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The name Nergal, Nirgal, or Nirgali (Hebrew: נֵרְגַל, Modern Nergal Tiberian Nērḡál; Aramaic ܢܹܪܓܵܐܠ; Latin: Nergel) refers to a deity in Babylon with the main seat of his cult at Cuthah represented by the mound of Tell-Ibrahim. Nergal is mentioned in the Hebrew bible as the deity of the city of Cuth (Cuthah): "And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal" (2 Kings, 17:30). According to the rabbins, his emblem was a cock^[1] and Nergal means a "dunghill cock"^[2]. He is the son of Enlil and Ninlil.

Attributes[link]

Nergal actually seems to be in part a solar deity, sometimes identified with Shamash, but only a representative of a certain phase of the sun. Portrayed in hymns and myths as a god of war and pestilence, Nergal seems to represent the sun of noontime and of the summer solstice that brings destruction, high summer being the dead season in the Mesopotamian annual cycle.

Nergal was also the deity who presides over the netherworld, and who stands at the head of the special pantheon assigned to the government of the dead (supposed to be gathered in a large subterranean cave known as Aralu or Irkalla). In this capacity he has associated with him a goddess Allatu or Ereshkigal, though at one time Allatu may have functioned as the sole mistress of Aralu, ruling in her own person. In some texts the god Ninazu is the son of Nergal and Allatu/Ereshkigal.

Ordinarily Nergal pairs with his consort Laz. Standard iconography pictured Nergal as a lion, and boundary-stone monuments symbolise him with a mace surmounted by the head of a lion.

Nergal's fiery aspect appears in names or epithets such as Lugalgira, Sharrapu ("the burner," a reference to his manner of dealing with outdated teachings), Erra, Gibil (though this name more properly belongs to Nusku), and Sibitti. A certain confusion exists in cuneiform literature between Ninurta (slayer of Asag and wielder of Sharur, an enchanted mace) and Nergal. Nergal has epithets such as the "raging king," the "furious one," and the like. A play upon his name—separated into three elements as Ne-uru-gal (lord of the great dwelling) -- expresses his position at the head of the nether-world pantheon.

In the late Babylonian astral-theological system Nergal is related to the planet Mars. As a fiery god of destruction and war, Nergal doubtless seemed an appropriate choice for the red planet, and he was equated by the Greeks either to the combative demigod Heracles (Latin Hercules) or to the war-god Ares (Latin Mars) -- hence the current name of the planet. In Babylonian ecclesiastical art the great lion-headed colossi serving as guardians to the temples and palaces seem to symbolise Nergal, just as the bull-headed colossi probably typify Ninurta.

Nergal's chief temple at Cuthah bore the name Meslam, from which the god receives the designation of Meslamtaeda or Meslamtaea, "the one that rises up from Meslam". The name Meslamtaeda/Meslamtaea indeed is found as early as the list of gods from Fara while the name Nergal only begins to appear in the Akkadian period. Amongst the Hurrians and later Hittites Nergal was known as Aplu, a name derived from the Akkadian Apal Enlil, (Apal being the construct state of Aplu) meaning "the son of Enlil". As God of the plague, he was invoked during the "plague years" during the reign of Suppiluliuma, when this disease spread from Egypt.

The cult of Nergal does not appear to have spread as widely as that of Ninurta, but in the late Babylonian and early Persian period, syncretism seems to have fused the two divinities, which were invoked together as if they were identical. Hymns and votive and other inscriptions of Babylonian and Assyrian rulers frequently invoke him, but we do not learn of many temples to him outside of Cuthah. Sennacherib speaks of one at Tarbisu to the north of Nineveh, but significantly, although Nebuchadnezzar II (606 BC - 586 BC), the great temple-builder of the neo-Babylonian monarchy, alludes to his operations at Meslam in Cuthah, he makes no mention of a sanctuary to Nergal in Babylon. Local associations with his original seat—Kutha—and the conception formed of him as a god of the dead acted in making him feared rather than actively worshipped.

In demonology[link]

Being a deity of the desert, god of fire, which is one of negative aspects of the sun, god of the underworld, and also being a god of one of the religions which rivaled Christianity and Judaism, Nergal was sometimes called a demon and even identified with Satan. According to Collin de Plancy and Johann Weyer, Nergal was depicted as the chief of Hell's "secret police", and worked as an "an honorary spy in the service of Beelzebub".

