Sometimes you hear a band and you just want to call all your friends and start gushing. Which, in my case, would be pointless because all the friends I could call could care less about extreme metal. Regardless, Necrosic is just such a band. Putrid Decimation is an EP that NO serious death metal fan should pass by. Period.

I am going to keep writing about this because that is the job, but seriously, this is a CRUCIAL death metal release. You should already be purchasing it. You can keep reading this while the distro website loads or whatever, but you should be in the process right fucking now.

Honestly: get there, give them money. NOW.

Necrosic plays off-timed, mosh heavy, classic death metal without any pretense or self-congratulation. They recall the best aspects of Immolation, Iniquity and other classic acts without falling too close to any of them. This is a band making death metal like death metal was originally made: mash up some riffs, let the drummer tie them together, and play them gargantually. Is it speedy? Sometimes. Is it sludgy? Sometimes. Does it groove? Sometimes. Are there ear ripping solos? Every time. Is it glorious? ALL the times.

Composed of members of established acts such as Ghoul, Impaled, Scolex and Autopsy (Eric Cutler), this is a veteran crew, and none of that experience is wasted. The difference between these songs and the same style from a less experienced band is simply confidence. The band is smooth as the flat of a knife in their transitions, and as razor sharp as the knife’s edge in their execution. They understand exactly how to build on a dynamic, letting no note or beat be forsaken

What they share with a less experienced band is enthusiasm. They are in love with this sound they are creating, and that oozes from the every performance. Guitarists Christian La Rocca and Eric Cutler revel in each other’s rhythm work, and add just the right amount of harmony to the riffs to bring them to life. Sean McGrath’s voice is a chesty below, perfect for the trudging, massive marches.

But the rhythm section of Erika Osterhout and C. Koryn are what ties everything together and makes this band special. Erika’s bass is exquisitely present in the mix, which is not to say it is ostentatious, but rather sublime and grounding, bringing the guitars and drums together with drama and power. Koryn’s drumming is simply perfect for every aspect of the record. Again, the transitions and off timed riffs could very easily sound amateurish, but Erika and Koryn blend them into a seamless, maniacal, violent series of movements.

As for the four tracks themselves, they are all standouts. Opening with a double-picked riff frenzy on “Vomit Transmutation”, and closing as a somber death march into a slamming final bow for “As My Casket Drains”, the band does not make a single misstep. Every song is complete in and of itself. This is not a massive feat for an EP, but still it points to, one hopes, great things to come.

Necrosic is a band of talented, established death metal musicians. We might be tempted to call them a death metal supergroup. Let us resist. Necrosic will stand or fall as a band based on their output, not their members’ previous merits. And this motherfucker stands. It stands it’s ass off. And if you are still reading this and have not yet put your order in, you are an idiot. Again, this is CRUCIAL death metal – exposing the still beating and bleeding heart of the scene.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments