Once in a lifetime, an inhumanly brilliant mind bestows its genius upon us mere mortals and gifts us with devilishly brilliant audial ambrosia for the soul. One of the finest exports of Finland in recent times, NECRO WEASEL deliver the deified goods in seemingly infinite talent in the latest full-length, "Obey, Suffer and Die". The band's fifth full-length in no less than three years - yes, FIVE albums in THREE years - is as uncompromising in quality as ever from this ceaseless punky riff-machine. In their signature cool, caustic, and embittered - but authentic - view on the world, NECRO WEASEL never fail to impress and the stark and harsh realities that we face in life are played out through the band's thrashy punk lens with glorious elements of crust, crossover, and even a smattering of black metal riffs this time around.

Having previously reviewed "Isolated and Incompetent" and "Another Day to Waste", and instantly becoming a fan of the band's "metalpunk, sorrow, and misery", I couldn't wait to grapple with NECRO WEASEL's burning cynicism and blistering sonics once more. The artwork is always deliberately bleak, but this time around, NECRO WEASEL has opted for something a little more tongue-in-cheek, in the form of a gorgeous depiction of a punky weasel, riding in on a unicorn, splattering Putin with a riff rainbow. Absolutely bloody glorious stuff, and for the artwork alone, completely worth your hard-earned cash to support a band that would happily bum Putin with pineapples for fun (although this could be considered cruelty to pineapples).

Given the political connotations in the cover art, you can expect the thematic of "Obey, Suffer and Die" to remain true to NECRO WEASEL's hard-nosed punk stature, with opener "Symbols of Oppression" instantly biting with its unsparing thrash energy and hard-hitting lyrics. A touch of D-Beat ensues in the scolding title-track, taking a more crust focused turn with a little gang-chant style thrown in for good measure, while "White, Stupid & Privileged" makes use of a SLAYER "Raining Blood" inspired riff to open, full-throated, and uninhibited in its delivery. It's not just politics that makes the WEASEL go pop, "Walking Dead" bludgeons in its bruising battle with mental health with its oppressive mix of black metal style melodies in amongst aggressive drum fills, and "One Victim Too Much" rages with the most blistering solo featured on the album.

Everything about "Obey, Suffer and Die" is intended to be immediate, brutal, and unyielding. It's instrumentally dense, striking an optimal balance of sharp, memorable riffing, tight drums, and the sort of harsh vocal abrasion hardcore and punk spit out. "Writings on the Wall" encapsulates each of these elements with its instinctual pissed-off punk attitude and "Endless Gateway" fires on all cylinders with its obnoxious surliness. "A Light in the Darkness" is anything but light, with a drum show featuring intermittent D-Beat and blasts, rammed with furious, up-tempo energy that'll have you tachycardic and wired like a cokehead on Red Bull for days. This is some seriously high-quality thrash - another mind-blowingly brilliant instalment in NECRO WEASEL's discography at that - that is rounded off with production that's polished with a little ruggedness to finish it with a real chef's kiss seal of approval.

"Obey, Suffer and Die" offers a little more by way of progressive elements musically, but the one constant that remains with NECRO WEASEL's work is the ability to "castigate and educate", so much so, I'm convinced that the band could singlehandedly start a revolution with its vociferous and empowering lyrics, and ignite an entire generation to stand up and be counted. "Obey, Suffer and Die" is firmly seated in my Top 10 releases of 2023; this is thrashy punk crossover at its finest and you'd be utterly nuts to miss it.
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