In popular culture[link]

• In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Nergal is the name of an outcast devil. Additionally, the demigod Jergal of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting derives his name from Nergal.
• In the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Nergal is a demon and recurring villain, but later marries Billy's aunt Sis and has a child named Nergal Jr.
• In the DC Comics universe, Nergal (also spelled Negal) was originally a Golden Age villain opposing Doctor Fate. He was also shown as a primary antagonist to the Vertigo character John Constantine. He is the primary villain in the Doctor Fate story in Countdown to Mystery mini-series.^[3] His name appeared as Nergal in the Hellblazer comics and in the reprint of More Fun Comics #67 in Weird Secret Origins, though in Countdown to Mystery and The Golden Age Doctor Fate Archives, he is referred to as "Negal," even in the latter's reprint of More Fun #67.
• In the seventh Fire Emblem video game, Nergal is the name of the main villain; Ereshkigal is the name of his tome (magic weapon), a reference to Nergal's wife, goddess of the Irkalla, land of the dead.
• In the MMORPG Lunia, Nergal is the boss of the tenth floors of the Cave of Chaos raid.
• A customizable parody video circulated by MoveOn.org has Glenn Beck claiming that the viewer of the video is in league with Nergal, using a convoluted transliteration and translation process from English to Greek to Aramaic and back to English with the letters N G and L added.
• In 1988 Finnish gothic rock group Russian Love released their first album entitled Nergal. The album was re-released in 2007 by Finnish record company Plastic Passion and Italian record company Eibon Records.
• Nergal is also the stage name of Adam Darski, the vocalist/guitarist of the Polish black/death metal band Behemoth. "And Nergal to me is more important than my real name, which is Adam, and only my parents and my girlfriend Doda call me Adam or Adaś. Most people just call me Nergal or Ner."
• Swedish Symphonic metal band Therion wrote a song dedicated to Nergal titled The Siren of the Woods.
• In both table top RPGs Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 by Games Workshop Nergal is a direct inspiration to the major chaos god Nurgle.
• In Catherine (video game) there is a demon named Nergal, who is the father of Catherine and lord of the Underworld.
• In the movie Hellboy, Samael (Sammael, Samil) the Hell hound is said to be the son of Nergal, the seed of destruction and the harbinger of pestilence.

See also[link]

• Apollo
• Hades
• Mamitu
• Mot
• Pazuzu
• Set
• Tyr
• Ghosts in Mesopotamian religions

References[link]

1. ^ Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 17:30[1]
2. ^ Dictionary of phrase and fable: giving the derivation, source, or origin of common phrases, allusions, and words that have a tale to tell - Ebenezer Cobham Brewer - 1900 - p268 [2]
3. ^ The Unofficial Nergal Biography

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links[link]

• ETCSL "A hymn to Nergal" and "A tigi to Nergal": Unicode and ASCII
• Ereskigal.net – "Ereshkigal and Nergal": Assyrian version and Amarna version
• Gateway to Babylon: Nergal and Ereshkigal

Adam Darski (Nergal)
Darski at Empik, 2009
Background information
Birth name	Adam Michał Darski
Also known as	Nergal, Holocausto
Born	(1977-06-10) 10 June 1977 (age 35) Gdynia, Poland
Genres	Death metal, blackened death metal, black metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, manager
Instruments	Vocals, guitars, bass, synthesizer, drums, programming
Years active	1991–present
Associated acts	Behemoth, Mastiphal, Damnation, Hermh, Voodoo Gods
Website	www.behemoth.pl
Notable instruments
ESP Nergal Signature Model

Adam Michał Darski^[1] (born 10 June 1977 in Gdynia) also known by his stage name Nergal, is a Polish musician and television personality, best known for being the frontman for black/death metal band Behemoth.

Biography[link]

Adam Nergal Darski and Carl McCoy of Fields of the Nephilim, 2011

Darski was born in Gdynia, Poland, raised Catholic, and started playing guitar at age eight.^[2] He goes by the stage name Nergal (naming himself after a Babylonian deity), and he is the founder, lyricist, main composer, frontman and manager of the band Behemoth, which he started when he was still a teenager. He also plays lead, rhythm and acoustic guitar. For a brief time he used the alias Holocausto,^[3] inspired by Beherit leader Nuclear Holocausto.^{[4][verification needed]} In late 1990s he was a vocalist and guitarist of the Danzig influenced band named Wolverine,^[5] which was showcasing Nergal's capability of clean singing. He is also known for his contributions with the following bands: Hermh, Nile, Damnation, Vader, Sweet Noise, Mastiphal, December's Fire, Mess Age, Corruption, Hangover, Ex Deo, and Hefeystos.

