Behemoth Caged In Russia

State officials moved in while the Polish metal band was prepping for its show at Tele-Club in Jekaterinburg May 21.

“When I said that we will not move an inch from the club without someone from the Polish embassy, they threatened to force us out,” Darski posted. “They took us in a bus, accompanied by 10 officers, to the building of Federal Migration Service. We tried to reach Polish embassy in Jekaterinburg but no one is answering the phone. “If possible, please copy this message and pass it everywhere you can. Now we probably face several hours of questioning.”

Darski later updated the original post to say it now appeared as if the band would face deportation over the incident.

Russian news website Znak.com explained that Behemoth should probably have had a “humanitarian visa,” which is a permit issued to foreign nationals entering the Russian Federation to implement scientific, cultural, political, sporting or religious ties and contacts, pilgrimages, charitable activities or the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

The article also noted a number of Behemoth concerts in Siberia and far eastern Russian had already been canceled by local authorities that forbid “the irritation of the Orthodox community.”

The act’s last album, which sold 10,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week of release, is titled The Satanist. The now scrapped three-week tour of Russia was called “Russian Satanist.”

The cover art for the album was painted by renowned Russian artist and occultist Denis Forkas, who apparently used paint mixed with some of Nergal’s own blood.