The metal world is full of sub-genre categorization. You can’t swing a dead cat in an online forum without hitting a post debating a band’s placement on the spectrum of brutality. Is band X brutal death metal? Blackened death metal? Viking metal? Alien-inspired technical death metal with progressive elements? With their August 28th release, Mortal, Bay Area killing machine Necrot can confidently drop all hair-splitting pretenses – this is straight up death metal, no more and certainly no less.
Previous to their newest platter, Necrot’s press drew comparisons to Cannibal Corpse. Mortal doesn’t do anything to dispel these parallels at first listen. Over seven songs, this three piece builds on a foundation of fast, single-note picking and thundering drums. Bassist/vocalist Luca Indrio growls and screams sermons of disgust and despair with power and confidence. Guitarist Sonny Reinhardt is a riff machine and very capable of handling the job without a partner in crime. Chad Gailey rounds out the lineup on drums and the band’s self-mentioned punk influence is most noticeable in Gailey’s style which relies less on blast beats and more on hyper speed polka patterns.
What separates Necrot from the aforementioned Cannibal Corpse are the deep groove sections. You could call it a breakdown but I’d suggest you call an ambulance instead. When Necrot puts four on the floor with locked up bass and guitars, a chiropractor gets a new beach house.
The album kicks off with “Your Hell,” its intro groove crashing into the band’s signature speed riffing and setting the tone for what is to come. “Dying Life” is chaos personified until an aforementioned groove hits during the solo section. Track 4, “Asleep Forever,” is a high point of the album and contains a shout out [intentional or not] to fellow Bay Area thrashers Testament at 2:16 in. The album closes with the eight-plus minute title track, giving the listener an epic close.
All in all, Mortal delivers on the promise Necrot has shown since forming in 2011. If you like death metal, you will like this offering. Promise.
Pick up Mortal on #BandcampFriday or any other day that ends in Y: https://necrot.bandcamp.com/
For more from Alternative Control, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, and bandcamp. Plus, follow our 2020 coverage playlist on Spotify!
Enjoying our content? Support the site on Ko-fi and Patreon!
