Behemoth’s Nergal: How I Became a Satanist

In our Satanist of Warsaw mini documentary, we visited Nergal in Poland to discuss Behemoth's masterful album The Satanist -- which we named Metal Album of the Decade -- along with the musician's battle against cancer and the Polish government. In this outtake from the feature, Nergal explains how he became a Satanist and exactly why it appealed to him.

Sitting in Nergal's own Barberian shop, he revealed his connection to Satanism began with metal and the dark aesthetic used by his favorite bands. "From day one, when I started reading and exploring the Satanic concept, it just felt liberating to be discovering it for myself," Nergal describes.

"I would just read interviews with other musicians, because it started with the music, obviously, not with my passion for philosophy. From that, I would develop my interest in philosophy. I would collect from different angles, but it started with the music, with the rebellious character of extreme metal or heavy metal in general, which Satan is one of the strongest archetypes for. From day one, he's been the animal spirit of any metal subgenre."

Like any typical youth in Poland, Nergal received a Catholic upbringing, though not very strict. "Polish Catholicism is very shallow. It's based on traditional aspects rather than deep spiritual experiences." Nergal says. "As a teenager, I realized it fucking stinks. I don't think I belong there, so I chose the other side -- the inverted side."

"I'll never say that my life philosophy comes down to [the] inverted cross, but as I said before, it's one of the weapons that I use when I philosopize with a hammer," Nergal laughs.

Watch our exclusive video with Nergal above and to view our entire Satanist of Warsaw documentary feature, click here.

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