Awakening, Struggle, Rebirth: Necrofier‘s Transcend Into Oblivion
The Houston, Texas quartet Necrofier have been writing riffs together since 2018, but it wasn’t until I heard the 2023 album Burning Shadows in the Southern Night that they first caught my attention. To be honest, I found that album to be serviceable, but not spectacular: competently played blackened death metal, but nothing that set the band apart from the hordes of other bands competently playing blackened death metal. My next exposure to the band was live, with Devil Master, Worm (who stole the show), and Hulder. Again, I thought their set was solid, but didn’t stand out. They are the type of band I would let play if they came on through shuffle, but wouldn’t seek to play.
Transcend Into Oblivion has changed my impression of the band. This might be the album where they transcend the hordes and rise above the oblivion of an oversaturated market. For most of the album, the riffs (courtesy of Semir Özerkan and Bakka) really stand out. The vocals (Bakka) are strong and engaging. The rhythm section (Mat Valentine, bass; Dobber Beverly, drums) more than pulls their weight, driving the tracks forward with a sense of inexorability. For me, “Servants Of Darkness, Guide My Way III” and “Mystical Creation Of Enlightenment” fall a little short, in the sense that they are not as memorable. This leads to the album dragging for about 8 1/2 minutes in the middle, but these tracks are still competently made. They are just more like my experience with the prior album.
One of the reasons that Transcend works so well is that there are several unexpected flourishes of various sorts sprinkled throughout the album without being overused. They are well-embedded in the structure of the compositions to add just the right level of spice. For example, the end of “Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path I” the first track on the album, features mournful violin. Other tracks feature hints of operatic vocalization, piano, acoustic guitar, and more. All of it is tastefully placed to enhance the overall effect of the album.
Perhaps one reason why this album works so well is that the band decided to lean fully into a concept. In talking about the album and the fact that it has a concept, Bakka seems to feel the same way, stating:
I really like what we did on the previous album, but it doesn’t compare to what we have accomplished on the new one.
He then goes on to explain further what the concept actually is, and how it’s broken into three essential parts.
From the creation, the record is based on a Luciferian Dark Night Of The Soul. ‘Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path’ is the awakening. The first three songs are experiences and dreams that were happening as this change began, and I questioned everything I was doing.
The first track “Fires Of The Apocalypse” is broken into three parts, so in and of itself, it is the first three tracks. You can feel that sense of awakening across these tracks, the sense of rising action. Something is coming and we can but await its arrival. Bakka continues:
It starts feeling as though a new fire has been lit, but it grows dark as we venture into the second act, ‘Servants Of Darkness, Guide My Way.’ This is the struggle and torment that comes along with the awakening. Realizing things from the past are no longer true and you see the world in a different way, and it isn’t easy.
With the awakening complete, now the once dormant reality is here, awake, and evolving. This section starts with “Behold The Birth Of Ascension,” which contains the aforementioned piano, then moving into the furious “Servants Of Darkness, Guide My Way.” The sense of the agony of growing pains is evident throughout this section. Finally, Bakka continues:
This leads into Act III, ‘Horns Of Destruction, Lift My Blade.’ This is the rebirth or accession. You have been transformed; you are not who you were before. Everything has changed, you see the world differently and you take what is yours.
The final evolution has occurred. A changed being stands before us, confident and ready.
It strikes me that this process described by Bakka in the quotes above may be autobiographical, but perhaps more importantly for the listener, they describe experiences most of us have gone through, at least metaphorically. The awakening to something new, the evolution of realizing we need to change, and the result of that transition, hopefully strengthened and improved is a pretty universal experience, and one I have gone through multiple times in my life. Perhaps it’s this truth that makes this album so compelling to me. It’s an album that touches something deep in who we all are.
3.5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Transcend Into Oblivion is out now through Metal Blade Records on digital, CD, and vinyl. There are also a couple of cool shirts available. You know what to do, merch fiends!
Album artwork by José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal
Band photo by Brian Sheehan
