Album Review: Necrotum – Defleshed Exhumation
Reviewed by Sam Jones
There are so many bands these days it’s difficult to keep up with all of them. Among these are Necrotum, having formed in 2019, from Brașov, Romania, and have already amassed an impressive quantity of material for fans to get stuck into. Their debut full length, Condemned To Burn, I recall being a favourite of mine back in 2020 when the Pandemic was at its height. Since then, Necrotum became a band I was always pleased to see new material from, however I missed the release of their sophomore studio album, Undead Symbiosis, back in 2022. Now, prepped for a January 22nd release date and through Memento Mori, these Romanians are again ready to unveil another album of theirs, titled Defleshed Exhumation. Having missed the release of their last record I was determined to give this it’s due.
Necrotum are that fascinating kind of extreme metal act where you go in thinking you’re getting just one kind of death metal, and come away having received about three different variations. While the crux of their soundscape is what you expect, everything else regarding this record is up in the air for the band to experiment with. It’s striking how far, so quickly, the band have come with their evolution as they bring a cacophonous tone that crushes and consumes your attention from the first minute, to the point where I had to turn the volume down quite a lot. However, with that said, the band’s riffs and licks are certainly becoming more cerebral and spacey all the while their general tone is as dirty and thick as it’s ever been. It’s a curious juxtaposition Necrotum establish for themselves but, within the midst of their songwriting, it really works for them since the riffs have this higher pitch to them so when the band do wish to enact these surreal licks, they instantly jump higher in the mix so they’re heard without fail.
If there’s one thing I recall Necrotum doing well, and is no different herein, it’s their ability to competently control their pacing. Necrotum’s pace is one that comfortably sits within that steadier, slower range as the band break out riffs and resonance that lingers longer than other acts would do, but it’s then countered by the faster, spacey riffs or blast beats that often border on gravity blasts at times. The speed is all over the place as Necrotum consistently bounce back and forth between faster and steadier segments; it’s as if a metronome has been erected to showcase their ability to far from one tempo to another as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. Considering this isn’t a lengthy album either, it’s amazing to see just how much material Necrotum are thereby prepared to inject into every track. You certainly get your money’s worth with this album.
While the band are becoming more adept at throwing off their audience with what might and might not be expected, the vocals are absolutely a grounding feature to this record. For those who may be unsure regarding the band’s riff style with this record, they may still rest assured the vocals are unchanged, and are reliable as any death metal delivery ought to be. The aforementioned volume brings to mind the mixing process and how everything has been seemingly raised to the max; I do feel the drums could have used a little more prominence within the mix but when you have a record that’s this committed to destroying its audience there have to be some caveats, and where the drums are lower in the mix the vocals are right at the precipice. The delivery is as gruff and baritone as the band have always possessed and while you can feel the vocals gunning for you it still manages to allow breathing room. This isn’t a wholly suffocating record.
I think if there was ever a record to showcase a watershed instance of Necrotum passing over into Progressive Death Metal territory, this is it. When you listen to what the band manage to imbue their soundscape with, it’s far from a conventional album. While their earliest work is certainly in line with typical death metal, the band have evidently evolved quickly and without caring what others may think of it. Many of these riff pieces and sections operate with little concern for expected track structure nor do the riffs always work with blockier phases; there are times where the riff devolves into singular notes, and even then the riffs assume this haphazard, skipping semblance where we can’t be sure where the next note will land because the band have become so at home in pulling the rug from under your feet. The aim of Necrotum is still quality death metal, but the approach the band take is certainly changing and I wouldn’t be surprised if their next studio record is a full blown Progressive work. It’s akin to Horrendous’ evolution, starting with standard death metal before assuming a more left-field, progressive evolution.
In conclusion, this is far from what I believed Necrotum’s development as a band would give me. The death metal aesthetic is still here in force, but to deny where the band’s trajectory is taking their sound would be to completely turn our heads away. Things are no longer totally black and white with the band’s extremity as they, throughout the full record, throw a slew of cerebral riffs and warped songwriting our way. As stated, I can absolutely perceive the band throwing out a fully fledged progressive death metal work in the near future for all the telltale signs are manifesting throughout Defleshed Exhumation. I think many will enjoy this album, but a far greater number won’t know what to really think of it until the second or third listen is complete. Defleshed Exhumation is a record that doesn’t offer any hands to help guide us and leaves us entirely alone to form our decision. It’s a strange and curious record for sure.