Nergal has completed six years of history, including one year of Latin at University of Gdańsk, and is qualified to be a museum curator.^[2]

In 2009, ESP guitars released the first Nergal's signature guitar. It is a 7-string guitar with a V-style body, which is called the "Hex-7".^[6]

In March 2010, Nergal was held on trial in Poland for publicly denouncing religion by ripping up a Bible on stage in 2007. Nergal made the argument that he has artistic license to enhance his live performances by doing such an action, and suggested that it was not meant to be offensive. He also supported that freedom of speech should come before religion in Poland. He faced up to two years in prison due to the Bible-tearing,^[7] but Darski's charges were dropped 28 June 2010.^[8]

In 2011, he assumed the position of a judge on the Polish TV show The Voice of Poland.^[9]

Personal[link]

From mid 2009 to early 2011, he was in a highly publicised relationship with Dorota Rabczewska, a Polish pop singer popularly known as Doda.^[10] On March 17, 2011, News.pl reported the couple had called off the engagement and broken up.^[11]

Leukemia[link]

Maciej Maleńczuk and Adam "Nergal" Darski on the shooting set for the Behemoth video clip "Lucifer", 2011

On 8 August 2010, Nergal was rushed to the hematology ward of the Gdansk Medical University Hospital for treatment of a then-undisclosed illness. All Behemoth shows until November 2010, including a Russian and North American tour, were canceled.^[12] As of 24 August 2010, Darski was diagnosed with leukemia. The illness was thought to have advanced far enough to the point that chemotherapy would be ineffective against it, but such reports have since been proven false.^[13] His then-fiancée offered to donate her marrow, but it was not a close enough match to his type.^[14][15] On 8 November 2010, Ultimate-Guitar.com reported that he has found a genetic bone marrow match and would then undergo treatment to receive a bone marrow transplant.^[16]

Nergal was discharged from the Uniwersyteckie Centrum Kliniczne (UCK) hospital in Gdansk on Monday, January 16, 2011, three weeks after undergoing bone marrow transplant surgery. “Adam feels good and is resting comfortably but cannot see any visitors as he can’t risk viral infections,” said his ex-fiancée, Doda.^[17] However, Nergal was readmitted to the hematology division of Uniwersyteckie Centrum Kliniczne (UCK) in Gdansk after he developed an infection six weeks after he underwent the bone marrow transplant procedure. At the time, it was not immediately clear if the infection would affect Nergal's adoption of the bone marrow transplant and how long he would have to remain in hospital.^[18] On 30 March 2011, MetalSucks published an interview with Nergal where he said that his health was improving. As of the interview, he had been out of the hospital for several weeks, and, according to Darski, "everything is going according to plan".^[19]

Equipment[link]

Discography[link]

With Behemoth[link]

• Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) (1995)
• Grom (1996)
• Pandemonic Incantations (1998)
• Satanica (1999)
• Thelema.6 (2000)
• Zos Kia Cultus (Here and Beyond) (2002)
• Demigod (2004)
• The Apostasy (2007)
• Evangelion (2009)

With Voodoo Gods[link]

• Shrunken Head^[31] (2012)

Guest appearances[link]

• Mastiphal – Nocturnal Landscape (1994; drums)
• Hermh – Crying Crown of Trees (1996; bass guitar)
• December's Fire – Vae Victis (1996; vocals)
• Damnation – Coronation (1997; bass guitar)
• Hefeystos – Psycho Cafe (1998; vocals)
• Hangover – Terrorbeer (2002; vocals)
• Vader – Revelations (2002; vocals)^[32]
• Mess Age – Self-Convicted (2002; vocals)^[33]
• Corruption – Orgasmusica (2003; vocals)^[34]
• Sweet Noise – Revolta (2003; vocals)^[35]
• Frontside – Teoria Konspiracji (2008; vocals)^[36]
• The Amenta – n0n (2008; vocals)^[37]
• Ex Deo – Romulus (2009; vocals)^[38]
• Vulgar – The Professional Blasphemy (2010; vocals)^[39]
• Czesław Śpiewa – Pop (2010; vocals)^[40]
• Root – Heritage of Satan (2011; vocals)^[41]
• Grzegorz Skawiński – Me & My Guitar (2012)^[42]

Filmography[link]

• Historia polskiego rocka (2008, documentary, directed: Leszek Gnoiński, Wojciech Słota)^[43]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Media related to Adam Darski at Wikimedia Commons

Ol Drake (born Oliver Michael Drake, 28 March 1984, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England) is the lead guitarist of English thrash metal group, Evile.

