This is an extensive two-CD set of the Polish black metal master's best stuff to date (greatest hits probably not), together with some covers, and some live stuff. Behemoth, one of Poland's most extreme exports, started out as pure black metal, complete with the corpse paint, then evolved into some more deathy. The intensity and aggression of this lot cannot be underestimated.

Tracks like "Pure Evil and Hate" very much set the stage for what you are about to hear. Twenty-nine tracks of the blackest and most deathly stuff you can imagine. If you want an introduction to extreme metal of the best sort, as well as a taster of what this band can do, then this CD is for sure.

***½

Review by Marty Dodge