ALBUM REVIEW: Necrovictology – Repulsive Vision
Cumbria’s REPULSIVE VISION have managed to make quite the impact within the UK death metal scene since their formation back in 2010. The band really began to hit their stride with the release of their 2017 debut album, Look Past the Gore and See the Art, which, as the title suggests, eschews the typical subject matters of death metal to discuss topics of censorship that relates to the more extreme end of metal. Their latest, second album, Necrovictology, sees the bands sound develop even further, incorporating a prominent thrash influence into their sound, making for one of the more interesting albums by a UK death metal act to come out this year.
Other Than Divine, a dark, speed-driven affair, provides an excellent start to this album. Coupling caustic thrash hooks with acerbic vocals, it’s an intense piece of music with plenty of great guitars giving this a fiercely catchy feel, setting a lofty bar for the rest of the album. Exterior of Normality, a short, sharp shock of a track that takes the formula of the previous track and injects a healthy dose of chaotic urgency into the fray, making for an aggressive, meaty slab of death metal with a hard rock swagger to some of the lead riffs that gives this song plenty of character. It may be brief, but it leaves an impression.
Necrovictology proves to be a more focused, groove-laden offering, with tighter guitars and drumming acting as a brilliant backdrop to the acidic, snarling vocals, which are much livelier and carry the track just as much as the adventurous guitars. Blind Loyalty, an energetic, feral number, is again a fleeting, but extremely effective, track with magnificent, chunky guitar and bass lines that help this song carve through the album like a juggernaut, serving as an early album highlight. Draconian Reprisals sees a more prominent bass sound, adding a thick, sludgy undercurrent to the relatively sharp, bestial guitars and vocals, which themselves pierce the mix like a rusty blade. It’s a great contrast that lends a monolithic sound to this song right, standing out all the more for it. Selfless, another burst of brutality, sees some demented, dizzying qualities of the music return, with grating, discordant hooks, cacophonous vocals and frenzied drums combining into a whirlwind of death thrash that packs an almighty punch.
Echoes of Deceit, a short, soundbite and ambience orientated piece, is a great segue between the albums two halves, providing a reprieve from the onslaught that came before it. Through Gaslit Halls, with its powerful rhythms, harsher vocals and subdued guitar sound, is an interesting change of pace that works well, showcasing how impressive the bands rhythm section is. Regret and A Lifetime of Suffering Deserved are two tracks that bring back the meatier death metal sound that has defined much of this record, with the vocals taking on a guttural, ferocious bent that fits the music perfectly on the former, and some especially powerful bass hooks elevating the sound of the latter.
Nepotism-Social Chameleon takes music back towards a more thrash inflected sound, with savage death metal underpinning everything. One of the more focused tracks on the album, with sudden time changes resulting in a dramatic feel which makes this song incredibly engrossing, it’s hard to find fault with anything on here. To Delve the Depths… is initially a steadier affair, which quickly descends into a vortex of slick, disjointed guitar flourishes and rabid vocal deliveries, adding a frenetic aspect that grabs the listeners attention. The imaginative, discordant guitars are some of the best on the record, making this climactic track one of the albums best. Paraskevidekatriaphobia is an effective, but fleeting, album closer, with the music taking on an aggressive, dissonant feel, leaving the listener eager to hear more despite the short length of the track.
Perhaps the biggest shift between this album and its predecessor, other than a a more polished production, is the shift from a punk undercurrent to a thrash one. This subtle change in the music itself has done an excellent job of tightening up REPULSIVE VISION‘s overall sound, and allows for more technical, impressive musicianship without sacrificing any of the intensity within their sound. The crisper production quality also lends this music a much larger sound, without stripping away the dirtier, darker edge that their first record possessed. Hopefully REPULSIVE VISION continues to create music in this vein, as they’ve hit on a winning formula with this album and this newer style.
Rating: 8/10
Necrovictology is out now via Emanzipation Productions.
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