Necrofier is even more ambitious.
Three years after their last album, the band led by Christian Larson (guitar/vocals, Night Cobra, And Darkness and Decay, Terror Corpse), Mat Aleman (bass, Terror Corpse, ex-Malignant Altar, ex-Oceans of Slumber), Dobber Beverly (drums, Oceans of Slumber, Terror Corpse, ex-Insect Warfare, ex-Malignant Altar) and Semir Özerkan (guitar, Oceans of Slumber, Terror Corpse, Nevermore…) is changing its logo and signing with Metal Blade Records for its third album, Transcend into Oblivion.
The album opens with Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path I, the first composition in a series of three that immediately transports us into darkness, where the vocalist roars, accompanying aggressive and imposing instrumentation, sometimes relying on keyboards to become even more massive. A violin leads us into Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path II, a direct sequel that plays on accelerations to provide a perfect foundation for the piercing leads while remaining suffocating, even adding a few choirs to give it a mystical and mysterious touch. We find an even more furious Old School approach on Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path III, an icy composition where the screams seem even more distressing, working wonderfully with the dark sound, which however stops to make way for Behold, The Birth Of Ascension, a fairly bright instrumental track that in turn sinks into darkness. The samples signal the end of the break, reaching Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way I, a new trilogy between aggression and a horrific atmosphere, between wild riffs and more ethereal and heavy elements that easily draw us in, allowing us to breathe only when moving on to Servants Of Darkness, Guide My Way II, before returning to ferocity at a rapid pace. We note this slower passage with transcendent leads before the final assault, then it is with an almost reassuring gentleness that we reach Servants Of Darkness, Guide My Way III, a track with slow, haunting, and heady sounds that nevertheless offers us explosive drums to counterbalance its monolithic approach. Mystical Creation of Enlightenment allows us to catch our breath again with a soaring, minimalist melody accompanied by whispers, then the violence resurfaces on Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade I, a new wave where darkness is once again at the heart of the sound. However, the track is quite short, giving way to the mystical tones of Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade II, which immediately takes over and exposes us to its torrents of riffs, each as devastating as the next, ending once again in anguish before moving on to Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade III, where the rhythm accelerates until it reaches its cruising speed, mingling with theatrical samples while the vocalist screams. The epic coldness of the track is finally replaced by a lighter touch of piano, then by Toward the Necrofier, a long outro that revels in anguish and offers almost ritualistic tones where percussion and incantations mingle one last time.
Transcend into Oblivion lasts just under an hour, but the album takes us on a real adventure through violence, darkness, and mystical elements. Necrofier brings us an epic experience that lives up to its ambitions.
90/100