Behemoth Frontman Charged With Insulting Catholics After Ripping Up Bible

In 2007, Behemoth frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski reportedly called the Catholic Church "the most murderous cult on the planet" during a show in Gdynia, Poland, and ripped a Bible up on stage.

Although he was sued by the All-Polish Committee For Defense Against Sects for "promoting Satanism," the case was thrown out of court because Nergal only had one accuser, and two complaints must be lodged before any formal charges with offending religious feelings in Poland.

A second complaint has now been filed against Nergal, according to Blabbermouth.net, and he's formally been charged with insulting Catholics. He's pleaded not guilty and could face up to two years in prison if he's found guilty.

"There are some organizations and institutions that think they have a right to judge what's wrong and right," Nergal told CHARTattack last year about the first complaint against him. "They tried to do something, they made attempts but they failed because they can't really do much.

"They tried to bring me to court for tearing up the Bible on stage. They tried to stop the show, they sent out letters saying Behemoth is this and that, that we're public enemy number one or that we're dangerous. But it hardly has any effect, really.

"They actually do a lot of like, PR for us — it's good promotion. But we really don't need this kind of recognition. I don't give a fuck. I want to be known for the music that I make."

Last year, Behemoth bassist Tomasz "Orion" Wroblewski told Decibel magazine the Polish blackened death metal band had been tearing up Bibles for at least two years on tour before the incident in Gdynia.

"So, we had discussed it many times before," he said. "A Behemoth show is a Behemoth show, and Behemoth fans are coming to a Behemoth show. Behemoth fans know what Behemoth is about, know what the lyrics are about, and know at least a little of the philosophy behind the band.

"So, it's kind of surprising that there are people coming to the shows and feeling offended with what we do on stage. If such a person comes to a show, he comes with the purpose of being offended, I guess, and it shouldn't be like that. We're not offending any particular person. We're just offending the religion that we've been raised in."

What would have happened if Sinead O'Connor had ripped up a picture of late Pope John Paul II on stage in Poland. Jeez...



You can see Nergal, Orion and drummer Zbigniew Robert "Inferno" Prominski here:

March 9 Thessaloniki, Greece @ Eightball
March 10 Athens, Greece @ An Club
March 12 Ankara, Turkey @ Dip Sahne
March 13 Izmir, Turkey @ Tato Live
March 14 Istanbul, Turkey @ Balans Club
April 5 Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro w/ Job For A Cowboy and Revocation
April 6 Nagoya, Japan @ Club Quattro w/ Job For A Cowboy and Revocation
April 7 Tokyo, Japan @ Club Quattro w/ Job For A Cowboy and Revocation
April 10 Auckland, New Zealand @ Transmission w/ Job For A Cowboy and Goatwhore
April 12 Perth, Australia @ Capitol w/ Job For A Cowboy and Goatwhore
April 13 Adelaide, Australia @ Fowlers w/ Job For A Cowboy and Goatwhore
April 14 Melbourne, Australia @ Billboard w/ Job For A Cowboy and Goatwhore
April 16 Sydney, Australia @ Metro w/ Job For A Cowboy and Goatwhore
April 17 Brisbane, Australia @ Hi-Fi w/ Job For A Cowboy and Goatwhore