Lately I've been craving that wonderful classic death metal sound: lo-fi, airy, punishing, delicious to my ears. While hunting for retro acts, I stumbled across Necrophagia recently, a veteran (since '84!) death/thrash outfit hailing from Ohio. Immediately I was hooked.The intro begins with some acoustic teasing, and a smattering of dark ambient to get you in the mood. Then, lock up your daughters, get your white Nike hightops and torn acid washed skinny jeans, because from then on it's all 'eavy.
However, in lieu of what you might expect from the band's name and the album art, we have surprisingly byzantine guitar work and lyrics that do not disappoint. Take the opening stanza of "Forbidden Pleasure":
Taking away your scared life
in many ways I shall describe
suffocation decapitation or twist of the knife
nihilsm reigning deep inside
in many ways I shall describe
suffocation decapitation or twist of the knife
nihilsm reigning deep inside
Vocalist Killjoy of, well, countless projects has a conversational, nearly spoken word delivery which lends an interesting facet to Necrophagia. I'd pick out a few favorite tracks, but honestly they are all memorable enough for me to suggest that you just check out the entire album if you're in the mood for some classic horror death metal goodness.
"Ancient Slumber" progresses from the conversational style of singing to a ghoulish growl that sounds very similar to Nocturnus. In fact, this album sounds a lot like their (IMHO) masterpiece The Key, only of course not sci-fi themed.
Anyway, this album packs enough quality riffs and atmosphere into its duration to satisfy any death metal fan. Highly recommended.
Verdict: Epic Win [9/10] (necronomicon, book bound in flesh, source of all that is evil!)
1 comment:
Right on!
The vocals are sick here!
A memorable album even in a year stocked to the tits with them.
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