The Satanist — Compositional Double Bass & Blast — Inferno (Behemoth) Drum Lick | MetalForge
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Learn the The Satanist — Compositional Double Bass & Blast drum lick by Inferno of Behemoth. From The Satanist (The Satanist (2014)). The title track of Behemoth's most celebrated album The Satanist (2014) is a seven-minute centrepiec...
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1. Inferno's Signature Licks — The title track of Behemoth's most celebrated album The Satanist (2014) is a seven-minute centrepiece that showcases the full range of Inferno's abilities — from atmospheric double bass underpinning to full-force blasting, with transition work that connects the two in ways that serve the song's emotional arc. The track is slower and more expansive than much of Behemoth's catalogue, giving Inferno space to develop ideas across a longer timeframe, and what he does with that space is musically instructive. The double bass work on the title track is particularly sophisticated: rather than simply driving constant eighth-note patterns beneath a blast, Inferno varies the kick density, uses syncopated bass drum figures that accent melodic events in the guitars and vocals, and creates rhythmic tension that makes the song feel alive rather than mechanically precise. When the blasting arrives it is deployed to maximum effect, the contrast with the preceding sections giving it an impact that a constant-blasting approach could not achieve. Inferno has noted in interviews that he approaches drum parts compositionally — he thinks about what the song needs at each moment rather than defaulting to his most impressive technique. The Satanist title track is the clearest evidence of this philosophy in his catalogue: it is a fully composed drum performance that happens to exist within a blackened death metal framework, not a showcase with a song grafted around it. For drummers, studying this track develops double bass control and independence, the ability to vary kick patterns rather than defaulting to constant rolls, and the compositional sense to use restraint and dynamic contrast to make extreme music more emotionally effective. The technical demands are significant — the double bass runs require speed and endurance, and the transitions between sections require precise timing — but the musical payoff is substantial. The Satanist is the album that confirmed Inferno as one of the most complete extreme metal drummers of his generation, and this seven-minute title track is the best single demonstration of the breadth of his musicianship.2. Inferno Profile — Vary bass drum density rather than driving constant eighth-note rolls Use syncopated kick figures to accent melodic events in the guitars Deploy blast beats at peak moments after building tension with double bass Think about what the song needs at each moment rather than defaulting to maximum technique Practise double bass patterns independently before adding the upper-body parts
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