Death metal band Necrovation breaks back into this dimension with a new EP, Storming The Void – Starving Grave.
Necrovation first stirred in Sweden twenty years ago. They laid down a string of reliable heavy metal releases including a couple of EPs, a demo, and two long-players, Breed Deadness Blood (2008) and Necrovation (2012). After that, they went on an extended recording hiatus. Until now. I am not sure what happened between now and then, and maybe it was nothing more than the musicians choosing not to record anything. Whatever it was, the new music is what is important today. The Metal Archives reveals the band members to be Anton Wanstadius (bass), A. Bünger (drums), and Sebastian Gadd (vocals, guitar).
There are two tracks on the new EP. “Storming The Void” is a lunging production, fierce enough the wake the dead. The death metal framework is at first familiar, but the music veers off in obscene directions with no notice at all, playing freely with multiple genres and subgenres. The muted aggression at the end of the song is a withering, frightening affair.
Its companion, “Starving Grave,” challenges the opener in intensity, but at a different pace and approach. After a measured beginning, the engine explodes and shrapnel flies in every direction, opening wounds. The melodic passage that follows is not reassuring, but is instead taunting, and a critical pummeling does indeed follow. There is a constant feeling of the presence of disembodied souls drifting nearby in the midgame, putting an elemental twist on the composition.
There are only two songs here, and they are both great. It makes me want to hear more, but until that comes to pass, this brief return is more than welcome. Recommended.
The new EP is out on Friday, February 24th through Blood Harvest Records. In the US, Bandcamp is the reliable source.
Links.
Bandcamp, https://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/storm-the-void-starving-grave
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/necrovationdeathmetal
Blood Harvest Records, http://shop.bloodharvest.se/
© Wayne Edwards
Flying Fiddlesticks Music Blog 