The debut album from Swedish death metal band Necrophagous tells terrifying tales with blast beats, growls, and tsunamic guitar riffs.

The band is comprised of Visceral Bleeding and Entrails members Tommy Carlsson (vocals, guitar), Jocke Svensson (bass), and Martin Michaelsson (drums). The music they have created for In Chaos Ascend embraces the baseline assumptions of the accepted death metal canon and then bends and folds fresh new ideas into the primordial maavu. The result is consistently impressive and revealing.

There are ten tracks on the new album, plus an intro segment. The seal is broken by “Order Of The Lion,” and the hammers swing meaty on this one. A consistent pattern of heaving hitting, groovy riffs and rambunctious percussion continues as you traverse the shadows and shifting landscape, all the while serenaded by gruff, coarse singing.

The title track is a stand-out for its consciousness-clearing shifts and juts. The rambler steady-on riff is a faithful raft on a raging river. “Blood On The Stone Of Thee Monuments” also captured my imagination. The bass lines are a big part of all the songs on the album and the bass really eats your lunch here. And then there is “The Plague And The Arts” which is a shocking affair that will stand for no nonsense. It shakes your pockets empty.

The closer is “Wreaker Of Pain,” a clandestine apothecary of metal abundance. It bellows and howls in a magnificent statement that declares Necrophagous a band to be reckoned with in any discussion of heavy music in 2022. This album is a great way for death metal fans to kick off the new year. Recommended.

In Chaos Ascend is out through Transcending Obscurity Records on Friday, January 7^th. Check out the label’s US on-line store or Bandcamp for the goods.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://necrophagousband.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/necrophagous.sweden/

Transcending Obscurity Records, https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/