RSS Feed


NECROPHOBIC
Mark Of The Necrogram

Century Media (2018)
Rating: 9/10

I don’t think you’ll find a bigger Necrophobic fan than yours truly, and Mark Of The Necrogram, their eighth studio album, is a neck snapper of a record.

There’s something to be said for what I like to refer to as “primal” death metal. That is, bands in the Hellhammer vein that are sonically raw, freestyle, simplistic to the core and yet heavier than can be imagined. On the other end of that spectrum is death metal that’s complex, layered, textured, so finely tuned and thought out that it steamrolls anything you might currently be listening to. That’s Mark Of The Necrogram by Necrophobic. In fact, that’s describing Necrophobic to a tee.

Let’s not be mistaken here. This record is a righteous mixture of blackened death metal that interplays symphonic, even doomier elements as well. Mark Of The Necrogram is an orchestra of hellish, inspired insanity that draws you in and snaps your neck with a crushing intensity I haven’t heard Necrophobic unleash in a long time.

In my opinion, this is s statement record. It’s Necrophobic putting everyone on notice they are one of the true godfathers of Swedish death metal, and almost 30 years later they can still kick your ass. That and the fact that Necrophobic has brought former vocalist Anders Strokirk back into the fold after firing Tobias Sidegård, which seems to have reignited a band chemistry that I think may have been lacking or declining with more recent releases. What I hear on Mark Of TheNecrogram is a band on fire; a band that’s playing with a vengeance, a fury.

It’s hard to pick out individual songs when this record as a whole stands strong on its own, and that’s what you connect with. The fact that the songs serve a higher master, the record itself, giving it this sense of continuity and flow from beginning to end. Every track is a natural fit, every song is a journey into heaviness and shows how amazing and transformative this genre can be.

Mark Of TheNecrogram is a true exploration into blackened death metal that really makes you appreciate the evolution Necrophobic has gone through, from their early days of straight ahead death metal to the masterpiece that is this, their most current record.

Bands like Necrophobic always take a chance when they go out on a limb and make a truly original record that doesn’t sound like anything else. That takes guts, and I applaud them for it. I just wish more bands were willing to move away from the cookie cutter, formulaic death metal that seems safe to make today, and create an album on par with Mark Of TheNecrogram. So, cheers to Necrophobic for breaking the mould and making a great record.

Theron Moore

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share