The Swedish death metal scene has bred many bands with great potentials. Necrophobic can be claimed to be one of these bands, and their new album- Bloodhymns- will certainly have its effect on their fans around the world.

The peculiarity of the band is that it does not go after the conventional path followed by most Swedish death metal bands, since it also entails elements of black metal and an unholy, fiendish, blood-craving feeling that embraces this album in its entirety.
 
Angry, massacring guitar passages, along with rapid, blazing drums and a flaming bass create an atmosphere of warfare and butchery. The epic-brutal screams and the atmosphere of Viking battles that reigns in some parts of the album, alongside with the dark, epic, battle-evoking lyrics (as well as the sword-clash in track 10), remind of the aged but unforgotten, glorious epics of Bathory.

On the other hand, some parts (and songs) are dominant by repetition, while there are no strong guitar solos that would make out a difference. What also annoyed me was the fact that in some parts the epic feeling that was initially dominant suddenly became diminished or concealed beyond some more conventional death-metal guitar riffs. But that is only my point of view...

Nevertheless the production is quite solid, the sound is fine, and the whole album aggressive and heavy, ready to capture as many supporters of the extreme music as possible. And the river of blood may float forever!