FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Necropolis 2024
Words: Sam Jones
Attending last year’s Necropolis event, at the New Cross Inn, was my highlight of 2023. A full day dedicated to all things dirty and malevolent in death metal, with headliners Undergang, followed by Slimelord, Chaotian, Sequestrum and many more. An old venue featuring a lower floor lined with brass pipe works, enough room for all the merch distros to set up shop and opportunity to move in and out of the place with drinks and revelry, Necropolis immediately established itself as a unique place to enjoy extreme metal in London.
Now, one year on, we prepare to return to the New Cross Inn on Saturday, May 25th and with an officially ticketed pre-show the day before to boot featuring Teratoma, Claustrum, Vacuous and Vaticinal Rites at the Black Heart in the middle of Camden Town, we are once more poised to receive the onslaught of another slew of devilishly filthy ensemble of bands. With native talents inbound across the UK such as England’s Savage Realm, Ireland’s Coscradh and Scotland’s Penny Coffin, Necropolis offers a grand, niche opportunity for smaller acts to reach a dedicated fanbase, especially when said acts have recently released their first album and/or their first EPs. But we must think that just because these are the smaller acts, they’re a little undeserving of own attention when the day falls, their works are ruthless and bring the tone down on your head so I can only envision what they’ll each be like live.
But it’s not merely UK extreme metal on show; from the United States comes Grotesqueries, a one-man act by the name of Yianni Tranxidis, this is incredible material and boggles my mind how a single person can perform, record and mix everything together on a single record. His 2023 Vile Crematory album is a must-listen prior to the event. Also from right across Europe, hailing out of the Czech Republic, are death metal-punks Sněť who arrived to my attention with their 2021 full length: Mokvání V Okovech, an opus that’s been in my repeat listening for some time now. I’m very excited to see these guys come all the way out here.
But onto arguably the big guns now we have Finland’s putrid, miasmic Morbific who’ve quickly made a reputation for all things revolting, releasing two albums and, notably, their recent 2022 album, Squirm Beyond The Mortal Realm, a favourite of mine that year upon release. If you like bass-heavy extreme metal that ratttles your cerebral cortex then Morbific might be worth a listen. Then there’s also the UK’s own Cryptworm, having recently put out Oozing Radioactive Vomition just mid December last year. A record I enjoyed so much I bought a longsleeve of the record. Just one of the reasons alongside Morbific’s announcement for Necropolis, Cryptworm are sure to level the New Cross Inn.
But, headlining Necropolis 2024, and partly the reason for Sněť and Cryptworm coming along also, are Hyperdontia, arguably Denmark’s premier death metal export right now. Formed in 2015 with Danish and Turkish members, Hyperdontia are in that shared universe of Danish extreme metal where bands will share numerous members with each other. Their first record, Nexus Of Teeth, released in 2018 which was soon succeeded by the astonishing 2021 opus, Hideous Entity, and when they’ve not been releasing albums Hyperdontia have been recording EPs, Splits and a Kill-Town Deathfest Live Album. With album three, Harvest Of Malevolence, due for a June 21st release date, it’s possible we may hear new material early and it couldn’t be more opportune considering Necropolis will mark the band’s first ever run of UK shows, playing Birmingham the day after Necropolis closes its doors this year.
Practically throwing my money at a ticket following the first announcement of Hyperdontia and Sněť late last year this event has been some time coming. We’re utterly spoilt for talent and rare death metal this year once more in the UK, and I am ecstatic to return to the New Cross Inn as, once again, London becomes a Graveyard!
