The Godless IV: Behemoth at the Vic Theatre (Chicago, IL April 25, 2026)

The Godless IV: The Four Headed Beast- consisting of Behemoth, Immolation, Rotting Christ, and Deicide- played to a sold out crowd at the Vic Theater. A communion of extreme metal and dark empowerment was gifted to those in attendance.

I have a bad habit of overcommitting when it comes to concerts. I have an entire spreadsheet dedicated to avoiding these things… tracking upcoming shows so as not to book one when another is happening. Alas, it happened anyway. I had already purchased tickets for the AMONKLOK CONQUEST TOUR when Behemoth announced their GODLESS IV tour dates. Unwilling to give up seeing and covering either show, I committed myself to driving a total of 23 hours over the span of three days, shooting and writing for seven bands. I probably would have hit the ditch if my brother hadn’t taken over the leg to and from Minneapolis while I transferred and edited photos.

None of this makes objective sense, but passions never do. I arrived in Chicago at 4:15 pm, a little over an hour before The Vic Theater opened its doors. I fell asleep for half an hour, slammed some coffee, checked my gear, and off I went.

Luckily, The Vic was located on the same block. A 1,400-cap room, The Vic is filled with nostalgic vibes and a friendly and helpful staff. The audience swathed a distinctly different segment of the metal community than the night before. Though still a primarily death metal-heavy lineup, you could see the black metal draw for this show. A heavily respected lineup, merch tables all had long lines, and throughout the night there were no strangers on that stage—it was clear the audience knew each band extensively.

Rotting Christ

I had wrongly presumed that Rotting Christ would start their set off with the epic build of “Chi Xi Sigma” (I attempted to find the Greek letters in Google Docs and failed), so imagine my surprise when they took the stage to thundering blast beats, courtesy of Themis Tolis, before Sakis Tolis (vocals, guitar) screamed into the mic: “We are Rotting Christ! We are from Greece, and we are playing FUCKING BLACK METAL,” before launching into “Dies Irae.” The crowd immediately sank into rhythm with the band, and the moment was epic. Again, no openers this night, just number two onto the stage. The crowd seemed to know every song, chanting along with Sakis as the song hit its breakdown.

Starting on stage left stood Kostis Foukarakis on lead guitar, and opposite him on stage right, bassist Kostas Spades. They, along with Sakis, didn’t let a moment drop. Kostas jumped in tandem with the crowd, relentlessly provoking the circle pits (plural) to go harder. Kostis defies lead guitarist expectations, alternating between headbanging and jolting around the stage. Sakis, for his part, trades moments of chanting with the crowd, playing and vocals, and coming to the front of the stage to interact with fans. It’s amazing they are able to play so seamlessly through it all. Themis necessarily stayed thundering behind his kit, the crowd keeping time along with him.

One of the longest-running black metal acts, Rotting Christ put out 35 Years of Evil Existence in 2025, celebrating their 35-year run.  They are a must see act, if Immolation set the bar for energy, Rotting Christ set it for synchronicity- the entire crowd locked in unison by the end of their set.

Deicide

Third on the stage, Deicide entered with great anticipation. Clearly beloved by this crowd, the energy hit an insane peak. Formed in 1987, they are staples of the Florida death metal scene. To date, they have put out 13 LPs, the most recent being Banished by Sin in 2024.

Glen Benton has a vocal style that is both classic and unique, blending deep “Cookie Monster” guttural lines with searing screeches. Adding his thundering bass to Steve Asheim’s blurring blast beats, Deicide is rhythm-heavy, feeling like you’re being shoved forward at a pace your brain and body can barely comprehend. Your brain grasps at the guitars (provided by Taylor Nordberg and Jadran Gonzalez), trying to hang onto something that feels, if not solid, at least definable. Between blasting riffs, occasional shrieks from the lead guitar break through, almost like mile markers whizzing past. It’s disorienting in the most indulgent of ways. The crowd was a sea of chaos and moshing, the front few rows grinning at the barricade, bracing as stray moshers slammed into them. There is an air of respect in all the chaos, a nod to all Deicide has done in their career to put their mark on extreme metal.

Deicide’s set seemed to end as abruptly as it started, like slamming into a brick wall.  Almost humorously, Johnny Cash’s Cocaine Blues started playing and the band made their exit.  It felt like the entire venue finally let out a long exhale, as if to say “phew, got that out of my system,” and, like many of the mysteries of metal, the crowd seemed calmer and more at ease after their collective catharsis… a perfect place for headliners, Behemoth, to meet them at.

Behemoth

While there may have been no band that felt like a true opener at The Vic, there definitely was a headliner. That quiet anticipation started to fall over the crowd about 10 minutes before blackened death metal band Behemoth were slated to take the stage. Fans watched as techs made last-minute adjustments and set up, knowing this meant they were moments away. Briefly, the ominous sounds recognizable as the intro to “The Shadow Elite” played before the band blasted onto the stage in full force. Nergal (vocals, guitar) commanded the crowd’s attention at center stage, flanked by Seth (guitar, backing vocals) on stage right and the imposing Orion (bass, backing vocals) on stage left. And of course, Behemoth is one of those bands equally known by its drummer among metalheads, the much-respected Inferno behind a mass of drums in back.

An impressive aspect of Behemoth’s show is their physicality on stage. The band works as a synchronized unit to fill the stage, with Seth and Orion often up on the front risers to amp up the crowd, Nergal joining them whenever there was a break in the vocals. Seth is a longstanding touring guitarist with Behemoth, playing rhythm guitar and often picking up leads from Nergal to offset his workload on tour. Orion, in addition to bass, seemed to take the lead in crowd interaction, even getting down from the stage to meet the crowd at the barricade during one song. Together, they also provide backing vocals, which I found very impressive. Nergal, for his part, is one of the best extreme metal vocalists and frontmen you can find. No one sounds quite like Nergal. Neither guttural nor screeching, Nergal’s vocal style remains harsh and distorted, but somehow maintains a clarity that keeps his vocals easy to understand—a good match for his ornate and poignant lyrics. At crowd level, Inferno is buried behind his set, but luckily tonight I had access to shoot outside of the photo pit, giving me the opportunity to take a few photos from the second level and watch him play—quite fun, actually.

At one point, Nergal took a moment to greet the crowd, inducting Behemoth “virgins” into the fold. Nergal seems to have a unique disposition on stage. Clearly in command, he comes across as half rocker, half professor, but without putting himself on a pedestal. He creates a sense of common ground and purpose, but without imposing a direction—very much in line with many of Behemoth’s lyrical themes.

Behemoth closed their set with “Chant for Eschaton 2000,” leaving the stage briefly before returning for their encore—an epic performance of “O Father O Satan O Sun!” Then the stage went dark, the band gave the crowd one last wave goodbye, and exited the stage. As of this writing, there are sixteen dates left on the Godless IV Tour. Tomorrow I will be looking into whether I can make one more date on this tour—I suggest anyone reading do the same.