For all its virtues, death metal doesn't often sound evil. This is true even for the bleakest and most atmospheric death metal. The prevailing feeling is usually of darkness or menace, rather than monolithic evil. This was one of the reasons why the Norwegian second wave of black metal caught on, because it mainlined straight into what death metal had lost. There are a few exceptions, bands/records that captured this missing feeling. Possessed certainly had it on "Seven Churches". Morbid Angel had it in the early days (particularly "Thy Kingdom Come"). I'd also add Necrovore, Grotesque, Miasma, and "Dawn of Possession" to the shortlist. Beyond that, I'm struggling. It is much harder for a death metal band to create an evil sound than often assumed.
For me, the band who embody the essence of death metal evil was Necrophobic. Specifically, I'm talking about early Necrophobic (when David Parland was in the band), and when they played some of the most sinister death metal ever conceived. Their debut album "The Nocturnal Silence" has long been a respected cult classic of 'blackened death metal'. On that record, Necrophobic sounded nothing like the typical punky Swedish death metal band. They picked up the gauntlet laid down by Grotesque and ritually burned it. Parland would leave the band shortly after this and they would veer into less convincing black-ish metal territory. But for a year or two in the early nineties, Necrophobic were the epitome of death metal evilness.
That reign began when they recorded this EP in early 1992, which they did not release until the following year. "The Call" is one of those singular moments of death metal perfection. The casual observer might glance at the track-listing and wonder what the fuss is about. There are three tracks, one of which is a fifty second intro and the other two are familiar from the debut album. This looks suspiciously like an appetiser for the album that soon followed. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is entirely different music, with a different production, a different vocalist, a different approach. It is better in every way. The debut album feels more like the "Unholy Blasphemies" demo. “The Call” is more of a detour into a different realm, one that was far darker than the path they eventually chose.
The intro "Shadows of the Moon" has some crunching Sunlight guitar, some nice melody and some scary backwards vocals. It is effective, but it doesn't blend into the next track, so it is almost pointless. I assume it was included to fill out the short side of the 7". "The Ancients Gate" is the first proper song. This early version is one of the greatest pieces of death metal ever made. It is dense, multi-layered, foreboding music. There are some swirling guitars with some phasing effect on them near the beginning. It makes it sound like a supernatural electric storm. From there, the song spreads its wings and grooves along with effortless, relentless malice. There is a (repeated) fifteen-note riff in the middle that leads into a quiet, acoustic driven section. This is very much the successor to Grotesque, dark death metal incarnate. It is unreal.
The other song is "Father of Creation", another possible entry into the list marked 'greatest death metal songs of all time'. This one takes a different route, there are fewer obvious riff-changes. It is more open and expansive. This is a proper epic at six minutes long, the mid-paced marching rhythms sound like Bathory. There is a monolithic feel to the progression, the verse riff has this dragging inevitability to it. Many death metal bands try to lose the listener by blitzing through solos and creating riff-mazes. Necrophobic don't do this. They want you to experience every moment, to numb you to the reality of their journey through the underworld. The lead guitar plays a huge role in this, sounding poetic and melodic but never weepy. The lyrics and vocals contribute too, performed almost like a sermon or incantation. There is urgency in audible lines like "God, bleed for me...". By the end of the song, you’re done. You don’t want any more. Necrophobic have shown you the way and it is too dark to contemplate.
Musically, this is flawless. The drumming is rich and powerful. It isn't super-technical or fast, he just keeps things steady and pummels the double-kick at opportune moments. He also eases off during the haunting and melodic passages. The riffs are brilliant, almost like carved monuments. I'm sure Slayer were an influence, but Necrophobic manages to hide this influence to avoid sounding like Slayer. The vocalist is Stefan Harrvik, a veteran from Crematory. Anyone who has heard "The Exordium" or "Wrath from the Unknown" will understand what this means. His vocals are deep and unearthly, a difficult combination to achieve. He doesn't appear on any other Necrophobic release, but he sounds far more demonic than the vocalist on "The Nocturnal Silence". There is no screaming or screeching here, he just opens his lungs and roars to the depths of hell. Occasionally the vocals are doubled tracked to add an extra dimension of evil.
“The Call” is essential. It is much, much better than the excellent debut album. It is better than pretty much anything in its vicinity. It is some of the best death metal ever made.