Album Review: Necronautical – Slain In The Spirit
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
Over a decade of plying their black metal, Necronautical is a band whose sound is so much more. Their fourth album is one of the best releases I’ve heard this year and for those unfamiliar with the Mancunian four-piece, then ‘Slain in the Spirit’ offers the perfect opportunity to right that wrong.
With a name that means ‘to explore death’, you’d be unsurprised to find that the band’s subject matter centres of death, nihilism and mythology. 2019’s third album ‘Apotheosis’ may not have set the world ablaze with some mixed reviews, but this record should correct those challenges and cement the band in the upper echelons of UK Black Metal.
As well as the banks of tremolo riffing, Necronautical’s sound embraces death metal particles as well as the symphonic elements of the likes of Dimmu Borgir. Underneath the soaring and quite dizzying passages of frantic exploration lurks a band that fires out demonic black metal with almost military precision. ‘Occult Ecstatic Indoctrination’ sees the band blend the complexity of Opeth with a ferocity of Cannibal Corpse in one fireball of a song. There are moments of stunning classic heavy metal, searing solos that burst out of the melee and a combination of death roars and cleaner vocals that work tirelessly between each other. It’s a track to make your blackened heart rot with happiness.
The title track initially doesn’t allow pause for breath but contains glorious melodies that surge through the track, the splendid guitar work sailing out on a sea of supportive powerful drumming and thundering bass. Unafraid to incorporate swathes of keyboards into their sound, the pace is variable, the power and emotion never less than maximum. An opportunity for calm does occur, with the band taking full advantage and the inclusion of operatic singing towards the end of the song simply adds another layer. If you want dramatic, then slap ‘Hypnagogia’ around the lugholes, for this is a track crammed full of pace, power and action.
At times almost primal in their approach, ‘Slain in the Spirit’ demonstrates a maturity that has evolved organically throughout their musical journey. ‘Pure Consciousness Event’ strips back to the raw, the intense pace breath taking, the sheer velocity at times punishing. Yet strip away the surface and you’ll find layer upon layer of complexity. The penultimate track, ‘Death Magick Triumphant’ signalling a jubilant conclusion to an album that requires the deep dive and absorption into the inner psyche. I’ve played it several times – you need to do that to do it justice.
Although the band have moved their sound to a more progressive and complex style, there is no doubting that underneath the complexity lurks a savage beast and this is highlighted by a blistering closing cover, Slayer’s ‘Disciple’. Recorded at Foel Studios in North Wales with producer Chris Fielding (Winterfylleth, Primordial, Boss Keloid, Conan), this is an album that should delight fans of The Infernal Sea, Winterfylleth, Mork etc.
