ALBUM REVIEW: The Final Chapter – Necronomicon

Germany’s NECRONOMICON are a band who’ve suffered so much misfortune, it’s almost comical. They’ve been active for nearly forty years, having formed way back in 1983 but never achieved more than cult status. Bankrupt record labels, line-up changes and rehearsal rooms burning down have all helped to stall any momentum, not to mention a bizarre legal dispute from the late eighties which led to them relinquishing control of their existing material. Their peers in SODOM, DESTRUCTION and KREATOR have all gone on to great things, but NECRONOMICON have struggled.

Which goes some way towards explaining why even ten albums in, they sound hungry. The Final Chapter is energetic and violent thrash metal, bursting with all the vitality you’d expect from young upstarts rather than long-in-the-tooth veterans. It kicks off with a wicked hat trick in the shape of I Am The Violence, the title track and Wall Of Pain and is more vicious than a half-starved alligator that just trod on a Lego brick. The riffs are chunky, the rhythm section sounds like it’s trying to get into orbit and frontman Marco Lohrenz screams his deceptively versatile voice-box out.

It’s a brutal introduction but a little one-dimensional, but when it gets to Purgatory, the fourth track, The Final Chapter starts to get genuinely impressive. One creepy spoken-word intro segues into a very tasty guitar melody and it soon turns into an effective mid-paced thrasher. It’s not too far removed from KREATOR’s more measured moments and is the first indication that they’re smart enough not to rely purely on high speed aggression to get their point across.

From this point on, The Final Chapter proves to be a varied and well-executed metal album. There’s no ballads or major curveballs to be found, but the songs are all different enough to feel like distinct entities. Burning The Fury for instance is a pure headbanger designed to ignite circle pits, while Spilling Blood is a slightly more restrained number, built round a straightforward chorus and another catchy riff.

If there’s one thing holding them back it’s the lack of a truly standout track. There’s no Caught In A Mosh or Disciples Of The Watch for dedicated thrashers to rally around, The Final Chapter is more a collection of reliably good songs. The album title might hint that this is the last roll of the dice for these guys, but it doesn’t sound like an ending. Closing duo, Me Against You and The Stormreaper are blindingly fast, sky-punching metal songs and the only impression they leave is that NECRONOMICON have a lot of gas left in the tank. Maybe it’s finally time for these long-overlooked headbangers to get their moment in the spotlight.

Rating: 8/10

The Final Chapter is set for release on March 26th via El Puerto Records. 

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