Bloodhymns

When it comes to long-standing Swedish black/death metallers Necrophobic, it appears to be 2006’s “Hrimthursum” that is held in particularly high regard by most fans – alongside the band’s celebrated debut album “The Nocturnal Silence”, of course, which has long since attained cult status. The Swedes’ fourth studio output “Bloodhymns”, on the other hand, doesn’t get nearly the same recognition.

When comparing it to the aforementioned “Hrimthursum”, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is a much more concise effort: where its successor was quite grandiose in scope, running for almost an hour and boasting a diversified stylistic approach rather than pummeling the listener with a non-stop barrage of blast beats and tremolo-picked guitars, “Bloodhymns” seems much more content with doing just that. While the band does mix things up with some slower, more atmospheric tracks, they basically deliver a no-frills, straightforward black/death metal record that runs for roughly 45 minutes and features ten tracks (including a rather pointless and unnecessarily elongated outro) that are mostly stripped down to the basic and fundamental ingredients required for this particular genre.

Though the above paragraph may sound a bit negative at first, it isn’t necessarily meant that way: where the slightly superior “Hrimthursum”, despite all its brilliance, may seem somewhat aimless and pompous at times, “Bloodhymns” is overall just a little more focused, more aggressive and more to the point. In fact, it makes for a very enjoyable listen and features a bunch of consistently good tracks, some of which may be among the best the black/death genre has to offer. Songs like “Dreams Shall Flesh”, “Shadowseeds” or “Mourningsoul” are a perfect reminder of why Necrophobic, along with fellow Swedes Naglfar, belong in the conversation as one of the most talented bands to follow in the footsteps of the mighty Dissection and their monolithic masterpiece “Storm of the Light’s Bane”. In case it has not yet become sufficiently obvious, this humble reviewer has a real soft spot for the trademark Swedish blend of black and death metal, and as a metalhead, how could one not like the incredibly haunting and intense guitar work some of these bands manage to come up with?

In that regard, it is hardly surprising that the guitars easily steal the show on “Bloodhymns”. The drums (a word on them later) and vocals – the bass, as is usually the case in black metal, doesn’t do a whole lot – are perfectly solid, but it’s the guitars that will leave the listener gaping in awe, delivering crunching riffs and mind-blowing harmonies by the boatload. It certainly helps that they are monstrously produced and mixed to the forefront, with the other instruments mostly taking a back seat. Interestingly enough, while the riffs and melodies are of the typical black/death variety, the way the rhythm guitars sound is rooted deeply in death metal territory and harks back to the “Stockholm school” of Swedish death metal with bands like Dismember and (early) Entombed. Then again, as Necrophobic basically started out as a death metal outfit with relatively minor “occult” or black metal leanings, the unexpected guitar sound can be considered a not-so-subtle nod to the band’s old-school roots.

However, not all is gold that glitters on “Bloodhymns”. If there is one thing that drags the album down a few notches, it has to be the horrible drum sound. In part due to the massive wall of guitars and the fact that the drums have very little punch or resonance, both the snare and the bass drums tend to be nearly drowned out during the faster (blast beat) passages, which is a shame since the drumming per se is certainly competent; yet even the best drummer in the world can’t do much when his instrument sometimes sounds as if it were made of shoddy plastic or cardboard instead of whatever it is a professional drum kit is made of. Case in point: the beginning of the opening track “Taste of Black”, where the drums come across as particularly weak and muffled.

As this is about the only major gripe this reviewer has with “Bloodhymns”, which by the way features some very nice artwork, it still qualifies as an excellent album that falls just short of greatness.

Choicest cuts: Dreams Shall Flesh, Shadowseeds, Mourningsoul, Blood Anthem