Review Summary: Lord of Darkness, hear the call! Come forth and bring us EEEVAAAL!
So, one day as I was going through death riffing metal, I stumbled upon this riffing album right riffing here. As I played it, everything seemed to get real riffing dark and quiet, and the clouds parted. The full Moon shown brilliantly and riffs came descending from the night sky. The first thing I thought was, "Holy riffing riff this owns." The riffing didn't stop, either, it just kept riffing going. When it was over(which seemed to happen way too riffing fast; this is one of the fastest 40 minutes I experienced from an album), the Sun was back out and the dream was over. Yes, this album can cause a riffing solar eclipse, it's that riffing awesome.
Okay, now that that's out of the way, what exactly are we looking at here? A blackened death metal album from Sweden by Necrophobic that has quite a bit of melody in the riffs. Wait, wait, wait. I know what you are riffing thinking: no thanks, man, melody is for homosexuals. That's exactly right, Knower of the Wicked, except in certain circumstances - and this is one of them. These aren't sugary fabulously flamboyant riffs. Nay, brethren. These are some downright evil melodic riffs; some of the best I've heard. This album has been approved by Valerius so it's Manly-Metal(TM), rest assured. Women are, of course, encouraged to listen to this, too, so we can get more quality female metal. I know what you are thinking about that as well: that quality female metal is an oxymoron. Well, there is some good female Manly-Metal(TM) out there if you dig deep enough. Anyways, on with this riffy riffing review.
This album came out of Sunlight Studios in Sweden, but the production doesn't sound like many of the albums that came from there. It's lighter - this isn't a heavy or brutal album. It's very much a guitar driven album, with excellent leadwork. The bass is a bit hard to make out, but with riffs like this who gives a flying riff? I don't, and if you like Manly-Metal(TM) you shouldn't either. The drumming isn't phenomenal, but it definitely gets the job done. The vocals are superb, though. Anders Strokirk really sets the mood for this album and sends chills up the spine. So, yes, the atmosphere here is cold, dark, and undoubtedly riffing evil. When I think of an "evil" album, I think of The Nocturnal Silence.
In my opinion, this is one of the finest death metal albums. It's mandatory listening on your journey through extreme metal, and absolutely riffing essential if you like death metal. This is an album I can't be without. It was awesome on first listen, has gotten better with each spin, and with riffs and atmosphere this great I don't see myself losing respect for this album anytime soon.
