Fragments of Insanity

When I came across Necrodeath’s debut some time in the late-80’s, I dismissed it almost immediately as a pile of sloppily assembled concoction of speed, thrash, black, and proto-death with all the styles chasing each other, creating a bit more than just plain noise. No, not for me, thanks a lot, and it was much later when a friend of mine gave me the album reviewed here which coincided with the band’s reformation and the release of the excellent comeback opus “Mater of All Evil”. Yeah, I had missed out on a great album influenced by the not as impressive first showing (which I also grew to like with time, mind you), but sooner or later the true masterpieces of the world catch up with you so that there would be no one spared from the entertainment...

and a grand scale entertainment it is on all counts, the guys unleashing a relentless ball of fury that may have scared the unprepared back then as it is pretty much no-bars-held aggression with the title of the Kreator album released the same year more fitting here than to the Germans’ opus. There are by all means similarities between the two efforts as this recording is more vicious and less bridled also recalling other intense eye-openers from the other side of the Atlantic like Incubus’ “Serpent Temptation” and Evildead's "Annihilation of Civilization".

“Choose Your Death” tries to mislead with a brief lyrical intro and heavy stomping accumulations, but once the assault commences, there will be no mercy the guys bashing with passion the slower walkabouts served only accentuating the relentless downpour which comes both more complex and more brutal on “Thanatoid”, a bold deathly treader that even goes beyond the debut’s atrocities with a few genuine proto-blasts. No change of course on “State of Progressive Annihilation”, an exhausting headbanger that shoots everyone in the vicinity with intense vehement riffs before “Metempsychosis” restores peace all around being a surprising stylish technical instrumental with a nice slow/fast rhythm alternation and intriguing melodic pirouettes. The title-track is a heavy hitter boldly entering proto-death territory the guys moshing with reckless abandon with gorgeous melodies occupying the middle for a really poignant respite although all the fragments of this insanity come stitched together once this oasis is over.

Your subconscious will come under attack on “Enter My Subconscious”, a piece of polished brutality, a sheer example of how maddeningly-fast thrash can stay on the verge between life… sorry, thrash and death without falling into the latter’s traps, a technique the mentioned Incubus’ debut had already led to perfection, the hyper-active frame probed by a couple of interesting more technical strokes. “Stillbirth” sincerely flirts with laid-back less frantic rhythms, but before this flirtation turns into an affair to remember start the speedy skirmishes although this piece remains a more atmospheric proposition with a bigger focus on more patiently-woven mid-paced riff-formulas. “Eucharistical Sacrifice” jumps into the pogo without hesitation whatsoever, this cut a sure slab of primal death/thrash brutality without sacrificing completely the mellower arrangements that spring up towards the middle for the obligatory by that time pacifier.

Spearheading a small, but ferocious group (the others Bulldozer and Schizo) on the Italian metal circuit, the band simply had to sound insane and psychotic (and also necro) if they wanted to be considered leaders. Although Schizo were clearly the less controlled and more aggressive outfit, they never managed to achieve the same level of proficient execution, at least at the beginning, in order to make too many heads turn. The band were superior to the Bulldozers as well, in terms of musicianship above all, although popularity-wise the other act seemed to edge them out by the end of the decade, largely due to the bigger number of official releases. Besides, the Necrodeath saga was concluded way before the one of the other two formations… which wasn’t a big pullback, as a mater... sorry, matter of fact, having in mind how deplorably low some fell (remember Bulldozer’s atrocious “Dance Got Sick!”) later in the 90’s.

One of the truly extreme recordings of the late-80’s that could still be considered thrash, this opus was way more than just “fragments of insanity”. It was a full-fledged attack on the senses that may have made the more squeamish cringe with literal fear at the bouts of aggression thrown at them in a dizzyingly quick succession. In the end it didn’t sound radically different from its predecessor generating the same amount of pulverizing, pummelling sensations; it’s just that when brutality is executed with bigger professionalism, it hurts more as it can be much more articulately heard and savoured…

and the guys were only too well aware of that when they reformed in the late-90’s as nearly the same level of intensity was achieved on the first two efforts after the comeback, the others that followed suit also delivering be it with bigger shades of black (“Ton(e)s of Hate”) or with a more macabre gothic-like setting (“Draculea”). An impressive string of albums has been produced in the new millennium, the band more than intent on making up for the lost time. Macabre, unsettling, insane… all rules and terms apply on this steadily sailing ship which final destination could be any point from here to hell… and back.