BEHEMOTH's NERGAL reflects on his battle with leukemia: 'it makes you realize that life is very short'
31-08-2022
At this year’s Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, United Kingdom, BEHEMOTH frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski spoke to Bloodstock TV‘s Oran O’Beirne about his battle with leukemia more than a decade ago. He said: “It kind of makes you realize that life is very short. And that’s it. And you’d better make the right use of it. … It’s very existential and it just makes you think and it just makes you realize, ‘This is it.’ I know it does sound like a cliché, but it does feel like that. But then again, I wasn’t really this reluctant guy that just backed off and remained in the shadow. It’s my nature to be upfront and just ahead and, boom — I was that. So when I had started my second life or second coming, I’m even more that. And it felt like I came out alive and healthy. I’m gonna jump into deep water with no security, basically. And I’m gonna enjoy the fuck out of this water and waves. And I know there’s gonna be tides and they’ll be pushing me back but I’ll keep on fucking swimming and just using all my resources, all my physical power to go through life the best I can. I’m still fucking making mistakes, but it’s not about not making mistakes; it’s about being aware of who you are, what you are, what you’re supposed to do here. And I just realized, okay, I’m here to make a fucking statement, and I’m gonna prove that in three hours or four (when BEHEMOTH takes the stage at Bloodstock).”
Nergal was diagnosed with leukemia back in 2010 and, via the donation of bone marrow and extensive treatments, has since made a full recovery.
Two years after his diagnosis, he finally got to meet his donor, then-25-year-old Gregory Kite.
In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Nergal recalled being devastated when he first found out he had leukemia.
“I remember that the doctor handed me the printout with the description and the details about the type of leukemia I had and then he left,” he said. “It was just me and my girlfriend in the room and I started crying. I had no idea what I was confronting. I just read the word, read that it may be fatal in many or most cases and it was shocking. I won’t play the hero or pretend I’m a tough guy, but it took me maybe five minutes to get over the shock and very soon after’ I was shaving my head. It looked like I was going to war and I needed a warlike attitude and a warlike haircut.”
BEHEMOTH will release its 12th studio album, “Opvs Contra Natvram”, on September 16 via Nuclear Blast. The official music video for the LP’s fourth single, “Thy Becoming Eternal”, produced by animator Ruben Fro, can be seen below.
Also watch “The Deathless Sun” official video and the performance video below.
Also watch the previously released video for ‘Off To War!’ and “Ov My Herculean Exile” below.
Pre-order or pre-save the album AT THIS LOCATION.
As with previous studio outings, Opvs… was produced by BEHEMOTH, with mixing handled by acclaimed studio legend Joe Barresi (Nine Inch Nails, Tool, QOTSA, Alice in Chains).
“The album title means going against the current,” BEHEMOTH frontman Nergal states. “It’s the negative of the values and morals and ethics that I stand against. I’ve seriously been wrestling with destructive tendencies in pop culture — cancel culture, social media, and tools which I feel are very dangerous weapons in the hands of people who are not competent to judge others. That’s something which I find very destructive and disturbing — and extremely limiting coming from an artists’ perspective. This is my middle finger to that. There’s a song on the record called ‘Neo-Spartacvs.’ Spartacus was one of the most iconic rebels in history who went against the most powerful empire of all time. In the end, it’s me screaming, ‘I Am Spartacus, and so are you!’ I want to spark that flame of rebellion. If something seems wrong then stand up to it!”
Opvs Contra Natvram features twin cover art available in both black and white and will be released in the following array of physical formats designed by Bartek Rogalewicz (Lodge.Black), certain to thrill collectors of limited editions:
Jewelcase CD (Black Cover)
Digibook (Black Cover) (limited to 8500 pieces)
Digibook (White Cover) (limited to 8500 pieces)
Earbook Black/Gold Inkspot Vinyl (White Cover) (limited to 500 pieces)
Earbook Gold/Black Corona Vinyl (White Cover) (limited to 500 pieces)
Black Vinyl (Black Cover)
Picture Vinyl (Black Cover) (limited to 3500 pieces)
White/Gold Split Vinyl (White Cover) (limited to 650 pieces)
Vinylbox Mailorder Edition (White Cover) (limited to 1000 pieces)
Earbook (Black Cover) (band exclusive, limited to 1167 pieces)
Gold Vinyl (Black Cover) (US Indie exclusive, limited to 350 pieces)
Crystal Clear/Silver/Gold Inkspot Vinyl (White Cover) (band exclusive, limited to 666 pieces)
White/Black/Gold Splatter Vinyl (White Cover) (band exclusive, limited to 1167 pieces)
Transparent Red Vinyl (Black Cover) (EMP exclusive, limited to 300 pieces)
White Vinyl (White Cover) (Nordics exclusive, limited to 300 pieces)
Clear/Black Splatter Vinyl (Black Cover) (Kings Road Management exclusive, limited to 500 pieces)
Gold/Black Marbled Vinyl (Black Cover) (UK Eyesore exclusive, limited to 300 pieces)
White/Gold Marbled Vinyl (White Cover) (UK Recordstore exclusive, limited to 300 pieces)
Clear/Black Marbled Vinyl (Black Cover) (HMV exclusive, limited to 450 exclusive)
The tracklist reads as follows:
Post-God Nirvana
Malaria Vvlgata
The Deathless Sun
Ov My Herculean Exile
Neo-Spartacvs
Disinheritance
Off To War!
Once Upon A Pale Horse
Thy Becoming Eternal
Versvs Christvs
BEHEMOTH, ARCH ENEMY + CARCASS + UNTO OTHERS
The European Siege Tour
27.09. UK Dublin – 3Olympia Theatre
29.09. UK Glasgow – O2 Academy
30.09. UK Manchester – O2 Apollo
01.10. UK Birmingham – O2 Academy
02.10. UK London – O2 Academy Brixton
04.10. FR Paris – Zenith
05.10. FR Ramonville-st-agne, Le Bikini
07.10. PT Lisboa – Coliseu dos Recreios
08.10. ES Madrid – Palacio Vistalegre
09.10. ES Barcelona – Palau Sant Jordi
11.10. FR Caluire-et-cuire – Radiant-Bellevue
12.10. IT Milan – Alcatraz
14.10. DE Berlin – Columbiahalle
15.10 CZ Pardubice – Tipsport Arena
16.10. HU Budapest – Barba Negra
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