Nekromantheon - Rise, Vulcan Spectre

There's tons of new Black/Thrash bands around thesed days, but this is the first one to ever strike my fancy.  That's probably because Nekromantheon actually make good music instead of relying on their huge number of bullet-belts and goat heads to get attention.  They play ripping thrash in the early Sodom/Destruction/Bathory tradition, maybe some early Sepultura can be found in there as well.  The vocals are a particular standout; they have a huge, throaty sound with just the right amount of delay for a perfect cavernous effect.  The guitar playing comes in a close second.  It's expectedly fierce with tons of single-string riffing and hammer-ons reminding me so much of Destruction's Proto-Black peak.  The guitar is a little low in the mix and there's some cymbal harshness, but the overall production is still very listenable.  When it comes to Black Metal or Black/Thrash, atmosphere somewhat trumps clarity, so it's not such a big deal.   Anyway, I see good things in this band's future.

  

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