Behemoth’s Nergal on Magik: ‘I Practice Life, Not Rituals’

Behemoth's live show goes beyond being theatrical. Knowing main man Nergal's hardened personal convictions as a Satanist, it's hard to see a Behemoth performance as anything but ritualistic and ceremonial. From synchronized stage moves to visual aides like Nergal's swinging thurible to his walking out to the front row to serve communion, it's all calculated, not unlike your average Sunday mass. We asked the frontman if he and the band practice Satanism offstage?

"I think it's pretty individual in each of our cases, apart from reconnecting together before we go onstage. I can't say we are just doing some rituals before the show — no, no. We are practicing life," asserts Nergal in the video above.

A commonality between various spiritual/religious philosophies is the concept of magik, which is, loosely stated, your own ability to effect change through various tools both physical and metaphysical. "We are using magik that is out there that is to connect with ourselves," the Behemoth frontman adds, continuing, "The way I see magik is the way I see a buffet — you make your own composition, you pick up what serves you. You pick it up and you mix it up and you are the creator of this process."

These systems of personal philosophy are often open to interpretation and cherry-picked by each practitioner. "That's how I like it to be," says Nergal, "I like things when they are loose and it's really up the individual on how to approach them. I think that's just my sense of freedom and my sense of how I approach life. I'm not really in [a] position to tell people what to do. I hate when people try to force something upon me — just give me chances, give me opportunities, give me options and then I will take it from there — or I won't."

Behemoth's new album, I Loved You at Your Darkest, arrives on October 5 through Metal Blade. Get your copy here and catch them on the road this Fall on their North American headlining tour with At the Gates and Wolves in the Throne Room.

Behemoth Albums Ranked