Biography[link]

Drake and his brother, Matt Drake, were brought up in a musical environment, with the sound of Camel, Guns N' Roses and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Drake's father, Tony, played guitar from a young age and played in many local bands (Rudy and the Zipps), sharing bills with early incarnations of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Drake and friends would ask Tony to play tunes for them, like the Batman theme tune, and he could make the guitar "cry", which intrigued Ol.^[1] Matt Drake, having received classical guitar lessons when young, obtained a Fender copy electric guitar for a birthday.^[1] With future Evile drummer Ben Carter visiting the house, and also being a fan of Metallica and the guitar, Ol Drake was intrigued by the songs and the guitar.^[1] Matt started Ol on the path of heavy metal by introducing him to the music of Metallica. Drake, then aged 16, picked up Matt's guitar when possible and taught himself from then on. His parents being supportive would go on to support him in buying an instrument.

Drake also started to play the drums, inspired by a visit to guitar virtuoso Maurizio Mielle's store in Milnsbridge. He would spend a full day playing on a kit, set up directly above a hairdressers. Drake would play in a few bands on the drums, but his heart was always with the guitar.^[1]

When Drake reached music college, he developed an interest in music theory, jazz and classical music, which opened up his playing and progress on the guitar. He also developed an interest and skill in playing drums.

After Evile was formed, Drake spent all of his personal time on the guitar. A friend would buy him Testament's Practice What You Preach which got him heavily into Thrash, though he had already discovered Metallica and Sepultura. Matt bought Ol Annihilator's "Never, Neverland" for his birthday, as their father owned Annihilator's Alice in Hell. Drake was fascinated with Jeff Waters' playing and Drake learned Waters' guitar work.

Drake would eventually go on to discover Moser Custom Shop guitars via the internet. He bought their "Bastard V", and has used this guitar for every concert since.^[1]

He spent several years notating guitar tablature for the majority of Annihilator's back catalogue. Jeff Waters, impressed by his work, dedicated a page on the Annihilator website to his tabs.^[2]

Drake made a guest appearance on The Berzerker bassist Sam Bean's solo project The Senseless, performing a guest solo on the track "Promise".

In December 2008, Drake paid tribute to the late Chuck Schuldiner, by posting a cover of Death's "Voice of the Soul" online, along with a video slideshow of Schuldiner related images.^[3]

In September 2009, Schmier from Destruction asked Drake to stand in for their guitarist, Mike Sifringer, who broke his fingers forcing Destruction to find a temporary replacement, for their performance at Portugal's Caos Emergente Festival.^[4]

At the UK's Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth in 2010 Ol joined comedian Tim Minchin on stage for his track "Rock N Roll Nerd".^[5][6]

Ol appeared as a guest on Destruction's 2011 album Day of Reckoning stating that it was "An experience I'll never forget".^[7] On June 29 '11 Ol revealed the solos which he contributed are as follows: "The Price" (1:09-1:20, 2:09-2:15 and 2:23-2:29), "Devil's Advocate" (3:08-3:21), "Sorcerer of Black Magic" (2:36-3:14), "Sheep of the Regime" (4:06-fade) and "Stand Up and Shout (Dio Cover)" (1:25-1:52 and 2:28-end).^[8]

In May of 2012, Ol was nominated in the "Dimebag Darrell Shredder" Award as part of the Metal Hammer "Golden Gods Awards".^[9]

Evile[link]

In 2000, Matt Drake and Ben Carter got together to form a covers band. As Drake had advanced on the guitar by this time, they asked him to join the band. After bassist Mike Alexander joined, they played many shows together over the next few years.

After school Matt Drake and Carter would get together and jam their favourite Metal tracks, mostly being Metallica songs. A jam took place in an old church in Honley. Drake came along one day and was impressed with how loud and powerful it was, having never experienced live music before. After months of practicing, Drake had learned some Metallica solos, and asked if he could join in. From the first rehearsal together he was hooked on being in a band, and he knew what he wanted to do.

Inspired by James Hetfield, Drake's parents would drive him across the UK to locate an ESP Explorer guitar. He decided this was not the guitar for him, and settled for a BC Rich Jr V. He would use the BC Rich for every show from then on, borrowing his father's Ibanez guitars as a backup.

They would go on to play live in the local areas under the name Metal Militia, Drake taking on the role of lead guitarist, though after three or four years, this grew stale for the band, forcing them to eventually go on to form Evile in 2003. Original songs would feature in the live set, with positive results.^[1]

In 2004, they formed Evile. They recorded an EP All Hallows Eve in 2004 (which contained an instrumental track by Drake named "Torment") and a demo Hell Demo in 2006. Soon after, the band signed to Earache Records and recorded their debut album, Enter the Grave, produced by Flemming Rasmussen. He was also responsible for conceptualising the album art for Enter the Grave.

