BEHEMOTH have slammed bosses of a Polish university after their concert was cancelled for what the band say were political reasons. It follows Nergal and co’s arrest and deportation from Russia in May.

They were set to perform at Poznan tonight (Monday) after their show was moved from last week. But their promoter received a letter stating the event would not go ahead due to “a concern for the safety of students and campus workers.”

BEHEMOTH say: “We have no doubt it is a political decision. It’s not the first clampdown on national artists. Poznan, instead of being a free culture centre, begins to resemble Russia.

“Article 73 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland says: ‘Everyone has the freedom of artistic creation.’”

The band explain they were forced to give up alternative arrangements, saying: “We aimed to play two concerts in a club, but after a closer inspection we decided the quality of our concert would suffer too much. We can’t afford that at this stage of our career. We sincerely hope our fans will understand.”

BEHEMOTH are currently touring in support of tenth album The Satanist. They have five more shows planned in their native Poland, with a South American trip to follow next month. Nergal recent said the success of the record could lead to the band splitting.