Necronomicon: Rise of the Elder Ones

Lovecraft's influence on heavy metal probably comes from multiple sources, but there's one that stands out most—Metallica's 1984 song "The Call of Ktulhu" from Ride the Lightning. My own experience with that song dates back to sometime shortly after the album came out. I didn't know much about Lovecraft back then, but I was certainly drawn to the mysterious qualities of the song and wondered what the title meant. I remember wondering just who Ktulhu was and what the song was really about. Instrumentals, unfortunately, don't offer much commentary, but Metallica's classic track certainly garnered lots of attention. From that moment forward, a lot more people wanted to know just a little bit more about H. P. Lovecraft.

I'll wait until another time to comment further on Lovecraft's larger significance to heavy metal. For now, my purpose is to comment on the Quebec-based band Necronomicon. For those who don't know, one of Lovecraft's most infamous creations was a book—entitled the Necronomicon—that held the power to conjure some of the most horrific creatures. Lovecraft didn't always explain much about these creatures, nor did he quote much from the book itself, but he was always clear that these creatures meant to destroy all human beings. There is no real Necronomicon, but that doesn't stop lots of people from pretending they know where to find it.

The band Necronomicon originally hails from the Northern climes of Quebec but has settled in the beautiful city of Montreal. For the last ten years, they've been creating some pretty solid death metal. The best thing about their music is that they blend their death metal assault with atmospheric interludes, all the while maintaining a heavy and powerful backdrop. Let's face it, these guys can play the instruments well and they can also write a pretty decent song. In addition, they can also make the music sound interesting. Check out "Celestial Being," for example. There's a song that drifts away from conventional death metal and draws, instead, on a beautiful female voice used to suggest some kind of transcendent state, something otherworldly, beyond positive to this mortal sphere. It's a perfect contrast to the other atmospheric track—"The Nuclear Chaos"—which, as the title suggests, is trapped within a mortal sphere, a world populated by death and destruction.

The other tracks are straightforward death / doom metal songs with the occasional mix of organ, synthesizer, orchestra samples, and so on. Many of the songs have guitar solos, suggesting that these guys don't mind a little of the old school bombast as well. Ultimately, there's not much new here, but the net result is strong. Death metal, as great as it is, sometimes has limited range. Bands like Necronomicon work well within that range and also try to discover new ways of expanding it. I admire that. More importantly, these guys never stray from their commitment to producing extremely heavy music. Fans of the genre, especially those that prefer their music unspotted from broadly commercial concerns, won't have anything to complain of with this one.

Track Listing:
1. Resurrected
2. The End of Times
3. The Living God (Pharaoh of Gods Part II)
4. The Nuclear Chaos
5. From Beyond
6. Rise of the Elder Ones
7. The Valley of the Lost Souls
8. Celestial Being
9. Dark Corners of the Earth
10. The Fallen

Added: July 18th 2013
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1901
Language: english

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