Year: 2025
Label: World Breaking Records/Primitive Reaction

If there’s one thing I didn’t predict for 2024, it was the comeback of Finnish black metal pioneers Beherit. But come back they did, and I got to witness them live twice last year. The first was the comeback gig at Rites Of North in Oulu (where I also performed with my project Dieux Des Cimetières), the second time at Ääniwalli in Helsinki.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but both times, the band blew me away. Serving up a selection ranging from early material released on The Oath Of Black Blood – which the band itself denounced at the time – to stuff from 2009’s Engram, Beherit were in savage form. There were expectations and there were fears. The former were surpassed, the latter proved unfounded.

Live In Praha CZ is not a testament of either of those gigs, as the name of the album betrays. But it is a fine testament of Beherit anno 2024, which brings back strong recollections from those gigs. I’m not sure if the setlist is 100% the same, but it sounds awfully similar. So I’m betting it’s at least very, very close.

Kicking things off with an ambient intro, the Finnish group build up tension before the electric guitar kicks in. A lengthy, almost drone intro with the guitar leads into Unholy Pagan Fire which, when it kicks off, is enough to blow an old fan’s mind. The most impressive thing is how right Beherit sounds. Nocturno Holocausto’s bestial, brutal vocals are as effective as ever, and the stripped down, straightforward sound mimics the studio version well. From there on the band pick material from most of their black metal releases, punctuated with some ambient interludes.

The live line up contains a single guitar, which is of course how the old material was recorded. However, the one noteworthy shortcoming of the live album is that the bass is barely audible. This means that some of the tracks from The Oath Of Black Blood, such as the title track, sound a bit thin. This is especially true during the solo of Grave Desecration.

But that’s ultimately a minor gripe. Beherit is in impressive shape on this album; savage, feral, and authentic. That’s the best part: the band doesn’t sound polished, modernized or dragged kicking and screaming into the 2020’s. No, Beherit sound almost like they could have stepped into a time warp in the 90’s and arrived in 2024.

Is this an essential album? As much as I’ve heaped praise on it, my answer is: no. It isn’t. It’s a great album, and fans most likely will be more than satisfied with it, but it’s not an essential addition to Beherit’s discography. Casual listeners can well do without it. But I’d say it is damn well essential to one demographic: those of us who’ve witnessed the returned Beherit live. For us, Live In Praha CZ is a portal back into that magic moment.

Visit Beherit on their official website or on Facebook