Necropolis

When you take a look at most deathcore bands I can only imagine what you think. You see generic chugs, vocal fetishes, and overused breakdowns. Which for the most part is an accurate representation of modern deathcore. You can really find something that sticks out in the grand scheme of the genre. When I heard this band, I did not expect such an amazing outcome. I really expected something generic and already done before. My lord was I wrong after hearing this album. These guys were really out to create something memorable with this album. Taking a very dark and cold approach to this for the most part generic genre. These guys take a lot of symphonic and blackened elements into the mix with their already crushing deathcore sound. They really take a lot of death metal influence as well in the riffs. This is an album that will be remembered.

The overall tone the album is going for is super dark and I cannot get enough of it. The symphonic elements blend in so well together with the overall atmosphere the album is going for. You can really hear quite a bit black metal influence in the guitar riffs and the vocals overall. I would also say the drums to an extent but I find blast beats to be present in near all extreme metal genres. The guitar tone not to mention sounds very triumphant and powerful in the mix and I love it. That feeling of importance you get when you hear the tone of the guitars is extremely important to the album. With that said I consider the guitars on this album to be the most important aspect. Which is surprising since this is a deathcore band we are talking about here. These guitar players are really a gift from the gods, so many great riffs throughout the album that is actually very memorable. I also think these guys want to stay away from chugging and I hear a very "djenty" sounds to the guitars that come up throughout the album. Which is nice because chugs can get very old and sloppy after time. These guys execute that djent sound very cleanly.

When it also comes to technicality in deathcore, it mostly seems those bands do tapping that seems pointless which is very annoying. I guess you could say wankery is the right word when talking about technical deathcore "riffs," I put that in quotations because are they even really riffs? Back to the point, these dudes have very technical riffs but are not senseless tapping. It seems they really wanted to get a clean technical sound with these riffs and really want to show their ability to write great riffs of all kinds. For example, if you look at the song "Aborted Idol" off of this album, you can hear the technicality in the riffs that is being put out. It just does not sound meaningless like most other technical riffs which really makes me appreciate it even more. Also makes me respect the songwriting ability the guitarists put out. I also find the breakdowns to be super creative as well. None of the breakdowns are just chugs, they have a certain groove to them that does not sound recycled at all. It is a very refreshing sound I think.

In this case the drums and guitars go hand and hand, and really pair extremely well together. This drummers style is definitely all over the kit but he uses it sparingly and very skillfully. The blast beats on this album as well sound very clean and precise. Most blast beats I hear sound very sloppy and just seems very off tempo. While these never miss a single beat. Other than the very clean precise sound the drums are overall normal for what you hear in metal. This is not a bad thing but it is not something too spectacular.

The instrumental section flows so damn well together. They really made it a goal to make a damn memorable record and that's what they did. It is very crushing instrumentals that really support the band. It is very odd to say that since it is the obvious, but most deathcore bands now just have generic instrumentals and good vocalists and somehow thrive in the scene. Vocal fetishes are everywhere in the deathcore scene and it kills me. Vocals are really just the cherry on top of the sundae. Which is what this album shows. The vocals are very crushing, especially the lows. The high screams really remind me of black metal shrieks and I love that addition. Really adds to the grim aspect of the album. The vocalist also has an amazing flow and really knows when to let the music shine through.

To top it all off, this album has very tight production. Does not sound fake at all and sounds very natural. To wrap up the review this album has such right performances, great memorable riffs which is really my favorite part, a very grim atmosphere, and great breakdowns. This album needs way more attention for what it is. It is really what deathcore should be. More focused on songwriting ability which is really what these guys did and I cannot get enough of it. Such a solid start for these guys. They bring deathcore a memorable feature and it is very fresh. Nothing is recycled and these dudes are really one of a kind.