Drake plays and endorses Moser Custom Shop Guitars, Randall Amplifiers, Ernie Ball Strings and Homebrew Electronics Pedals.^[1]

He performs all guitar solos with Evile, with the exception of a solo in "We Who Are About to Die" and two solos in "Long Live New Flesh", which were played by his brother.

On 19 November 2008, while on tour in Europe with Satyricon, Drake collapsed due to health issues. His jaw was fractured and the underside of his chin was cut open. Evile were forced to cancel their appearances on the remainder of the tour.^[10][11] He then had to have his jaw wired shut for two weeks for healing.^[12]

Influences[link]

Drake has cited guitarists including Jeff Waters, Marty Friedman, Kirk Hammett, Alex Skolnick, Dimebag Darrell, Chuck Schuldiner, Jimi Hendrix, Slash and Andrew Latimer as influences.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Evile[link]

• All Hallows Eve EP (Self Released) 2004
• Hell Demo (Self Released) 2006
• Enter the Grave (Earache Records) 2007
• Infected Nations (Earache Records) 2009
• Five Serpent's Teeth (Earache Records) 2011

Equipment[link]

Guitars[link]

• Neal Moser MCS Red "Bastard V" Import-T w/ Bill Lawrence L500XL Bridge Pickup
• Neal Moser Mvi Black Import

Amplifier[link]

• Peavey EVH 5150 III

Effects[link]

• Homebrew Electronics Powerscreamer
• Homebrew Electronics Mock II
• Boss NS2 Noise Suppressor

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ol Drake on Myspace
• Moser Custom Shop Guitars
• Homebrew Electronics Pedals
• Ol Drake on TheLiveLine

Maciej Maleńczuk or Maciek Maleńczuk (born August 14, 1961 in Wojcieszów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship) is a Polish singer, guitarist, poet, former leader of music groups Püdelsi and Homo Twist.

Discography[link]

• Historia Obyczaju (1989)
• Pod Papugami (1989)
• Piosenki z ulicy (1991)
• Pan Maleńczuk (1998)
• Ande La More (2002)
• Proste historie (2005) POL #5^[1]
• Cantigas de Santa Maria (2006) POL #16^[2]
• Koledzy (2007, with Wojciech Waglewski)
• Psychodancing (2008) POL #3^[3]
• Psychodancing 2 (2009) POL #3^[4]
• Starsi panowie (2010, with Paweł Kukiz) POL #3^[5]
• Psychodancing: Live (2010) POL #2^[6]

Filmography[link]

• Śmierć Johna L. (1988)
• Małżowina (1998)
• Nakręceni, czyli show biznes po polsku (2002)
• Ono (2004)
• George the Hedgehog (2011)

Bibliography[link]

• Chamstwo w państwie (2003) published by Wydawnictwo Literackie in Kraków, signed as Pan Maleńczuk (Polish: Mr Maleńczuk)

References[link]

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Gienek Loska
Gienek Loska performing in Warsaw (may 2011)
Background information
Birth name	Henadzi Loska
Born	(1975-01-08) 8 January 1975 (age 37) Belaazyorsk, Belarus
Origin	Wrocław, Poland
Genres	Rock, Blues Rock, Blues
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Sony Music
Associated acts	Seven B, Gienek Loska Band
Website	www.gienekloskaband.pl

Henadzi Loska (Belarusian: Генадзь Лоска, born 8 January 1975) better known as Gienek Loska is a Polish singer-songwriter and guitarist born in Belaazyorsk in Belarus who rose to fame after winning the first series of X Factor in 2011. Since his arrival to Poland in early 1990s, he has lived in Bialystok, Kraków and from 2004 in Wrocław in Poland.^[1]

Loska was the co-founder and longtime member of the blues-rock band Seven B. Currently, he is a leading singer and guitarist of Gienek Loska Band. He's also known to the public due to his repeated performances on streets of bigger Polish cities. In 2009 he was invited to make a record with Alek Mrozek, a known Polish composer.

He took part in several TV talent shows:

• Szansa na sukces - in 2004, with the band Wilki
• Mam talent - the third series
• X Factor Poland - the first series - in 2011, the winner of main prize

Discography[link]

Alek Mrożek & Gene Loska

• 2009 Lepiej niż wczoraj (CD, B&J Music)

Seven B

• Rocktales
• Make up your mind
• Acoustic

References[link]

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