BEHEMOTH frontman ADAM "NERGAL" DARSKI says the Polish extreme metal titans will step away for an extended break once their autumn 2026 European tour wraps. "[We'll] take at least one year off — nothing, no activities," he told Norway's Tons Of Rock festival, framing the hiatus as a chance to "recharge batteries" and "rejuvenate" before chasing new creative ground.
The band has deliberately kept its 2026 summer light, playing just four major European festivals in June and skipping July and August entirely to conserve energy. "We chose to do a proper headlining tour in the fall," NERGAL explained, referring to the 16-date October trek alongside DIMMU BORGIR and DARK FUNERAL — a triple bill he expects could surpass past attendance records. He pointed to the long friendship between the three camps, who first toured the United States together two decades ago.
The break does not mean total silence. Just before the autumn tour opens on September 4, 2026, BEHEMOTH will release "I, Scvlptor," a 40-minute EP of eight previously unreleased tracks. The collection gathers re-recorded early material, tribute covers of VENOM and BATHORY featuring guests from DIMMU BORGIR and ROTTING CHRIST, and fresh studio recordings.
NERGAL also hinted at further special releases planned for the following year without offering specifics, and admitted he is stepping back from most interviews to focus on rest and planning.
BEHEMOTH have long sat among extreme metal's biggest commercial success stories; their 2014 album "The Satanist" reached No. 34 on the Billboard 200, at the time the highest-charting black or death metal album in the chart's history. After more than three decades of relentless activity, the band appears ready — briefly — to go quiet.