RSS Feed


NEKROKRIST SS
Der Todesking

Primitive Reaction (2013)
Rating: 7/10

I’m guessing the title of Finland’s Nekrokrist SS’ new album is taken from the 1989 Jörg Buttgereit horror movie of the same name? Nekrokrist SS are signed to Primitive Reaction Records, which kind of gives you an idea that this fearsome foursome aren’t here to entertain you with Euro-pop music! These guys – namely H. H. (vocals), V. H. (guitars), T. T. (bass) and A. R. (drums) – have clearly never left the mid-90s black metal scene, despite the band having formed in 2000.

The sound here is relatively regressive, obscure and primitive in its style. This could be said about thousands of similar bands over the years, but Nekrokrist SS do inhabit that very dark cavern in some remote necrosphere that harbours a few other bands who can make this simplistic style of evil work. Sure, the satanic themes and general all round hate-filled messages are clichéd, as is the corpsepaint and tin-can drumming and stark riffing, but the thorny elements of this seven-track cauldron of a record carry it through to the next inhospitable citadel of gloom.

Hardcore black metal fans will lap up the rusty riffs and the coarse, scratchy vocals, and they’ll also revel in the brackish nature of tracks such as ‘Perkeleestä Syntynyt’ and ‘Crematory Hymn (Burn In Hell)’ with their grating guitars and similar sounding structures. Where the band really find their evil niche, however, is with the disgusting vomits of ‘Satan Calls Your Name’, which is firmly buried in the controversial epoch of early to mid 90s black metal, such is its stark and blistering hate, despite being so amateurish in its raw plod.

Old school sounding black metal really does have a truer effect when it slows to a basement muffle, but the quartet are always quick to inject some pace via a well-used syringe. Nowhere is this more applicable than on the itchy ‘Kuolontanssi’ and lo-fi quality of ‘Vala’, which features some excellent, albeit primordial, drumming.

Der Todesking makes no apologies for being ramshackle in its production and approach, but any band who calls their debut album Suicide (2007) is clearly a group of underground dwellers that no-one should mess with. The only minus point of this vile little record is that the drums seem to drown out the guitars at times, so a little more dirty oomph with the riffs wouldn’t have gone amiss. But hey, it’s grim black metal, and they can do what the hell they want. Just when you thought horrible sounding old school black metal was lying dormant, these guys have just opened another abomination of an academy. Black is the new black.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share