Oakland death metal sweethearts Necrot are back, ladies and gentlemen. It’s been four years since their sophomore full-length, Mortal, and considering how great that album was, I’ve been hungry for more.
Lifeless Birth is the trio’s third LP, and before the first track even begins, we’re presented with another remarkable yet equally disgusting album cover to keep off our screens at work. Go on, take a good look at it. Pretty sickening stuff, huh? Well, much like their last two records (both of which had equally unsettling artwork) the music matches the cover art, meaning we’re in for it again with seven more hunks of infernal old school death metal.
Again in the same theme as their past two albums, Necrot waste no time with intros or outros here. From the very first riff of “Cut the Cord,” you’re instantly pummeled with that signature chunky Necrot sound. Seriously, listen to the rumbling of that mix. The whole production job is another homerun for the band, hitting that sweet spot of sounding huge without taxing the ears. The synergy between the tones of the guitar, bass, and kick drum is just *chef’s kiss*, and is as potent as a sledgehammer to the chest.
To speak on the music itself, if you liked Mortal and Blood Offerings, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll dig their latest as well, the only caveat being if you are expecting them to break unexplored ground. No matter, since everything from the performance to the songwriting to the tremolo-picked and thrashy palm-muted riffage, the tunes here absolutely stomp, there’s no getting around it. The title track is as a great representation of the album’s strengths. Frantic blast beats, disgusting grooves, ominous harmonized guitars, and bellowed vocals tears through your ears, with riff after riff leaving you dizzy if you’re not ready. There’s one particular part towards the end of the track where the guitars, bass, and drums weave a disorienting, off-kilter polyrhythmic effect, before slamming back together in an incredibly satisfying way.
As far as negatives go, there are few surprises in this endeavor, and if you’re someone who needs a diverse range of musical styles present in your music, just be warned that this is mid-to-fast-paced old school death metal through and through. There’s rich melodicism (especially in the solos), but this isn’t melo-death. There’s technical playing, but not enough to make this tech-death. You won’t get any proggy interludes or folk-tinged passages on here, either. For a frame of musical reference, think Bolt Thrower rather Blood Incantation. Both top-tier death metal bands, but far apart in terms of specific substyles of the genre. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, nor does it represent a change in direction for Necrot; in fact, in a way, this actually makes Necrot a perfect example of contemporary straightforward OSDM. If you’re in the mood for something a little more progressive or experimental, however, you may want to look elsewhere.
That being said, I damn near give myself whiplash during each listening of this beast. “Drill the Skull” in particular had me immediately and violently headbanging from the opening riff. I have no doubt it will be a hit at their shows. I’m also expecting it to see some regular appearances on my workout playlist (watch out, dumbbells). There will always be a place for music as invigorating as this, and as long as these guys can keep delivering high-caliber riffs, these dudes will always be elite.
Not everything on this album stands out, and while I love Necrot, there are portions of this album without much of a unique identity. I wouldn’t say this album has any filler, per say, but it gets a bit hard to differentiate the songs at times, especially the deeper you get into the track list. More rhythmic and/or tempo changes in the songs could help remedy this without hampering their core musical identity, or perhaps even throwing in different types of vocals too. The singing here fits the style perfectly, don’t get me wrong, and not everyone is Lord Worm, but it can feel a little one-dimensional at times, making me wish there was a little more variety. Still, there are heaps of fantastically menacing guitar leads and solos to pick up any slack, along with excellent drumming from Chad Gailey and dirty bass work from bassist/vocalist Luca Indrio that keep things sufficiently spicy.
Look, whether or not you consider this release to be particularly ambitious or not, they’ve proven that they excel at what they do, so I can’t complain too much. Lifeless Birth can be described as “meat and potatoes” death metal, which is a style I’m personally very fond of, and it still very much has its place in the scene. With each new spin of this album, I’m finding sick new bits in each song, and the songs haven’t lost of any their initial impact after multiple listens. Overall, while not too far off in quality from their past work, this may just be Necrot’s best album yet, and further cements their position as heavyweights in the death metal underground. I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I’ll be returning to this album again very soon.
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RATING
8.5 / 10
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Label: Tankcrimes
Recorded at: Earhammer Studios
Release Date: April 12th, 2024
Release Type: Full-length
Cover Art: Marald Van Haasteren