2024-01-30 08:00:54
(c) Léonor Ananké
Almost exactly four years ago I wanted to Necrowretch dare to make a creative new start. The French changed their songwriting approach for “The Ones From Hell”, but six days before the start of the accompanying tour it had to be canceled for well-known reasons. After the initial shock was digested, they started working on a successor and wanted to try even more. For „Swords Of Dajjal“ For the first time, they took a lot of time, increased the black metal content significantly and also tried to add variety – a formula that works 100%.
The opening “Ksar Al-Kufar” impressively demonstrates how infernal the new, old Blackened Death sound has become. Necrowretch literally explode out of the starting blocks and bravely attack. Even the riffing is much darker, while the hoarse vocals come across as incredibly toxic. There is even room for smaller mid-tempo interludes, and the melodic undertones are deep black. The following “The Fifth Door” also moves forward with increasing enthusiasm, initially pushing any death metal roots into the background, but also finding space for leaden heaviness in the middle. The constant ups and downs of the arrangement are good, including a ponderous finish.
Exactly that impression is also present in the harbinger “Numidian Knowledge”. Skilful experimentation with changing tempo, rough neck blows non-stop, but at the same time massive amounts of decay and concrete drive through your bones. The bouncer “Total Obliteration” lives up to its name, one would think, but the rush of speed quickly drops and gives way to a predominantly oppressive second half. This kind of heaviness is good – see and listen to the short insertions in the title track “Swords Of Dajjal”, which cleverly lighten up the otherwise particularly rough dulcimer and skillfully intensify the brutal passages around it.
Necrowretch shed their skin once once more and push their sound to new heights. The leaden heaviness and the massive, high-quality black metal component are damn good, impressively undermined by death steel and oppressive melodic undertones. “Swords Of Najjal” is like riding on a powder keg, as raw as it is unyielding, but at the same time of surprisingly high entertainment value. Everything regarding it is damn uncomfortable, goes under the skin like needle points and pierces your innermost being with increasing enthusiasm – a feast of destruction, at the same time infused with impressive musicality. Necrowretch shine with their best album to date.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: February 2nd, 2024
Available via: Season of Mist (Soulfood Music)
Website: necrowretch.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Necrowretch
Category: Magazin, Reviews
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#Necrowretch #Swords #Dajjal
