Necronoclast - Ashes - review
Necronoclast - Ashes - review
Band
Necronoclast Album
Ashes Style
Black metal Website
www.necronoclast.com
Release date
February 22, 2011 Tracklist
01. Serpents02. Looking Glass
03. Ashes
04. Ravenous
05. Ghostways
06. Veil Of Flies
07. Kajicnické ?aty
A review by
Troy Killjoy January 31, 2011
United Kingdom
Moribund Records
Line-up on the CD:
Greg Edwards - vocals, all instruments
Multi-instrumentalist Greg Edwards formed Necronoclast back in 2003, steadily producing new material following the release of his first demo, Beyond The Light. After garnering label interest and rapport within the black metal scene, Necronoclast ventured into more hateful forms of straightforward black metal, ending up with Moribund Records and this, Edwards' fourth full-length release.
Ashes begins about as blasphemous as you'd expect a death-themed black metal album to begin: ferocious blastbeats, simplistic "necro" riffing, vicious shrieks and merciless growls, all mashed together to create a dark, disturbing atmosphere. The style of each song seldom changes; instead, Edwards focuses solely on illustrating the harshest aspects of black metal, and Ashes is the personification of success in that regard. However, the problem with that unrelenting abrasion is how thin it wears after 45 minutes of listening to such a laborious sound - it isn't completely headache-inducing, but the album lacks melody and variation (with the exception of the album's final track, "Kajicnické ?aty").
Of course, many can and will view the unequivocal path chosen by our one-man band member as a return to the old school sound instituted by the Norwegian originators (who don't need to be named for anyone with more than a day's worth of black metal research at this point). And while I have no qualms with that specific sound, Ashes is simply no Burzum or Transilvanian Hunger; whether or not it tries to be is almost entirely irrelevant, as the comparisons will be made regardless of its aim.
For a black metal album that's intent is to evoke feelings of rage, spite, hostility and the like, Ashes does the job. Edwards is a capable songwriter with a penchant for instilling in his audience a strong sense of negativity. However, for a black metal album that's intent is to demand the attention of its listener with its virtuosity and innovation, this album falls flat on its face.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/necronoclast
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 6 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 31.01.2011 by
Written on 31.01.2011 by
I'm total pro; that's what I'm here for. Comments
Comments:
9
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Lol why a czech track name?!
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| Tranquillizer
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I'll probably check it out just for shits. Sometimes straightforward is more what I want than innovation.
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Posts: 21306 Written by Jeeers on 31.01.2011 at 09:48 I'm beginning to think it's a pandemic. Written by Yojimbo on 31.01.2011 at 13:24 It's really not a bad album, just not that innovative - meaning you'll probably enjoy it if you're looking for that straightforward style.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 386 Written by [user id=112141] on 31.01.2011 at 12:35 lol, maybe. it might just be an indirect homage to master's hammer who knows.
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Posts: 198
As a musician, no question that he's good. But as a vocalist, sorry...he sounds like a freakin' crocodile singing !!! 
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Posts: 887
I like this album mainly for its straight-forwardness. Its been a while since i listened to such and hence..this came as a breath of fresh air. Yes, its lacking in variation and 44mins for an album of this kind is on the high side but for some reason..I find myself coming back to this album. If only Greg Edwards would make this more riffy(a la Negator) instead of heavily relying on the necro-riffing..this would have been a winner! Love the review, btw...
---- Freeze! Step away from the hubris.
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Posts: 53
Haven was a lot better than Ashes .. he did a better job on vocals, i also like the riffs in Ravenous and Kajicnické �aty and there is also better guitar work in this album than the last ones ... but it stays a lot in the same atmosphere. I prefer Haven because i can listen the whole album and not getting tired of ..
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