Even ignoring the dramatic real-life backdrop of Behemoth frontman Nergal's diagnosis and recovery from leukaemia, The Satanist amounts to an extraordinary statement of renewed intent from a band that already had the respect of the metal world. The Poles have long been among extreme metal's most effective exponents, but The Satanist is different somehow: smarter, sharper, imbued with an underlying sense of mortal disquiet and bulging at the seams with moments of pitch-black grandeur. Underground metal purists will be more than sated by the high-velocity assaults of Furor Divinus and Amen, but it is the arcane pomp and mid-paced muscularity of opener Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel, the hazily morbid In the Absence Ov Light and the fearsome title track that suggest Behemoth have the skills and integrity to mount an assault on the rock mainstream without any need to compromise. The Satanist is as untamed and direct as its title suggests: a flawless paean to free will and the human spirit.