Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Necrophobic rules, January 11, 2001
By A Customer
Necrophobic released "The Nocturnal Silence" before this album and prooved they belonged to the top bands in death metal. On this album they continue with their blasphemous death metal and once again prooves their superior class. Your collection of records is worth shit without this album!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Sonic Blasphemy, January 15, 2009
Necrophobic's Darkside is, without a doubt, the most blasphemous metal album ever recorded. And when I mention "blasphemy", I'm not speaking of the laughably tongue-in-cheek stylings of black metal godfathers Venom. Nor is it "blasphemous" in the Sumerian-mythological vein of Morbid Angel. Now, I don't believe in anything as mythically foolish as "Satan", but I can tell that Darkside is the real deal. These guys have unleashed a three-headed cerberus of pure demoniac hatred, and the manifestation of their disgust is neither "funny" nor "cliche". Every note and piercing scream on this album simply exudes hatred and vitriol -- thanks in part to two sources: lyricist/songwriter David Parland (who does not perform on the album), and the guest appearance of Dissection's Jon Nodtveidt on the album's hellraising centerpiece, "Nailing the Holy One".
Speaking of Dissection, it is apparent from the opening track "Black Moon Rising" that Necrophobic is taking a page from other mid-90s Swedish "blackened death" bands -- a lot of their incredible signature sound from The Nocturnal Silence is now gone. In its place is an equally incredible black metal-influenced assault that instantly will remind the Dissection-saavy listener of choice cuts from The Somberlain and Storm of the Light's Bane. This is not to say that Necrophobic have become copycats, or have jumped on any "scene" bandwagon. The sound of Darkside is the only natural progression that a satanic death metal band of this calibre could hope to make. Open string tremolo riffing, majestic harmonies, battery-style drumming -- it's all there in bloody, blackened glory. And these guys sure can pull it off as well as any of their fellow countrymen.
Punctuating the extremely catchy metal tracks are three noteworthy instrumentals, the best is "Venaesectio" -- a piano piece penned by Tobias Sidegard. It is equally haunting, beautiful, and sinister as it lilts the listener into the lightning-fast onslaught of "Darkside". The song falls into a 3/4 signature and, back into blasting fury for the chorus. On this track, one can definitely hear a bit of the old Necrophobic rearing its ugly head. A minimalist solo passes quickly and its back to sonic punishment. "The Call" is another noteworthy cut, beginning with a deceptively serene intro and exploding into a riff that reminds the listener that "yes, this is the same band that released The Nocturnal Silence". By the time Nodtveidt appears on "Nailing the Holy One", you can tell these guys have created one hell of an album.
As for "Nailing the Holy One", this is as close to a metal anthem that blackened death metal --as a genre -- is going to get, aside from Naglfar's "Enslave the Astral Fortress". The lyrics? Well, let's just say the woefully absent David Parland left behind a visceral and gruesome retelling of the crucifixion of Jesus. Lyrically and musically, this is a more hateful and satanic track than any two-bit corpse-painted black metal band has ever produced. Nodtveidt's vocals here are simply the sulphurous icing on the brimstone cake -- and it's also the last time we get to hear this amazing musician and vocalist do anything worthy (as he would go to prison for murder soon after this album was recorded).
The production is again handled by Sunlight veteran Tomas Skogsberg, with Dismember drummer Fred Estby cutting his engineering teeth here as well. It's perfectly mixed -- worlds better than what Andy LaRocque did for Sacramentum's The Coming of Chaos (which, nonetheless, is also a killer album), released the same year as Darkside. The inlay and artwork is chilling and traditionally "metal", with one of Necrolord's most enticing paintings gracing the cover of this unholy aural grimoire.
In short, I can't find much at fault with Darkside. It's way too short. Also, I could have done without the "hidden track", which wastes 3:33 of the listener's time before some muddled storm sounds and black mass chanting occur. This, however can easily be ignored, and should have been left off the album. Necrophobic is evil enough not to need silly parlor tricks like hidden tracks. Other than these two venal sins, this album fires on all cylinders, hits like a hammer driving crude nails through open palms, and leaves the listener hungry for more.
If you want to hear truly "black" metal -- without all of the tropes that make black metal appear overwrought and silly to the unwashed masses -- you must own this album. While the edition I am reviewing is out of print and very expensive, I believe that Hammerheart Records have reissued this with a bonus track. So there's no excuse not to buy this. Right now.
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3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of the best black/death metal albums around, May 19, 1999
By A Customer
necrophobic is the best band on the underground scene.Heaven will burn and hell will rise when this cd is unleashed in your cd player
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