So perhaps I'm terribly ignorant, but until about a month ago when I first heard "Epitaph," I had no idea who Necrophagist were. The name sounded vaguely familiar, like the sort of run-of-the-mill grind band that I typically don't care about, but I had never experienced their music. It came to me highly recommended and I must admit, I was skeptical. While it took a few listens to adjust to the vocals, Necrophagist is immediately gripping musically in a way that most extreme grind/death metal bands are not.
The trick to Necrophagist's success in my mind is the guitar work. I would have to estimate that 90% of the guitar playing on this record is either really catchy riffs or searing solos. The contrast it provides to many death metal outfits, obsessed with a chugging low-end guitar sound, is startling. By carrying the tempo with blast-beats and a great rich sound from the bass, the guitars are free to wander every which way, creating a trademark sound of musical complexity based on a relatively simple formula.
As far as standout tracks go, the bass runs throughout "Only Ash Remains" makes it immediately stand out in my mind, but each of the disc's eight cuts has more memorable musical moments than you can shake a stick at. The vocals, in my mind, leave a bit to be desired. For all their exploration of their instruments' possibilities throughout this disc, their singing is simply a typically lackluster deep throaty rasp. I'm just not interested in this sort of singing. If you like it, you'll probably love this. If you don't, the music is still good enough to win you over.
Bottom Line: Relapse Records has always had a knack at finding bands that can fit clearly into a genre, yet defy the definition and boundaries of that genre. Necrophagist is clearly a technically proficient death metal band, but their ear for a catchy riff quickly propels them to a point of greatness reserved for some of the most established names associated with the style. Metalheads take note: Necrophagist is about to be your new favorite band and "Epitaph" is the reason why. |
