Persuader - Necromancy review
Band: | Persuader |
Album: | Necromancy |
Style: | Power metal |
Release date: | December 04, 2020 |
A review by: | tominator |
01. The Curse Unbound
02. Scars
03. Raise The Dead
04. Reign Of Darkness
05. Hells Command
06. Gateways
07. The Infernal Fires
Meanwhile, in a church in Sweden?
Thou shall worship old-school Blind Guardian.
And thou shall not question their power
Nor shall thou defy their brilliance
Thou shall proclaim it.
I release thee, go.
Their evangelists you'll be for all time.
And thus were the words of the almighty power metal Gods.
That overly long intro should give you an idea of what we are dealing here. Persuader is clearly a band that adores Blind Guardian's 90s output. And coincidentally this reviewer does as well. Who would have thought it?
Production-wise, this record is simply excellent. It has that power metal polish but with a certain grit added to it. Guitars are stylized but still have personality, the drums have a good punch to them, bass is audible and the vocals are nice and prominent in the mix. This is the kind of production that I really like for a power metal album.
The lyrics are okay. You won't get a "wow" feeling out of them, but they are far from bad. It fits with the music and that's often already above-average in terms of power metal lyrics. On top of that, the overall performance of the band manages to deliver the lyrics in a convincing way. Never did I feel like there were parts that didn't fit. As my good friend Todd Howard would say: "It just works!". (But, in this case that's actually the truth?)
And since we mentioned the performance, let's talk about that a bit more. We get a simply top-notch one from the band, with melodies and riffs that have energy and intensity. As for the vocals, they share the same quality as the music itself. I'm pretty sure that if Jens Carlsson would use his raspy vocals atop a mountain in Sweden, you would be able to hear it here in Belgium? It's quality stuff and adds a lot to the enjoyment of this record. You can easily pick up on the aforementioned connection to Blind Guardian. Just like with Judicator, I feel like the music they make is distinct enough to not make it sound like a carbon copy. However, I will say that Judicator's effort this year differentiates itself a bit more than what Persuader offers with Necromancy.
That being said, this record captivated me from start to finish. It grabs you by the (jingle) balls and demands your attention, and it absolutely deserves that attention. Necromancy is, simply put, a really good album. It's an intense and thoroughly enjoyable ride. So far, it probably is my second favourite Blind Guardian-inspired album of this year? But also, my second favourite power metal record of this year, if I'm honest. I like Judicator's historically inspired lyrics a bit more, but at the same time I slightly prefer the production of this record to Let There Be Nothing's. In the end, it's really close between the two. As a result, I'm going to give it the same score as I would give to Let There Be Nothing. As far as I'm concerned, this is a must-listen for power metal fans.
Rating breakdown
Performance: | 10 |
Songwriting: | 8 |
Originality: | 8 |
Production: | 10 |
| Written on 20.12.2020 by You know I'm right, you just haven't realised it yet... |
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