Photo by Peyote Gutierrez
Death metal should appeal to the most animalistic, primal inhibitions, and so when the music is done raw and violently, it always works the best. Nothing necessarily against bands that have added tons of melody and spit shine to their work over the years, but the artists that remain scraping filth from the gutters are the ones that end up being the most satisfying.
That takes us to Oakland death trio Necrot, who finally are delivering their debut full-length “Blood Offerings” after six years together as a band. This unit revels in pure death metal, staying true to the sub-genre’s roots, and wringing every ounce of blood from them. Their approach is riff-filled and guttural, and it’s easy to tell from these eight songs how much the band has improved their game when compared to their three demo offerings. Not that those were bad recordings, because they definitely were not. But “Blood Offerings” is the band at its most channeled and violent, delivering fodder for your darkest inhibitions. The band—guitarist/bassist/vocalist Luca Indrio (Acephalix, Vastum), guitarist Sonny Reinhardt (Saviours, Watch Them Die), drummer Chad Gailey (Atrament, Disinhibition)—pulls together their wealth of experience making devastating noises elsewhere and delivers a death metal serving complete with danger and devastation.
“The Blade” gets things going with a blast of putrid death and nasty growls from Indrio that pace this horrifying machine. Vicious pounding and stellar riffs mix, as the shout of, “Chaos in my mind!” delivers madness that is ushered out by a blazing solo. “Rather Be Dead” is thrashy and punishing, with raspy growls firing, and the band unleashing a devastating assault. The track packs as much pain as possible into its DNA before spiraling out ferociously at the end. “Shadows & Light” has guitars dominating and the vocals thundering, as the pace chugs forward, paced by drums that sound like they’re bringing war. Vicious growls and a clobbering pace bubble up, with Indrio wailing, “We are dead!” The title track is built on savage howls, trudging riffs, and the vocals just battering everything. Midway through, the pace shifts suddenly, with hazy soloing crying, and siren-like guitar work lighting up the back end.
“Empty Hands” is fiery and destructive right from the start, as the pace could break necks, and riffs scorch over the chorus. The leads charge hard, smearing and suffocating until the song reaches its end. “Beneath” is oppressively heavy, with the growls sounding grim and the pace flattening. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” Indrio howls, as the final minute of the song slows, but never gives up an ounce of its heaviness. “Breathing Machine” is chaotic and wild, with noxious growls pelting with such lovely sentiments as, “You must die!” Riffs spiral as the pace steamrolls into the mouth of fire. Closer “Layers of Darkness” hints that your mercy is near, but not until you face this bastard. Killer riffing and throaty growls amplify the viciousness, while the simple, but effective, chorus jabs like a dagger. The guitar work has a classic death fluidity to them, while the song keeps the blazes going wildly until the track fades.
“Blood Offerings” is a record pure death metal fans are going to devour, and Necrot have made the most of the time they poured into these songs. The band is known to slay live, and once they show up with these crushers, no one’s neck or fists at their shows may ever be the same again. This is an awesome first step for a band that’s ensuring death metal remains ugly and violent forever.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/cyclesofpain
To buy the album, go here: https://tankcrimes.merchtable.com
Or here: https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/merch
For more on the label, go here: http://www.tankcrimes.com/
And here: http://sentientruin.com/
Meat Mead Metal 