ALBUM REVIEW: Transcend Into Oblivion – Necrofier
A Chicagoan punk band once said, “something has to die to be reborn”. Crisis of faith, ego-death, spiritual desolation. For black metal texans NECROFIER, these painful moments in our lives in which we leave transformed are described as a ‘dark night of the soul’. Scribbling new sketches over the melodic black metal blueprint laid on 2023’s Burning Shadows In The Southern Night, their third album in five years, Transcend Into Oblivion, explores this concept lyrically whilst also symbolising their musical transformation.
Transcend Into Oblivion is split into three acts, separated by cinematic instrumentals that act like theatrical scene-setters, as if it’s a big screen affair. Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path I-III signal the awakening, the moment your dark night begins, Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way I-III soundtrack the struggle and torment as you undergo your ego-death and transformation, and Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade I-III immortalise your soul’s rebirth.
Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path is the weakest of the sequences, the audible equivalent of NECROFIER soundchecking before a show. It’s the safest trio of songs on the album, sticking to the foundations the quartet established previously. Vocalist Bakka‘s howls wade through swamp-like production whilst Dobber Beverly‘s blastbeats combine with tremolo-picked dissonance to recreate the intensity of self-immolation. The three-part suite channels IMMORTAL‘s glory days, NWOBHM-rooted power chords, speed-limit-breaking percussion, and banshee-worthy shrieks, whilst polishing up the rawness.
Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way is where NECROFIER really adds meat to the bone. Bakka’s vocals transform into a halfway house between shrieking howls and venomous death growls. The suite erupts volcanically with speed metal fury before track II‘s pivotal Spanish guitar interlude, solemn chamber music providing brief respite, questioning whether transformation justifies suffering.
Track III simmers rather than explodes, wallowing in misery as Beverly‘s monolithic drumming causes avalanches in your eardrums. Mat Valentine‘s basslines mirror guitarist Semir Özerkan‘s dissonant tones perfectly, as this darker, more unsettling section pushes the narrative forward, concluding with organ-like notes that hint at the approaching light.
Finally, Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade solidifies a subtle transformation in their melodic black metal. Beverly‘s tribal, ritualistic drumming offers chest-bursting intensity whilst NWOBHM-styled solos propel tracks into the stratosphere. Bakka‘s shrieks wage war against shamanic chanting, sounding bloodthirsty throughout. This is the sound of NECROFIER at their most confident, crafting immersive worlds that feel more like movies than mere songs. The six-minute closer provides a cinematic climax—yo-yoing distorted riffs and symphonic strings that soundtrack a transformation’s completion.
Transcend Into Oblivion isn’t flawless—Act I feels undercooked compared to what follows—but NECROFIER‘s ambition pays dividends. Act II alone justifies the album’s existence, proving they’re more than just melodic black metal revivalists. By wedding conceptual depth to technical prowess, the Texan quartet have crafted the rising American black metal scene’s most compelling statement.
Rating: 7/10
Transcend Into Oblivion is set for release on February 27th via Metal Blade Records.
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