Artist: Necrosorcery
Country: Sweden
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital
Year: 2024
As a jaded old fart, you rarely get truly impressed by new music (that’s different from enjoying good stuff!), so it’s extra pleasing to come across something that really opens your eyes and ears and leaves you on the edge of your seat. Such was my first encounter with Necrosorcery. I had regrettably missed the first two demo tapes that already saw the dim light of day in 2018 and 2020, but that makes the surprise of this self-titled first full-length all the greater. This anonymous Swedish duo manages to tick all the right boxes for me and delivers a more than impressive atmospheric and occult Black Metal debut.
To give you a proper idea of what ‘Necrosorcery’ sounds like you could imagine yourself a record that finds itself somewhere in between the dreamy and folky pieces of the first two Satyricon albums blended with the magic of the atmosphere of Varathron’s debut album and Tiamat’s ‘Clouds’. The occult spirit of the album is further pushed into higher levels by the restrained pace and the almost constant strumming and the use of eerie keyboards. The classical guitar, enchanting flute and folky melodies, not all too much different in nature from Wongraven or Storm, completes the picture of total and utter mesmerizing beauty.
While I could imagine that the rather repetitive formula might not hold up for everyone, at least not in the first round. But after multiple spins everything falls even better into place, revealing the album’s core of multi-layered, occult elegance. It masterfully combines elements from the darkest corners of oldest generations of Black Metal (Barathrum, Varathron, Mortuary Drape, Samael) and the finesse of the Second Wave, specifically from Norway. The simplicity of the slow riffs, the even more basic drums and the primal hoarse vocals provide a stunning contrast to the beautiful, often acoustic melodies.
This is one of those albums that is actually better to experience for yourself. Even within a metal scene with growing appreciation for this style, Necrosorcery brings an almost perfect record with a beautiful sound and atmosphere that is both unique and recognizable. Needless to stress that this album comes with the warmest recommendation.
