NECROPHOBIC
“MARK OF THE NECROGRAM”
Album Review by Lloyd Parkinson

8/10

Sweden’s Necrophobic are one the country’s most underrated to have surfaced from the extreme metal scene during the 1990’s. They have an incredible back catalogue of “Black Metal” offerings but the band have suffered with line-up changes throughout the years and are still yet to be recognised by mainstream eyes. Their 1993 release “The Nocturnal Silence” could be considered as a cult classic but the band haven’t really produced anything as crushing as that since. However, their eighth album entitled “Mark of The Necrogram” released by Century Media Records acts as somewhat of a game changer. This album sees a rearranged line up including Anders Strokirk (The Nocturnal Silence’s vocalist) and the return of Sebastian Ramstedt and Johan Bergebäck on guitars. If we learned anything from the releases of 2017 it is that this genre of music is growing and is as strong as its even been and it looks like Necrophobic want to be involved in this. And, just like many albums of last year “Mark of The Necrogram” is dynamically creative whilst knowing when to exercise some technical and editorial control.

From start to finish “Mark of The Necrogram is compacted with only inferior and brilliantly crafted guitar work. Bergebäck and Ramstedt really have restored their fury on this album and have returned as a shredding duo that blend technical and harmonic riffs that creates an atmospheric sound of “Melodic Death Metal”. In fact, the band are continuing to blend some “Black Metal” and “Death Metal” that they have become known for over the past twenty years. The musical characteristics on “Mark of The Necrogram” could be considered similar to their 2013 release “Womb of Lilithu” however the tracks are more dynamic, better arranged and a lot more melodic. In terms of the production on this album it is pretty much flawless and is of a very high standard. The guitars have been tracked extremely well and the accompanying bass and drums really does make “Mark of The Necrogram a hellishly devastating album.

The first and title track of this album is breathtakingly savage and crafts a phenomenal balance between brutality and melody together with being a full-on and no-nonsense “Blackened Death Metal” attack. The second onslaught entitled “Odium Caecum” begins with a rather eerie introduction before transforming into an all-out assault with the guitars dominantly standing out throughout the entire track. Unlike the previous track “Tsar Bomb” literally explodes into action from the offset, before becoming somewhat more of groove filled track with a contagious chorus. The stand out track and my personal favourite on this album has got to be the sixth track “Pesta” due to its dynamic melodies and sinister atmosphere. What I also particularly like about this track is that there is a lot of variety in terms of musical character and a variety of different tempos being used. As this album continues you get a real vibe that it’s going to be savagely furious throughout its entirety. However, the band do mix things up on tracks like “Crown of Horns” and “Requiem for a Dying Sun”. These tracks feature a myriad of different musical styles and blend some seriously cool effects that make them sound different to the rest of the album whilst remaining sinister and twisted.

All in all, “Mark of The Necrogram” is an exceptional piece of work in my opinion. In the past Necrophobic have written diverse albums that mix up a lot of different genres but this album solely focuses on “Blackened Death Metal” and its aesthetically brilliant. This album is a supreme piece of work and I am sure that this will be a new chapter for the band. If you are already a fan of this genre then this album is a must for your collection and if your completely new to it then there isn’t a better introductory album.

BAND LINE-UP

Anders Strokirk: Vocals
Alexander Friberg: Bass
Sebastian Ramstedt: Guitar
Johan Bergebäck: Guitar
Joakim Sterner: Drums

TRACKLIST

Mark of the Necrogram
Odium Caecum
Tsar Bomba
Lamashtu
Sacrosanct
Pesta
Requiem for a Dying Sun
Crown of Horns
From the Great Above to the Great Below
Undergången

http://www.necrophobic.net
https://www.facebook.com/necrophobic.official/

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