real and deep kinship. The following is from a new essay by Dr. Frawley: A Universal Vision: Hinduism's Path to Unity (just published online at the patheos.com website -- go to the link to read the whole thing!):

Hinduism is probably the oldest continually practiced religious and spiritual tradition on the planet, with its roots going back over 5,000 years. In fact Hinduism has no specific point of origin or end. The basis of Hinduism can be found not in a particular prophet or prophets or in a single book but in the eternal, in the cosmic mind itself, accepting a variety of great teachers and teachings over the long course of time and the different types of human cultures. Hinduism has never rejected any aspect of human religious aspiration, whether it is the use of images, a variety of rituals, or many techniques and approaches to meditation.

Hinduism is the third largest of the world's major religions, with over a billion adherents worldwide. It is the largest of the non-biblical traditions. It is the largest of the pagan traditions and the best surviving of the great pagan traditions that once dominated the world and traces of which remain everywhere. It is the largest of the native or indigenous traditions being rooted in the land and life of its peoples. Hinduism is firmly rooted in nature and honors all aspects of the natural world as sacred. Its holy places are not simply sites of important human religious activity but sacred mountains, rivers, rocks, trees, and flowers.

Yet perhaps most importantly Hinduism is the largest of the world's ‘pluralistic' traditions. It does not emphasize one formulation of divinity, one prophet or savior, or one holy book for all. It honors a variety of great gurus and their various books and teachings. Under its vast scope it can embrace a great variety of religious views and practices. This makes Hinduism the largest of the world's non-proselytizing religions. Hinduism does not seek to convert the world to a single belief but holds that we should honor the unique divine expression in each person and in each culture. It gives people the freedom to follow whatever spiritual path they find valuable. Hinduism can even accept atheists as part of its honoring of freedom of thought and inquiry.

For more on the relationship between Hinduism and Paganism see: Hindus and Pagans: "A Return to the Time of the Gods".

Blasphemy Case Against Nergal "Dismissed"

According to Dzeinnik.pl "Gdynia District Court on Monday dismissed the case" against Adam Darski, better known to the world as Nergal, frontman for the extreme metal band Behemoth.

"The court held that there was no crime," according to the report. However, the prosecutor "announced an appeal against that decision." Attorneys for Ryszard Nowak, chief cook and head bottle washer of the Polish National Committee for Defense Against Sects, announced that the appeal would be filed as soon as the Court provides "written reasons for its decision" to dismiss the case.

The case stems from a September 2007 Behemoth concert in the city of Gdynia, during which Nergal announced that "the Catholic Church is the most murderous sect in history". After this, Darski then publicly tore up a copy of the Bible, and distributed the fragments to the audience, requesting that these be burned.

For background on this case (and related cases, including that of Darski's fiance Doda Elektroda) see the earlier post on "Sex, Religion, Art, Music & Freedom of Expression in Poland".

Israelis barred from Pride events

In Madrid, an Israeli singer's concert, scheduled as part of that city's July 3rd Pride events, has been cancelled. The singer in question is Dana International, an Israeli transgender singer who won the 1998 Eurovision song contest. It was also announced that the Israeli contingent would be barred from the Madrid Pride Parade.

The president of Spain's Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals linked these moves to the Israeli response to the Gaza "peace flotilla": "After what has happened, it seemed barbaric to us as human rights campaigners to have Israelis take part."

Israel passed comprehensive legislation banning all discrimination against LGBT people over two decades ago. Gays serve openly in the Israeli military. On the other hand, legal protections for LGBT people are non-existent in the Palestinian territories. There are a few Palestinian LGBT rights groups, but these are headquartered in Israel, because no such organization can openly function in either Gaza or the West Bank.

In a related story, on June 8th, two Israeli business men were injured while attending a conference at the Autonomous University of Madrid. A group of demonstrators broke into the location of the conference, at which many Israelis were participants, chanting "Murderers!!". As conference participants were being escorted away by police they were pelted with stones, resulting in injuries to two Israelis. The police stated that they believed "most of the rioters were Muslims."

Sources:
Arab-Israeli Tensions Spill Over to Pride Celebrations
Israeli float banned from Madrid's Gay Pride Parade
Michael Lucas on Madrid’s Bad Pride
Jerusalem Open House
Israel, Palestine, Gays
Palestinian Gay Runaways Survive on Israeli Streets
Our country is safe for Israelis despite Madrid attack
Spain: Pro-Palestinian activists attack Israeli businessmen

UPDATE: July 10th date set by European Values Study

According to the website of the European Values Study:

"The fieldwork of the European Values Study 2008 is now completed. A first release of the data to the general public will be ready on July 10th, 2010."

As I mentioned earlier I am especially eager to see the most results for how the belief in reincarnation is holding up in Europe.

Dr. Erlendur Haraldsson (Professor Emeritus University of Iceland) published a fascinating study in 2006 based largely on past European Values Study data: "Popular psychology, belief in life after death and reincarnation" (click here to download the pdf). Here's the abstract of that paper:

The European Values Survey explores national differences and similarities, also regarding religious beliefs which express popular assumptions regarding the nature of man and the ontological status of consciousness. These views differ radically from the dominant scientific view, also in academic psychology. The Nordic countries vary considerably in their beliefs in life after death and reincarnation with half of the respondents believing in life after death, and 43 percent of these believing in reincarnation which also goes against established views of the Christian Church. This shows independence from scientific as well as religious authorities. Is it a remnant of pre-Christian beliefs, due to exposure to Buddhist and Hindu concepts, or a sign of original independent thinking? Half a century of anti-religious regimes in Eastern Europe seems to have had no major effect on beliefs about personal survival, and the European Values Survey shows a widespread belief in reincarnation.

One in five Dutch teachers avoid the Holocaust

"A fifth of history teachers in the four major Dutch cities have had to deal with not being able to or rarely bringing up the Holocaust because Muslim students in particular have difficulties with it."

This is according to a survey conducted by Elsevier magazine and ResearchNed (an independent social sciences research institute).

The story was originally reported at AD.nl (in Dutch), and an English translation is available at the Islam in Europe website.

Doda in Kluczbork: "Those Who Expected Scandal Were Not Disappointed"

According to media reports, Polish singer Doda (already facing a possible two year prison sentence under Poland's anti-blasphemy laws) arrived for her Friday night concert in the town of Kluczbork "w klatce, ubrana w futurystyczny mundurek, odsłaniający pół piersi i całe pośladki" ("in a cage, dressed in a futuristic uniform, revealing half of breast and whole buttocks.")

After she finished her opening number, Doda left the stage and the voice of Pope John Paul II boomed out over the sound system:

"My dear young friends, I am so glad that you are here tonight."

After this the words: "I am psycho" (in English) and "I am a freak" ("Jestem świrem" in Polish) were flashed on the giant screens on either side of the stage.

Then Doda reappeared on stage dressed as a witch to sing her next song.

According to Nowa Tribuna Opolska, "Ci, którzy oczekiwali skandalizującego zachowania, nie zawiedli się. Na koncercie są tysiące ludzi." ("Those who were expecting scandalous behavior were not disappointed.")

A video of part of the performance has already been uploaded to youtube: