AAAAARRGGHH! Necroholocaust scorch the surface of the earth and civilization with it with their debut full-length, Holocaustic Goat Metal. Add the Chris Moyen artwork (I believe it’s him. Correct me if I’m wrong), and every pop music fan dancing to Pharrell’s “Happy” song will stop stone-cold and start running for the nearest bomb shelter!
A fantastic mix of death, black and bestial metal, the very short intro gives way to blood-spitting violence rarely heard in the homes of the influential. Necroholocaust destroy the status quo by giving ear candy to young kvlt folk ready to inherit the current generations’ keys to the city. More than that, Necroholocaust give necro, trve and kvlt fans enough pillboxes in their debut full-length to start a world uprising (From a volcano in the heart of Yellowstone Park, the horned one rises, unleashed!).
“How so?” you may ask, casual listener of Satanic filth. This is no tongue-in-cheek tribute to Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy we have here. The vocals are powerful barks that could be mistaken as that of a cerberus; the guitar riffs blaze through the frets like fire is spitting from the strings, and the drums sound like boulders slamming into the gates of heaven as the songs warp into each other, hardly distinct from one another; but they are, as a whole, effective as a soundtrack of destruction that doesn’t emphasize melody and catchy songwriting as a means to sack a city in any day and age. Necroholocaust rage like inferno from the fiery pits, climbing Jacob’s Ladder all the way to its zenith.
Seriously, I’m a fan of this. It’s barbaric. It’s intense. It demonstrates the destructive power that music can inspire to create. Slower jams within the songs serve to put the world on notice, pausing for the smoke to clear from the burnt rooftops and buildings.
The intro sounds like a she-goat having extra uterine pains giving birth to Satan himself, who is covered with spikes and leather, tearing the she-goat’s vulva into bloody shreds.
Then, blastbeats stomp out of the speakers, the riffs surge. One track blurs into another as one thing becomes evident – this is the musical equivalent of devastation. Your headphones turn into a crown of thorns!
The solos are a welcome element of the songwriting, occasionally inspiring some air guitar from yours truly. An interlude after the first proper song features a boy’s choir, church organ and lit matches – an interesting mix. Let your imagination run wild with those images.
A long ambient interlude comes in towards the end of the album, complete with a Church bell, some keyboards, and some lingering explosions.
So, before you go all, “Al Necro likes interludes?” on me, I’ll have to say that these ones don’t bother me one bit, as this kind of music needs them to space things out and allow my ears to recuperate. Don’t worry, because before long, the onslaught starts anew.
All songs feature blast sections, but the slower jams are also well done. The production is clear enough to hear everything the band is doing. The guitars don’t sound too thin. There are no rung notes or folk metal segments. The guitars sound like electric wires being cut with a rusty pair of scissors. The drums are like war tanks trampling over crying toddlers.
Catch a breath of fire and get your copy now.
