Keep reading if blistering death metal is your thing. You’ll probably dig this album. These guys kind of strike me as a mix between Skinless, Nasum and Witchery (though just a bit). They’re not technical, they’re not artsy, they’re not innovative. They’re just fast, heavy, ballsy and damn good.

I did kind of expect something a bit more experimental, just looking a the odd cover (for the genre), and some of the song titles. But what I got was some relentless, riff loving death metal. And these guys love the riffs, let me tell you. One after another, without any solos or breaks. Don’t get me wrong, this album is no snooze fest. With such a bare bones formula, their exceptional riff crafting and songwriting is only made more apparent.

Intro “All in Vain/All in Veins” struck me as pretty lame. A slow, lumbering instrumental that never really caught my ear. Fortunately, “After All” grabbed me with a well conceived structure, and some sweet Witchery-ish melodies and thrashing. I enjoy their use of melody, as it’s not over indulgent or complicated. Just enough to add some flavor to this huge slab of metal serloin. “Descent’s Genesis” sprays you with blast beats and double bass (get used to it). But they change things up with a mature and welcome pace. Plenty of thrash breaks and slow downs to keep you listening. It seems like a common trend to cram as much as you can in a two and a half minute song. Necroblaspheme give you plenty of time to sit and enjoy their admittedly enjoyable riffing. With songs lingering around the 4 minute mark, they really don’t mind hammering out some riffs for a while.

It took until the end of “Thoughts Close At Hand” for me to get mildly bored. But not bored enough to stop listening, which is good becsause closer “Nameless” is one of the stronger tracks. And at just over 36 minutes, the album is a pretty good length. This probably won’t knock off anyone’s socks, but I enjoyed it. Like to headbang? Then get it.

[Visit the band's website]

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