NECROTTED are an extreme metal band from Germany who formed in 2008; ‘Imperium’ is their fifth full length album. They have also released two EPs and a split. Their sound is a balance between a lot of different elements, including melodic death, deathcore, and death metal. I’m actually rather impressed with just how well they have mixed all these styles together. Within the blistering setting of nine songs within thirty one minutes, they play as hard and as convincing as anything else I’ve heard in this second half of the year.

Their sound, despite mixing all these styles, is very balanced and there isn’t really one element that stands out over the others—it all comes together very cohesively and smoothly. None of the songs falter for any length of time and each one is a banger and offers enough variety for many reasons to want to replay.

The production and mix, while perhaps too clean, does allow each note to be captured and that really brings out their myriad of styles. The vocals are another highlight: Fabian can do anything, from a true death growls, to a deathcore shout, to blackened screams. Markus and Koray’s drums and bass, respectively are absolutely unrelenting and help offset the production with a very beefy sound. Philipp and Johannes are conjurers of the dark arts on the strings…jesus, these guys switch through the various styles as easy as I breathe. Fantastic.

The first song, “A Veiled Awakening,” begins in silence that develops into clean tones but then at the 24 second mark, the carnage begins…and doesn’t ever stop until the album is over. What a ride, what a song to start it all off! The opening riffs chug along, a striking balance between deathcore and death metal that finds a terrific sweet spot in tone. The vocals cut their way through while the bass/drums hold a foundation even while they hammering away in their own tight demonstration of deconstruction. Sprinkles of melody and harrowing double bass give the song a heavy sound with an epic vibe.

“Sow Sorrow For Victory” is an immediate grinder with the vocalist barking out the title track soon as it starts. At this point, I’m already battered and lost most of my hearing but I’m not allowed any rest until the halfway point. A brilliant clean instrumentation section takes over before going into a wonderfully catchy and very melodic solo. It’s the little things like this that really make the album stand out.

“Ignorance Is Fear,” is searing, the band zeroed in on nothing less than complete annihilation and leaving bodies as sacks of puss. The bass in this song is terrific, hell of a performance. Near the end, the song stops very briefly and returns with smashing rhythms and lead guitar that carries the screaming vocals to the end.

The machine-like precision of “Imperator” causes instant whiplash and then proceeds to dish out the pain to the rest of the body. Pock of melodic tinges exist within the riffs, adding just enough additional dynamics to an already potent concoction.

The final track, “My Reign Come, My Will Be Done,’ features screaming vocals over clean guitars before it turns into a barrage of riffage and furious instrumentals. The mid portion is coated with dense core inspired riffs that dig ultra deep and push the next segment of death metal ever forward.
All in all, NECROTTED’s “Imperium” is a fantastic late year surprise for me and I found myself enjoying it quite a bit. Fans of any of the styles the band burns through will find a ton of content here to enjoy and reasons to return.