Poland's Behemoth were not always the... behemoths... they are today. The band's history dates back to 1991 where a the at-most 15-year-old Adam Darski (we all know him best as Nergal) founded the group under the name Baphoment.

Following a quick name change, the band cut their first demo in 1992, Endless Damnation, playing a raw, sloth-paced style of extreme metal very much in vein of acts like Hellhammer and early Mayhem. As the second wave of black metal scene blossomed, so did Behemoth's efforts, which culminated in the Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) debut in 1995.

The style was still cold and necro like many of their black metal contemporaries and influences, but adapted the use of keyboards and synthesizers for an atmospheric boost. This approach would remain with Behemoth in varied doses throughout the next 20-plus years as the band often conjures Hellish moods with swirling, orchestral and choir bombast.

Slowly developing their style and swapping out members along the way with Nergal as the band's lone constant, Behemoth began to rein in their death metal influences, altering their trajectory to the sonic course we've known since the career-catapulting Demigod in 2004 with a lineup that is still in tact today.

In 2010, Nergal was diagnosed with leukemia, leaving not only the future of Behemoth, but the musician's life in question. While his detractors maintained this life-threatening condition would see a reversal in his steadfast Satanism, Nergal recovered to full strength after a bone marrow transplant and declared his personal belief system was unscathed, authoring the comeback album, The Satanist.

With a bit of the band's history now behind us, turn your attention to the top of the page and scroll through the gallery as we count down Behemoth's albums from weakest to strongest!

Behemoth's Nergal Plays 'Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?'

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