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Upon receiving this CD and perusing the band's website, I can tell you that Necrodemon is for real! They are metal to the bone, no apologies offered or accepted. They make sure people understand that, unlike many of today's pretenders from that not-mentioned-by-me genre popping up in malls around our fair country, there is no compromise or "hobby-band" in this repertoire – these guys are old school style, old-school serious, and old-school talented! I can't believe these guys haven't been signed to a bigger label yet when said labels are in desperate need of anything remotely viable and talented. This CD is 50+ minutes of raw metal that should be freakin' heard!
Necrodemon has been around for a while now and it sounds like they should have been back from my day in the mid-80s! Created in 1998, the "Deadly Demo" was released a year later. "Allegiance to the End" is the band's second full-length release (from 2003). The members are Rob Elliot on all guitars and vocals, Chuck Feldman on drums and Jeremy Montgomery on bass and keyboards. If you've read any of my reviews before this one you'll most likely notice that I'm "stuck" in the "old school" tenure, and I admit it freely! I love newer music if it has the balls and style to impress an old and jaded metalhead, but there's always going to be that stronghold on my tastes that longs for the days of my youth when malls saw Metallica and Slayer shirts as opposed to little kids dressed up in HIM attire that's utterly ridiculous and just plain bothersome to look at. Anyway, back to the task at hand - I have to say I'm really into this CD and its old school sound (yeah, yeah). I also have to add that what impresses me the most (aside from solid music and great time-changes) is Rob Elliot's vocals: in a world of grunting, growling, shrieking, bellowing, guttural wailing, overall pained moaning, etc. Elliot spits out vocals in the very vein of our dearly departed Chuck Schuldiner from Death! It's great to hear those types of vocals being spat out today, let me tell you! There are moments of some pretty deep growling ("IV"), but it's done so damn well that I hasten to put them in the categories mentioned above. Some of the sound is reminiscent of Coroner, old Kreator, a bit of Razor with some Possessed thrown in for good measure. I can also hear some lesser-known bands like Anvil Bitch and Destructor. Musically tight and sound, Necrodemon has all of the elements needed for a true metal band: style, aggressiveness, great hooks and riffs. Songs include "Prophet of Doom", "Galactic Tomb", "The Meatwagon", and "Cthulu Mytho" and they rock, plain and simple! The production on the CD is pretty damn good as well; everything is right up in your face and mixed nicely so every instrument is cleary identifiable and enjoyable! If some real shredding from a real metal band is what you seek, take my advice and look up Necrodemon. The greatest compliment I can pay these guys is that if you like Death-type vocals with some honest metal backing it, buy the CD or wish you would have! | |
