All Paths Are Left Here
Necrom
•
June 10, 2022
The debut album from Ukraine's Death metalers NECROM hit the world in March 2022. With new line-up changes in place after their EP The Light Has Never Been Here in 2019, the band has released their newest work based on written and cinematic delicacies of horror. The band started in 2018 to pay homage to the veterans of the heavy metal scene in Ukraine. Now they are looking to make a name for themselves, in which one day they could have a young up-and-coming band saluting them.
The album starts off with an unnerving thirty seconds into the track "Dagon", then manipulates itself into a Death metal frenzy with forceful vocals that come across like in-your-face punk, but with a hatred snarl. The song is full of riffs that towards the end become heavily melodic with angelic choir effects. "Fathers Will Feast" is a heavy driving song that embraces old school metal and has some great drums that carry the song with a strong rhythm behind the frantic riffage of the guitars. The track picks up a rapid pace as a screeching solo comes to the forefront before a mounting growl brings it to submission. The band does a good job of overlapping riffs to bring out a heaviness to the songs and maintains a strong rhythm. That seems to be the key to success on the track "Food For Worms". Galloping riffs played alongside high notes, with the drums and bass providing a ramp for the song to take off. This is a fast and to the point song that is a heavy hitter for the listener.
"The Oldest Horror" is a reminder of the heavy metal coming out of Sweden and Germany in the late 90's and early 2000's, and the ability to keep a strong, bang your head presence, while setting a fast tempo. The track "Walls Have Hands" is set upon a slower minute and a half opening that sits well as the chords are given time to ring out and the drums are able to slowly pick up a tempo and involves some tactical rolls and symbol work. It is a change of pace from the, exploding into structure that most of the songs are built upon. The 'pump-your-fist-or-horns-in-the-air' track on the album for me is "Tomahawk of Bone". It is a relentless form of aggression that involves everything from the gut stirring roar of the lyrics, to the nonstop drive of the instruments that keeps the song raging on until it cuts off with one last roar. The album ends on "The Woods of Weird West" and has something to it that none of the others seem to have. I don't know what it is, maybe how the vocals fit the music well, or that there seems to be a strong emotional output with the vocals. The guitars create an on-edge melody to open the song up and keep a subdued aggression throughout. The song is far from the most rabid track on the album, but definitely hits hard.
Using stories portrayed in cinema and novels gives a band like this so much firepower for an album and albums yet to come. I enjoyed the vocals as it gives off a strong sense of power that matches the music. The music is well heard on the album, without any overwhelming presence that drowns its peers out. This is a good first full-length release, showing that the band is ready and have a strong sense of collaborating as a band to creatively write songs.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"All Paths Are Left Here" Track-listing:
1. Dagon
2. Fathers Will Feast
3. Food For Worms
4. The City the Old Ones Built
5. The Oldest Horror
6. Walls Have Hands
7. The Light Has Never Been Here
8. Templars Are Coming
9. Tomahawk Of Bone
10. The Woods Of Weird West
Necrom Lineup:
Ancient Starlit Tombs and Raging Ghoulish Hordes - Vocals, Bass
Apocalyptic Riders Trumpets Hailing Undead Resurrection - Guitars
Visions of Radiant Galactic Gates of Torturous Harmonies - Guitars
Leviathan's Eternal Vessel - Drums
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