SALEM is one of the bands that many people do not know about, but when they manage to get in touch with their music, they just love them. That's exactly what happened to me a few years ago. I didn't know shit about this band, but when I first watched one of their video clips, I think it was Act Of War from their 2002 Collective Demise album, I just adored their music! Now it is the time for me to review their brand new album, which I hope won't disappoint me. Let's see what  SALEM  have done in their new full-length effort.

SALEM come from a country with an incredibly weak Metal scene. The band is from Israel. Even though I discovered this band a bit too late, they exist since 1985 under the name AXE METAL. They changed their name later, taking it from the movie The Witches Of Salem. The band debuted with the 1992 Creating Our Sins. After one more album through Morbid Records, the band issued two more albums through different labels and finally ended up being a part of Season Of Mist's roster to release Necessary Evil, which is the band's fifth studio album.

SALEM continue with their well know personal style of extreme Metal. I do not want to try to explain what is it that they play since the bio note on the promo is 100% the same with my opinion. The band plays blackened Thrash Metal mixed with mid-paced Death Metal. The tempo varies since while listening to Necessary Evil you will face relentless blasts, as well as mid tempo heavy riffing. Credits go to the incredible rhythm section, which really kicks some major ass! To tell you the truth, if someone told me I would like a Metal band from Israel so much, I would just laugh my ass off! From the time I listened to SALEM's work, I have kept following their steps and the band just keeps impressing me! The band's sound is diverse and this will make you find them at least interesting. SALEM perfectly combine their Thrash influences (in my humble opinion German Thrash in the vein of KREATOR and DESTRUCTION), their European Death Metal influences, as well as their blackened elements, while adding some traditional music from their country to the whole mixture. Some of you may be thinking of ORPHANED LAND by now. These two bands are similar cases, but they definitely don't play the same music. The lyrics have to do with the suffering the Jews go through as well as the Islamic terrorism. The production is also pretty good and heavy, in a few words, just what SALEM's music needs.

This band proves that strength, passion and mostly hard work can make you achieve things. How many chances can a band from Israel have? The fact is that SALEM have managed to become a top act with works that many bands would surely want to have composed themselves! The only thing I have to say is that Necessary Evil is an album that will please not only Death Metal fans, but also Black, Thrash and generally fans of extreme Metal.