It’s necessary to have acts working both on younger and older tendencies in Metal genres: the first set is to keep the subgenres going and evolving for the future to come, the second to keep the old ways alive. On the second resides a very burden of responsibility, because to keep older ways alive and to be expressive on them is hard, because you must be yourself, and not someone that already existed. And besides the Romanian Death Metal trio NECROTUM has a very good work, on “Defleshed Exhumation” show the need for some maturing. Filip Garlonta (the band bass player/vocalist/drummer and guitarist) did the recordings, leaving to Uriel Aguillon the mixing and mastering, and their efforts were done to create something old fashioned and organic, with simple instrumental tunes without endless digital editions.

It’s a good work, but it could be done in different (and more efficient) ways. It’s good, but could be better. And Slimeweaver (cover art) and Skaðvaldur Art (layout) did a very good work on the art, creating something classic for the trio. The band shows a musical work based on Old School Death Metal that’s heavily influenced by North American Death Metal acts as MONSTROSITY, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MASSACRE, DEATH, EXHUMED and others. But some parts with groove can be heard in many moments (as on “Dissolved in the Flesh Pits”) and some traces of Brutal Death Metal on the band’s music. But the sense that ‘I-heard-that-before-somewhere’ is too strong, what means that one can think that the band lacks of a personality sometimes (what’s not the truth, mind you). It’s not bad, but it could be way better.

Of course, “Defleshed Exhumation” isn’t a waste, and good moments can be heard on “Warped in Entrails” (some groove elements can be heard in the mix of brutality and some technical elements, with good tunes contrasts of the vocals), “Noxious Breeze” (fine technical parts once more, with hooking guitar riffs), “Incomprehensible Forms” (another set of extreme hooks can be heard in this one, with some technical parts from bass guitar and drums), “Shattered Flow of Time” (again fine guitar riffs), and “Ghastly Metropolis”, and on their version for DEMIGOD’s “As I Behold I Despise”, but as told, they need to mature their ideas, to leave the shadow of their musical influences.

Again: “Defleshed Exhumation” isn’t a bad release, but it could be better. For now, NECROTUM is a band that needs to work more to put its potential out.