History & Biography Early 1990 tapes of the band were the likes of Seventh Blasphemy, Demonomancy, Dawn Of Satan's Millennium and Diabolus. Much like countrymen Impaled Nazarene, The title of the aforementioned early demo was likely not a coincidence as Blasphemy was an obvious influence on the act. Beherit, in its early guise, was one of the most Satanic and controversial bands on the scene. Under earlier monickers, the band played cover versions of Death and Sodom. Rumours of sacrifice and the band playing live with its back to the audience, etc. were fed to the public. The sound was extremely harsh, raw and the attitude made Morbid Angel look downright friendly. The band's debut was nothing more than a compilation of the band's demos and one which Beherit claimed was unauthorized. Furthermore, Beherit claimed that at that time Turbo sent the band $100 to record a second album! Turbo Records had a reputation similar to Seraphic Decay or Pavement or Donald Trump. Everyone dealing with it would claim to have been stiffed. The band had to even briefly change its monicker to escape Turbo. Black Jesus replaced Black Christ on bass.
The band was joined in 1992 by the former drummer of Impaled Nazarene and several of the live songs from this era were on the Beast Of Beherit album. Still, as the album names demonstrate, the band became ever more experimental, incorporated darkwave and the fans and the band soon disappeared. The act had even gone as far as incorporating a keyboard player. She was called GoatGoddess Of Necrosodomy. The last two albums were electronic pieces. Suuri Shamaani, as with most Nuclear Holocausto side-projects, was an ambient/dance band. Messe Des Morts was a 1993 EP.
The Beherit/Archgoat split was reissued by ISO666 on CD in 2004. The band was back in 2007 and would release a new album, called Engram, on April 9th, 2009 through Spinefarm. At the Devil's Studio 1990 was again an odds and ends album, but the band would report it had been unearthed by its drummer and had originally meant to be its debut. Kvlt was the new label of former Beherit and former Spikefarm manager Sami Tenetz. Sami joined the band for Engram and then left. Celebrate the Dead was a single in 2012 with a different take on a track from Engram. The group appeared at the Finnish Death Metal Maniacs Fest 2017. A new album emerged in 2020. It was called Bardo Exist. WBRRR, in contrast, was issued under the NHV Beherit. The sole standing composer, after all, was Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance. A compilation of demo and split material by the band was called Dawn Of Satan's Millenium (sic) and released in 2023. It was deemed a bootleg however. Guitarist Black Moon, who in typical Scandinavian fashion was in a dozen projects (Necromonarchia Daemonum, Black Feast, Witchcraft, etc. etc.) also joined in 2023.
The band was playing with Dodheimsgard and others at Rites Of North in Finland to begin 2024. The band was booked for Poland's Mystic Festival in 2025.
Reviews BEHERIT - ENGRAM - SPINEFARM
OK, first thing’s first: purists will be relieved to know that Beherit (Syriac for 'Satan' per the band ) hasn’t evolved in any sort of boundary-pushing direction á la recent wave of USBM bands eager to move black metal into previously uncharted territory. Beherit’s stick-with-the-paradigm approach to Engram isn’t as surprising as one might imagine given the Finnish group’s experimentation with ambient soundscapes before the band’s late '90s break-up, and therein lies Engram’s strength: by refusing to move forward, Beherit’s ultra-traditional take on black metal marks a glorious return for Beherit mainman Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance, Engram an entirely vengeful collection of second-wave black metal that rages without relent nor any sort of remorse. Though eschewing ice-cold Darkthrone production for a shockingly bass heavy (in a black metal context) sound, Engram is still a true-obsessed record that has defied expectations and placed Beherit back into an elite sphere. Prepare yourself for one of '09’s top black metal releases. - James Tape
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