Σχεδόν Νεκρός

This may end up being the only release from Shedon Necros (Σχεδόν Νεκρός in the proper Greek), but it's good enough that it can't pass without comment. Originally an outlet for its composer to try something different to main ideas in black and death metal, this project has more of a modern feel without abandoning extreme metal entirely. After a vocalist pulled out of recording on this demo, Van Gimot went ahead and did everything himself.

The result, although far from what I would normally listen to, has kept me up for hours in the past, since I can't help being caught up by the massive grooves and torrential momentum of these 2 songs. I have no clue what the lyrics are about since they were kept in Greek too, but I know riffs when I hear them. Opening with a small lead guitar detail somewhat reminiscent of Gimot's Virus Of Koch band, the remainder mixes relentless downtuned death metal with little bits of slamming hardcore that turns a mid-paced experience into a massively physical session. Though the relentless nature of the grooves are excellent in their own right, I can't help losing it when the tempo shifts, especially the occasion at the mid-point of the first track as everything suddenly escalates into heavier territories alongside a catchy staccato vocal delivery. Both songs are cut from the same cloth and benefit from the enormous guitar tone and precise drum patterns, so that I don't really mind whether the riffs continue to chug on simple notes or not, seeing as their effect is absolutely crushing.

A whole album of this would definitely need some variety, though as I said it's currently a solo project. To keep me working like crazy for 8 minutes at a time, I just stick this on repeat and bounce out of my desk chair as I slam the keyboard like an idiot. Simply excellent fun.