Info
- Band(s): Necroracle
- Label(s): Nuclear Winter Records, Triangulum Ignis
- Release Format(s): 12" vinyl, CD
- Release Year: 2024
- Review Date: November 1, 2024
- Author(s): VincentP
The Spanish Death/Black Metal scene might not be the most active, but when a band releases an album, you know it’s worth your attention. That certainly applies to Necroracle, whose first release came in the shape of the ‘MMXVIII’ EP in 2018, but a long period of silence followed. Broken by an advance promo in 2023, 2024 finally sees the band’s debut album ‘Arcane Impious Sorceries’ released.
Perhaps as much as their Spanish roots, the musical direction of the band seems to be one that demands years to hone. Listening to Necroracle, parallels with bands like Grave Miasma, Necros Christos, Cruciamentum, 13thMoon and Dead Congregation are inevitable, and not coincidentally all bands tend to take years to carefully craft their newest releases. Nearly always this is meant to aim for a level of perfection that too few bands strive for in the Blackened Death Metal genre and Necroracle can proudly stand tall amongst their peers, having used that time to compose an exquisite debut album.
All of the aforementioned bands and Necroracle included have their roots deeply buried in Death Metal, but Black Metal can clearly be found in the riffs and layers that each of them incorporates. While comparisons with especially Grave Miasma are inevitable as soon as opener ‘Mors Apotheosis’ burst out of the gates, ‘Arcane Impious Sorceries’ does set itself apart in plenty of ways. For one, the band has a slightly more atmospheric approach, with Black Metal strumming and background keyboards, and an overall more pronounced emphasis on melody. It is here that the band has likeness to acts such as Bythos, and certainly also reminds me of the Balmog album ‘Svmma Fide’, another stellar piece of Spanish Black/Death Metal. While the pace in ‘Mors Apotheosis’ is mostly relentless, the melancholy that seeps through in the slower parts combined with subtle melodic solos hint at a beauty hidden deep behind a wall of savagery that indicates the intricacies and eye for details that the band has put in their debut.
The subsequent ‘Thessalian Incantation’ further enforces the notion that Necroracle infuses more Black Metal elements compared to the list of bands that started off the review. While clearly in line with their EP, the music has gained a sense of bleakness and grandeur by doing so, lifting it to greater heights. The impressive wall of drums with moody strumming creates a suffocating and threatening ambience, and the continuous dynamics of the drums and lingering melodies combine exceptionally well together. Personally, the fully ambient ‘Death Takes Us to Ascension’ that follows breaks the flow a little bit, but ‘Abysmal Depths of Tartarus’ more than makes up for it, presenting an overwhelming wall of sound that is not unlike a band like Slidhr. With a constant thunder of the double bass, the shifting drum fills and changes in pace create a whirlwind of a track, which then escalates in a ritualistic apotheosis. ‘Eosphoros, the Shining One’ then takes us to a monolithic midpaced finale, filled with entrancing leads and a large role for atmospheric keyboards. It’s a splendid ending to a 38 minute record that impresses for nearly all of its duration. It makes ‘Arcane Impious Sorceries’ an impressive blend of Black and Death Metal that is bound to excite those that value the likes of Grave Miasma, Dead Congregation, Cruciamentum but also acts like Balmog, Bythos and Slidhr. Available on LP courtesy of Triangulum Ignis and on CD through Nuclear Winter Records, this is certainly a record that would not be misplaced in many a record collection.
Necroracle
- Country: Spain
- Style: Death Metal, Black Metal
- Links: Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, Youtube
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Nuclear Winter Records
- Country: Greece
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal
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Triangulum Ignis
- Country: Spain
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal, Other
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, Youtube
