Necronomicon – Constant to Death Review

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This is the third Necronomicon’s album we have the pleasure to review here. It’s always great to have the opportunity to follow a band’s career. First was 2018’s whose sonancy “Unleashed Bastards” surprised me a lot because, by the band’s name, I expected a Raw Death Metal outfit, but it turned out to be a harsh Old School Heavy Metal. Then came 2021’s “The Final Chapter” maintaining the same grip and power which I compared to a lost link of Judas Priest’s “Painkiller” due to its violent pungent nature. Now we’ve got their newest release “Constant to Death” whose sonancy dares to go beyind its predecessors. “Constant to Death” acquired a heavyness that puts it near to Megadeth. The guitar solos in tracks as “Stored in Blood” address to Megadeth early albums where I think Necronomicon’s music now stands. The same goes with the drums with echoes in the end of the song. Necronomicon’s music right now is right in the middle of Old School Heavy Metal and early Thrash. The same grip as bands as Overkill and Annihilator. Interestingly, in the middle of the 1980s that was a very dangerous position because bands with that grip suffered a lot due to the crowd preferences who wanted or Hair Metal or Thrash Metal. It was an awkward situation that killed the career of nice bands as Omen and Lizzy Borden, for instance.

The music in here is outstanding. “Constant to Death” is a killer album. It’s hard as iron and heavy as hell. The kind of game changer album. As a plot twist for all the pain inflicted in the album, grand finale “Outro” is gentle and subtle with an acoustic piano giving the tone. As we are talking about the pain inflicted a good call is “They Lie” with its pounding drumming and strinking guitars. It’s from those tracks that the Megadeth verve appears stronger and pretty much alive. The band’s prone to early Thrash makes it sometimes sound with other bands from the same period. Is it just me or the guitars in the middle of “The Guilty Shepherd” address to “Creeping Death”? Did anyone feel the same? On the other side of the musical coin, tracks as “The Guilty Shepherd” have a striking resemblance with Annihilator due to the use of children’s musical toys as “Alice in Hell” era. Well, Annihilator are one of the bands that suffered in that epoch as well.

“Constant to Death” is an album for the fans of bands such as Overkill, Annihilator and Megadeth. Necronomicon’s music is half way both bands for the better and for the worse. Another nomination for the end of the year as best album.

P.S.: I’d like to highlight two songs for their social critique agenda “A Voice for the Voiceless” – sure, we do need more than one – and “Poverty Show.” Metal music needs bands with a social agenda more than ever. It urges to call for the wild and for the needed.

Necronomicon “Constant to Death” was released on April 28th via El Puerto Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Constant to Death
  2. They Lie
  3. Redemption
  4. Stored in Blood
  5. The Guilty Shepherd
  6. A Voice for the Voiceless
  7. Black Rain
  8. Children Cry Alone
  9. Bloodrush
  10. Down From Above
  11. The Blood Runs Red
  12. Poverty Show
  13. Outro

Watch “Constant to Death” official clip here:

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