Necronomicon is a thrash metal band from Germany formed in 1984 by singer/guitarist Volker ‘Freddy’ Fredrich. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1986, with ten more studio albums following over a forty-year career – interrupted by a ten-year hiatus during the nineties and into the noughties! 2004 saw the band’s resurrection with ‘Construction Of Evil’, after which the band never looked back! Necronomicon is regarded as one of the most exciting thrash metal bands to have ever emerged from Germany – originally forming during the eighties when thrash metal exploded onto the world scene courtesy of “The Big 4” and “The Teutonic Four”.
Spearheaded by frontman (and only original band member) Freddy, Necronomicon is hitting hard and thrashing harder! Twelve new songs over fifty furious minutes, see the band seamlessly meld thrash and traditional heavy metal to fantastic effect – the album explodes into life with the feisty title song ‘Constant To Death’. Blending together aggression and brutality into a mid-tempo heavy stomp, ‘Constant To Death’ (the song) is fairly sedate compared to the speed normally associated with the band (and thrash in general), but this is only the warm-up for what is to follow! The menacing and blistering speedster ‘They Lie’ – travelling at high velocity, challenging the speed of sound and light to a race! Necronomicon are on fire here, scorching the earth to leave only smoke and desolation in their wake – ‘Redemption’ maintaining the album’s recent turn of blinding speed. The onslaught from the band is incredible, surging forth with all the menace and aggression of traditional-sounding thrash metal.
With pace and intensity levels rising higher and higher, ‘Constant To Death’ (the album) continues apace with ‘Stored In Blood’ bringing forth an old school NWOBHM guitar tone to complement the band all-out thrash attack. An attack that has been getting more ferocious the longer the album has run! German thrash is renowned for being more brutal and harsh than American or British, with Necronomicon keeping that reputation intact. ‘The Guilty Shepherd’ – with its short, harrowing story-telling-like intro, bursts into a searing rampage of menace and aggression, the band wound up and wreaking havoc among the masses with a neck-breaking barrage of headbang ability. Many of the songs on offer are under four minutes long, with a few less than three! Entering a more heavy metal realm than thrash, ‘A Voice For The Voiceless’ is a melodic march to attract traditional metal fans to the band’s soundscape. This type of genre spanning metal is so attractive, honing in on many listeners, fans and followers.
Harsh guitars give life to ‘Black Rain’ – a brash barrage of thunder booming over the land, sending shivers and vibrations down the spine of every metalhead! Not to mention the crushing force destroying buildings and smashing the ground, Necronomicon blasting everything and anything into oblivion with devastating accuracy! Clocking in at just over two minutes in length, ‘Children Cry Alone’ is the shortest song on offer – and is a scorching hot, unrelenting thrash metal attack! The speed is phenomenal, the head bang ability incredible – ‘Children Cry Alone’ a tremendous tirade of thrash! Simply breathtaking! And with blood rushing through veins at a hundred miles an hour and adrenaline levels soaring through the roof, the band storm on with ‘Bloodrush’, displaying the band’s penchant for blending thrash, power, and heavy metal traits into one all-encompassing metal assault.
There’s no stopping the band now they’re in full flight, Freddy and Co. dominating the airways with majesty and poise. ‘Down From Above’ maintains the album’s overall energetic pace and blistering speed! The band ain’t slowing down for no-one, not the authorities and definitely not for speed limit signs! Necronomicon is in a destructive mood, destroying anything foolish enough to be in the band’s way! So watch out, readers and listeners – you may be next. Look out! What’s that behind you? The incoming wrath of ‘The Blood Runs Red’, replete with a menacing spoken word intro, launches forth with a fiery high-velocity surge and a rising thunder, fire and brimstone attitude! ‘The Blood Runs Red’ is everything the German outfit stands for – aggressive, in your face and highly head-bang-able thrash. And with the final song looming large on the horizon, Necronomicon has proven why they are still a major force in the worldwide thrash metal scene – ‘Poverty Show’ closing the album out in a blazing firestorm of feisty thrash. As fast as anything else on offer, ‘Poverty Show’ is a fantastic final hurrah to leave every listener, fan and follower breathless. And wait a moment – there’s an outro still to go! Simply titled ‘Outro’, the band deliver an atmospheric and sinister sounding, two-minute warm down from the breathtaking and highly energetic thrash metal rampage of the last fifty minutes.
Overall, a high-velocity gallop of aggression and brutality, melding thrash with traditional heavy metal elements to terrific effect.
TRACKLIST
Constant To Death
They Lie
Redemption
Stored In Blood
The Guilty Shepherd
A Voice For The Voiceless
Black Rain
Children Cry Alone
Bloodrush
Down From Above
The Blood Runs Red
Poverty Show
Outro
Necronomicon: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: El Puerto Records
Category: Album
Country: Germany
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
