So much black metal operates on a raw, primal level that allowing different colors and, god forbid, showmanship into the mix basically was blasphemous not all that long ago. Things changed, thank fuck, and black metal has bled into a variety of corners and caves, making the possibilities limitless.
Texas-based black metal machine Necrofier has plenty of traditional black metal tenets in their sound, and it can feel choked with coal. But there is an ambition and cinematic quality to their formula which never has been more pronounced as on their third album “Transcend Into Oblivion.” Over 12 tracks and 58 minutes, the band—vocalist/guitarist Bakka, guitarist Semir Özerkan, bassist Mat Aleman, drummer Dobber Beverly—centers on the Luciferian version of Dark Night of the Soul, a transformative experience that completely changes you mentally and spiritually. The album is broken up into three immersive, aggressive parts, and we present our look broken up into thirds. It’s even good for us to fuck up our patterns now and again.
“Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path I” opens the first triptych, with guitars firing, howls belting, and the pace drubbing, the heat and pressure taking hold. Fiery wails and layers of filth overwhelm as the leads scald and add to the temperatures rising, eerie calls mixing with exiting violins. “Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path II” jars, cleaner calls floating, then roars belting, dramatic dashes working into creakier passages. The playing wrenches and spirals and shrieks peel flesh, the viciousness increasing along with synth wafting and the drums mauling. “Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path III” blasts in, torment abound, mystifying moments leading you into thick fog. The direction changes on a dime, Bakka wailing, “I tempt my fate!” as the pace spatters, and raw cries carve into the night. “Behold, the Birth of Ascension” is the first interlude, music box notes spiraling, piano dripping, strange noises caught up in the aura, wild cries of anguish digging into your side.
“Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way I” starts the second portion, a savage riff combining with tornadic fury, bellowed calls bruising ribs, the playing digging in harder and racing. Vocals gurgle as a dark hypnosis takes over, Bakka howling, “Tear them down, let them burn, we rise.” The strangulation continues as everything dissolves into strangeness. “Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way II” wrecks right away, blinding playing igniting, keys dashing over vile guitar work. Fires rage and then calm for a spell, dusty acoustics land as angelic calls hypnotize, the gentler guitars reemerging on “Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way III” before the power ignites. Wails wrench as doom-infested black metal flows, blasts working into cascading guitars that flow freely. Leads bleed as the drums gut, hazy coverage thickens, and Bakka calls, “We are unholy fire, cannot be smothered.” “Mystical Creation of Enlightenment” follows as a second interlude, bringing cleaner playing, a dusty voice swirling out a dream, eeriness blending into warmth.
The final third starts with “Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade I” that hits hard, drums swinging, the vocals destroying, the leads beginning to melt through steel. “To burn this time and rise, sacrifice dark, born from the flames,” Bakka cries, the soloing sprawling into madness, the back end dragging you to the finish. “Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade II” has the drums crushing, the singing hovering overhead before wails tear flesh, a tornadic pace taking you into dramatic gusts that feel cinematic. The pace sweeps and then subsides, guitars rain down in sheets, and the final gashes leave a blur. “Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade III” swirls and blisters, guitars generating thick mist, the drums engulfing in flames before film score-style dramatics flare. The playing races harder, growls decimating, wrecking any sense of security, Bakka declaring, “Souls on fire, reign high, at crossed roads we die.” Closer “Toward the Necrofier” is the final instrumental piece delivering weird synth, guitars tracing, and strange speaking boiling over. Darkness continues its descent, percussive elements rattling, inhuman cries of agony testing the limits of your already compromised psyche.
Necrofier deliver a meaty, full serving of black metal on “Transcend Into Oblivion,” a record that might go down easier digested in thirds. Not that a full listen isn’t ideal or even the preferred method, but it might be more approachable taking this part by part the first few times. The full experience takes you into the self-reflection and personal path one must take for perseverance, something that can hunt and illuminate at the same time.
For more on the band, go here: https://necrofier.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://metalblade.indiemerch.com/
Or here (Europe): https://shop.metalblade.de/
For more on the label, go here: https://www.metalblade.com/us/
Meat Mead Metal 