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Song stream: Necrophobic - "The Necromancer"

Necrophobic, one of the earliest entanglers of death and black metal, will celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2014. Unlike some of their peers, these Swedes don’t wear the weight of the years. Gallops aren’t reined in due to achy limbs, rolling blasts haven’t slackened, and growls and croaks aren’t cloaked with a honey-coated cautiousness. Sure, one could turn up the snark and say Necrophobic‘s ageless vigor is the result of staffing their fountain of youth with fresh attendants. After all, drummer Joakim Sterner is the lone original member. But, it’s not like the two-year-old twin guitar attack of Robert Sennebäck (mid-’90s era Dismembered, demo-era Unleashed) and Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed post-Victory) are just stem cells stitched together. Heck, bassist Alex Friberg, who was made a full-timer in 2008, is the young buck. He has “only” been doing this professionally in a metal capacity since 2002. Compared to whatever djent stream you’ll ignore this morning, it’s like goddamn Cocoon up in here.

And that’s what makes “The Necromancer” pleasantly impressive; old tummies aren’t meant to grumble with insatiable pangs for the next level. This, however, glurps for it. By nicking Unleashed‘s knack for anthems, Necrophobic have infused their recently-developed bombastic side with a kind of innately Scandinavian heroism. It turns what could be boilerplate natterings about goats, or the devil, or whatever, into a black metal action flick. Once the bar room full of Valhalla’s finest joins the fight to turn your face into a grimace, you’re genetically predisposed as a metalhead to bang along. It’s crazy over-the-top. So much so, it’s hard to come to terms with the fact it’s courtesy of Satanic minions about to go silver.

Of course, it’s equally hard to come to terms with ex-singer Tobias Sidegård’s actions. No matter the circumstances, his conviction for domestic abuse puts a damper on a band that has been his baby for quite a few years. We obviously do not condone assault of any sort and, without knowing the details, you can’t blame the other four members for giving him the boot. It was a move they had to make. Now, question is: will Sidegård’s indelible fingerprints irreparably smudge your perception of the Necrophobic name? Up to you, though it’d be a shame to blot out 1991’s The Nocturnal Silence, their full-length debut featuring the hall of fame riffs of David Parland who took his own life this year (“Blackmoon” left the group in 1996, and left this world in March). Plus, Tobias is now a thing of the past. The remaining quartet is guilty of nothing but making a career out of music. Don’t let their association damn them too.

You can be judge and jury come October 29th, 2013 when Womb of Lilithu hits the streets via Season of Mist.

— Ian Chainey