Review: Exmortus – Necrophony
XoXoXmortus
(This review was written by Chort the Crop Infestor)
Welcome, toilet stainers one and all, to a spiralling journey through the ominous corridors of
melodic death metal. Prepare to bear witness to the malevolence known as Necrophony from the sinister minds of Exmortus. This face-melting opus definitely touches on new horizons for the band.
From the very onset of “Masquerade” a spooky yet sexy mood descends upon you like a cloud of horny bats, luring you into the heart of Exmortus’s musical labyrinth. The twisted melodies and chilling harmonies intertwine like skeletal fingers clutching at your very soul. It’s as if the spectral
echoes of the undead have risen from the depths of the toilet bowl to serenade you with a symphony of macabre delight.
But let’s talk turkey, and by this, I mean “toilet turkey”. Exmortus’s musical prowess is a force to be reckoned with. The guitar work, led by the enigmatic Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez, is nothing short of malevolent wizardry. The blazing riffs, like fiery meteors of doom, leave scorch marks on your eardrums, while the solos soar with a virtuosity that could summon demons from the netherworld.
**The riffs on this album are so potent they could unblock a clogged toilet.**
Chase Becker’s relentless assault on the six-stringed beast, paired with Phillip Nuñez’s bone- crushing basslines, creates a harmonic dissonance that resonates with the very fabric of the underworld. The rhythm section, fueled by the demonic heartbeat of Adrian Aguilar’s drums, hammers down like a relentless ghost hammering on a phantom toilet.
Let us not forget the aptly named track “Necrophony” a twisted cover of “Summer” by Greek- American composer and all-around Jesus look-alike Yanni Chryssomallis. With audacious audacity, Exmortus transmutes this classical piece into a hellish frenzy, akin to a madman flushing a grand piano down the cosmic toilet of eternity. If Hatchet dated Warbringer and then gave birth to mutant twins who liked Yanni and Yngwie Malmsteen, that would accurately sum up this album.
Each track on this maleficent odyssey is a nightmarish tale that weaves together a tapestry of death artistry. “Mask Of Red Death” pays homage to Poe’s chilling narrative, while “Beyond The Grave” gleefully dances among the macabre cadavers of the Evil Dead trilogy. It’s a musical séance that will have you waltzing with the souls of the damned around the brimstone rim of a demonic lavatory.
As for the sinister poetry that flows through the album, Conan’s soul-tearing growls and snarls plunge you into a realm of darkness and despair. It’s like having the ghostly whispers of the damned reverberate through your very bowels. I mean, could the vocals be a bit more deathy? Sure, but it works for the dynamism that Exmortus has developed. Just listen to the Maiden cover of “Moonchild” and tell me it doesn’t slap like a wet bass on a beaver’s butt! It’s gritty, girthier even than the original. And Conan does a fantastic job balancing the Death with the operatic and coming out sounding like a Bruce Dickenson who’s pissed he just got a parking ticket…
Necrophony is an unapologetic declaration of Exmortus’s rebirth—a triumphant rising from the ashes of the pandemic. With their newfound vigor, they have woven a wicked tapestry of nightmarish sounds transcending mortal comprehension. Yes, Exmortus is a melodic death metal band, but they have a dynamism to them that really stands out in this album, and that has been something that I think some of their previous albums lacked at times. But Exmortus does set itself apart from the competition by being unique and pushing itself to new and distinctive corners within its genre.
Necrophony gets a 4 Flaming Toilets ov Hell out of 5
Necrophony by Exmortus is out on August 25th via Nuclear Blast Records.
