Necrogod, the latest release from Italian gothic/death/black metal act Ecnephias, instantly catches your eye thanks to some strikingly cool cover art. It's a shame then when the music contained on the CD is just so damn lackluster that it doesn't live up to the promise set by the spectacular artwork. Theoretically, the music of Ecnephias SHOULD really go over much better than it does, and truth be told, there's really nothing awful about anything on Necrogod. I mean, there's plenty of occult-themed lyrics, gothic tinged clean vocals & death growls, keyboards, woodwinds, heavy riffs, and melodic guitar lines. So, what's not to like? Well, for one, the band seem to have written most of these songs in roughly the same tempo, so the listener is left waiting for some sort of explosion or moment of excitement which never really comes. Most of the songs plod along in a similar fashion, with chugga-chugga riffs, ethereal keyboards, and a mix of clean & growling vocals doing battle. It's not bad, just not very exciting. Tunes like "Ishtar - Al-'Uzza ", "The Temple of Baal-Seth", and the title track are decent enough, but totally interchangeable with each other. Only "Voodoo - Daughter of Idols" induces any sort of spark, as this song produces some of the more upbeat arrangements on the CD, including some strong guitar & keyboard interplay and convincing growls.
This SHOULD have been a stellar affair, but instead comes up as a missed opportunity and overall just pretty bland. Ecnephias really needs to mix up their material a little and offer up some variety in order to keep the interest level of a fickle metal fan these days, and this just isn't going to do it.
Track Listing
1. Syrian Desert 02:00 instrumental
2. The Temple of Baal-Seth 05:22
3. Kukulkan 04:38
4. Necrogod 03:34
5. Ishtar - Al-'Uzza 06:37
6. Anubis - The Incense of Twilight 04:22
7. Kali Ma - The Mother of the Black Face 05:44
8. Leviathan - Seas of Fate 04:04
9. Voodoo - Daughter of Idols 07:12
10. Winds of Horus 04:16 instrumental
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
