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Well, this sounds different! Necrodemon offer us their new album Ice Fields of Hyperion, and it's undoubtedly unlike anything I've ever heard before. Now I know that they don't put themselves into the ridiculous classification that Immortal Souls gives themselves… with that being "Winter Metal"; however they sure could deserve the title. The look, the sound, and the track titles, all make the concept of this winter-based album come alive. Another unique quality of this band is without a doubt the vocal performance. His range includes everything from King Diamond to Chuck Schindler, to Johan Liiva, and maybe even a bit further than that at times. Also, a simple classification of this band is almost impossible; as they can be found playing a fast paced brutal yet technical riff, then switch straight into a death/doom passage in no time flat. Maybe blackened brutal death/thrash/doom metal would cover it? I haven't been so stumped on genre categorization of a band since hearing Moonlyght's album Progressive Darkness back in 2004; in which I believe I dubbed them folk/black/death/doom/progressive metal…which maybe covers half of what went on in that album. But anyway the point is, this is kind of happening again here. It's yet another scenario where a band is so loosely based in every genre that the only root genre left is essentially…just plain old metal. Genre confusions aside, this album utterly annihilates most of the stuff I've heard this year. I fully admit that they take quite a bit of getting used to, but hey so did my favorite album of all time…that being Arcturus' La Masquerade Infernale. These guys can write some absolutely killer riffs, and they place them so perfectly in every song. I don't need a guitarist with tons of talent in every band I listen to…I want somebody who knows how to write something to fit within a song. Sure, showboating occasionally is more than acceptable on my terms, (not to the extent of a Black Label Society live performance though) just when it actually fits into the framework of the song. You know, I love my guitar solos as much, if not more so than the next guys, but don't place it so awkwardly into a track that it detracts away from the power and message of the original music. Speaking of guitar solos though, Rob Elliot can shhhhrrrrrreddddd on this album. There are some pretty memorable and classic sounding, and almost thrashy, solos performed on this album, and I can't help but enjoy them completely. They are really quite unique too, perhaps due to the fact it sounds like they are using guitars set up for an old black metal album, but whatever it is, makes it sound all the better. Another thing not to be overlooked is Chuck Feldman's drumming on this CD, because he can do much more than just keep the beat. He reminds me often of the drummer Bill Andrews from some of Death's early works. Cool drums rolls, precise double-bass attacks, and tricky little fills, make for an interesting listen while he tosses in the occasional blast-beats in the more brutal sectors. It's nice when you actually have someone who knows how to beat the skins instead of just a guy who does some incessant blasting instead. I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever on any musicianship here, which is probably a first for me in a while. The vocals are creepy yet awesome at the same time, the guitars "Burn like a buzz saw blade" as Annihilator would've put it, the drumming is tight and refined, while the bass sort of acts as the glue to the organized chaos the other two produce. Necrodemon put out an album this time that shouldn't be overlooked by fans of the underground death metal scene. I don't really think that thrash or black metal fans would really embrace them, but I would think death metal is the closest to a home they can find. I would be lying though I said that there isn't better out there. Necrodemon are definitely a great band, but I still think they'll be the shadows with bands like Dismember, Suffocation, and Obituary still going strong. Also I know for a fact they can't really hang tough either with the technical death crowd with bands like Brain Drill, Domination through Impurity, Beneath the Massacre, and Spawn of Possession out there right now. I think that Necrodemon lie somewhere in-between these two groupings, and will rise to the surface when the time is right…or when everyone finally realizes the talent these guys actually have. I would give you all some highlight tracks of this album, but really the whole album is pretty damn great, and I think you'd be proud of yourself for purchasing it on your own. Find out for yourselves how good Necrodemon is, I shouldn't need to tell you why they're excellent, because after you've heard it, it's quickly apparent. | |
