Behemoth in Tokyo: Gig of the year?
Is 25th February too early to call the gig of the year? Perhaps. But Behemoth’s triumphant first show in Tokyo since 2015 is certainly a contender. What a win for the dark side!
Behemoth at Spotify O-East, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan on 25th February 2026
The return of Behemoth, Poland’s finest dark lords, to Japan was eagerly anticipated. This concert was a major win for the dark side. I was at their last Tokyo show in 2015 (read the review of that gig here). That was a great gig. But this was on another level. You could see it in Nergal’s face from the beginning of the show. He and his bandmates conquered Japan with a masterclass in extreme metal.
Formed in Gdansk, Poland, in 1991, this band has always delivered interesting music and upset a few souls along the way. But Behemoth are unstoppable. They are on a mission and they win over new disciples everywhere they play.
With the band on fire, the audience was on form too. Everyone was ready for what we knew would be a legendary evening. Behemoth were up for the challenge. The whole show was a hard-hitting and flawless performance executed with precision. Few bands in the extreme metal scene have the capacity and skill to deliver this kind of show. The band clearly fed on the energy from the devoted Japanese crowd.
Nergal’s stage presence was almost hypnotising. It was an anti-religious experience of the best kind. Nergal appeared on stage in Tokyo as a commander of his Japanese hordes. The current version of Behemoth has been intact since 2004. It shows when they are on stage. The band’s founder and leader, Nergal, on vocals and guitar, is backed up by Inferno on drums, Orion on bass and Seth on guitar. This band is pure rage, fury and sublime darkness. The music is rich, layered with twists and turns.
They opened the Tokyo show with the fantastic “The Shadow Elite” and continued to deliver an amazing show containing the band’s best music. They performed songs from throughout their career. The song choices, the delivery and the energy took this up a few notches, way above your average metal performance. The flawless setlist had no highlights because there were no dips. Just sheer brilliance throughout. Personal favourites included fantastic versions of “Cursed Angel of Doom”, “Thy Becoming Eternal”, “Nomen Barbarvm”, “Conquer All”, “Decade ov Therion”, “Chant for Ezkaton 2000” and, of course, “Blow Your Trumpets, Gabriel”.
We also got a magnificent tip of the hat to Swedish legend Quorthon in the form of a cover of Bathory’s “The Return of Darkness and Evil”. When the evening came to a close with “O Father O Satan O Sun!”, we all knew that we had been part of something special. While Behemoth has faced threats and bans in other countries, Japan believes in and protects artistic freedom. Behemoth took advantage of the opportunity and thanked Japan for the warm welcome with a show that exceeded everyone’s expectations.
This evening was indeed a return of darkness and evil. Quite possibly the gig of the year.
Photo credit: Yori Sugiyama
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