Black as Pitch

The discography of Necrodeath has its ups and downs. But fortunately, there are definitely more highlights than lackluster publications. From my point of view, "Black as Pitch" belongs to the best albums of the Italians. Even when compared with its outstanding predecessor, the here presented output did not disappoint. Probably due to the fact that the band had a stable line-up, Necrodeath appeared as a well-oiled machine. Every cog intermeshed almost perfectly with the next one.

To start with the sound, it had the effect of an instant cure for headaches. It cleared your head in a matter of seconds while blowing all the daily bullshit out of it. The guitars delivered the maximum degree of power and vehemence, but Flegias also was well audible. He screamed like a tortured animal. Speaking of animals, drummer Peso seemed to be an octopus. I really wonder how he managed the drum performance with only two arms. In any case, he worked like a berserk with an overdose of power so that he could actually cancel his contract with the local fitness studio. Joking apart, the stormy mix matched with the compositions in a very good manner, because it emphasized their violent underlying sentiment.

In terms of the songwriting itself, Necrodeath provided evidence that catchiness and brutality are not mutually exclusive. The breathtaking chorus of the demonic "Mortal Consequence" confirmed this impressively. Based on a brilliant guitar line, it left its mark already when listening to this record for the first time. Short neckbreaker like "Killing Time" or "Riot of Stars" showed a similar pattern. But as indicated above, Necrodeath did not concentrate on catchiness while neglecting other aspects. Fury and ferocity were of primary importance, too. The sadistic performance of Flegias left no doubt in this respect. By his work on the previous album, he had already demonstrated that he was able to take the band on the next level. Better still, he proved his outstanding skills once again on the here reviewed full-length. His expressive singing ennobled the thunderous pieces as well as the vicious creeping "Process of Violation" which appeared as the soundtrack to your nightmares. In view of its fascinating main riff, this track was a welcome change from the musical violence of the other tunes.

In addition to the new tracks, Necrodeath recycled an old song. The strangely titled "Sacrifice 2K1" was taken from "Fragments of Insanity" and turned out to be the new version of "Eucharistical Sacrifice". Albeit this song was presented in a new look, I would have preferred to get eleven brand new tracks. This applied in particular with regard to the fact, that "Black as Pitch" delivered a playtime of less than 40 minutes. However, the modified tune did not seem to be some kind of foreign body and a lot of re-recorded songs of the first two albums followed on the later works.

One thing was for sure, Necrodeath had found their way while presenting a distinctive mix of very harsh, memorable and sinister parts. Without putting an emphasis on excessive guitar solos, the Italians attached great importance to the creation of coherent and vibrant song structures. Although the compositional formula was very similar to that of "Mater of All Evil", the here reviewed work left almost nothing to be desired.

After the great comeback with “Mater Of All Evil”, it was time for Necrodeath to release another album of the same quality level. Well, “Black as Pitch” full length is even more brutal than “Mater Of All Evil”! Fantastic!

“Red As Blood” song already gives us a rough idea of what we will face in this new effort. Flegias’ screams are always powerful and black metal oriented; the guitars sound is dense, thrash inspired and a bit “Swedish”. The tempo is generally fast and the few melodies are always obscure and occult. The refrains in violent songs like “Riot Of Stars” or “Mortal Consequence” are always catchy and extremely obscure.

The main riff on “Burn And Deny” is slow, evil and fucking heavy. The drums are quite “essential” but never boring. Here we can find the first acoustic guitar parts overlapped to the electric ones, in order to create an even more obscure sound. The slow and growl voices are great. The mid paced riffs are so scary in the atmosphere they create and sometimes they are followed by odd, melodic lead guitar lines.

“Sacrifice 2K1” is a re-recorded version of “Eucharistical Sacrifice” that you can find on “Fragments Of Insanity” album. This new version is more powerful thanks also to a great production, without losing anything in the gloomy impetus. Great song. “Process Of Violation” is a hit: slow, evil, obscure with that whispered vocals followed by the intense, violent refrain. The guitars draw a landscape of hell, flames and black. The slow guitar tapping and arpeggios are terrific.

The quartet “Anagaton”, “Killing Time”, “Saviours Of Death” and “Join The Pain” is incredible for violence and speed. The up tempo parts are mixed with slower ones, some with the same acoustic guitar melodies. They are so scary with the whispered vocals united to a great wall of sound created by the electric guitars. Inhale the stench of sulphur through these songs!

The majestic “Church’s Black Book” ends this album. This song is pure pleasure. All the good things done in an album come together to join their forces in creating a perfect piece of obscurity. The beginning is fucking slow with the bells sound and the never so heavy and brutal guitars. After awhile the tempo increases in speed and violence ‘till ending in the refrain followed by a melodic guitar break. The final part is dedicated to all the murders operated by the Church in the centuries: a voice narrates the massacres and the “reasons” given by the Church. As always, a good point of reflection about those facts.

All in all, a very good album, complete in every part. Now the main problem is the mark…well, I'd give to this album the same mark given to “Mater Of All Evil” because I love both of them in the same way but I think that "Mater Of all Evil" is more complete with the atmospheres and the well balanced violence. Anyway, a great piece of occult black thrash metal.