Behemoth Detained in Russia

BY Gregory AdamsPublished May 21, 2014

Polish extreme metal unit Behemoth's current Russian tour has been ground to a halt after the band was detained by authorities in the city of Ekaterinburg over alleged work visa issues.

The band had been travelling around Russia since May 10 as part of their "Russian Satanist" tour, in support of their recent The Satanist full-length, but faced problems with immigration services ahead of tonight's (May 21) previously scheduled performance at Yekaterinburg's TeleClub. According to a Facebook post written by vocalist Nergal, they were stopped at the club for having the "wrong visas" and have been taken to the Federal Migration Service building for what the musician expects will be a "multihour hearing."

"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," reads a translation of the post. "They took us in a bus, accompanied by 10 officers, to the building of Federal Migration Service. We tried to reach Polish embassy in Yekaterinburg but no one is answering the phone."

He continued: "The concert is off for sure. The only thing we want is to get back to the hotel safely and then — to Poland. No matter how hard we try — we cannot pass it all. Regards. Nergal."

The group's current leg of dates was to wrap in Kiev, Ukraine on May 28, but it's unclear at present when Behemoth will be able to get back on the road. You can see the band's proposed tour schedule over here.

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