Necrophobic’s take on black metal has always skewed more melodic and surprisingly accessible compared to their contemporaries. While the black metal influence is there, hints of Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate still peek through in the best possible way – forcing the band to toe the line between death and “true” black metal. But instead of being overly concerned with being the most evil and kvlt band around, they focused on making their music a bit more… listenable. As a result, Necrophobic has the riffs, the solos (yes, real solos in black metal!), and hooks that too often get overlooked in the genre. The band returns in 2024 with In the Twilight Grey, which is quite possibly their strongest offering since the 2006 modern classic, Hrimthursum.
With a subtle intro leading into a classic Necrophobic riff, album opener “Grace of the Past” tells you almost everything you know about the record. However, “Clavis Inferni” is one of the strongest songs in the band’s catalog. With non-stop thrashy drums, traditional black metal chord voicings, and an incredibly tight arrangement, this is classic Necrophobic from beginning to end. In hindsight, it’s become so very clear to me that Necrophobic helped set the template for the modern Black Thrash movement, that’s quickly gaining momentum with bands like Hellripper, Cloak, and Traitor, who owe a ton of their sound to Necrophobic, and this track is a perfect example of their influence in that space.
Next up on the record are the two singles released before the album dropped. “As Stars Collide” puts Necrophobic’s epic side front and center, with dramatic keys and stacked vocals dominating the track. Midway, the track shifts from their signature triplet feel to a straight 4/4 section for some melodic soloing before returning to the epic theme. This is a very well-balanced track that doesn’t overstay its welcome or lean into the keys and strings too heavily. However, almost completely counter to this epic melodic sound, the band launches into super heavy “Stormcrow,” which heavily expands the classic sound of The Third Antichrist, only for them to go heavily melodic after the first chorus. This is one of the finest moments on the record, and possibly their career, and was the obvious choice for the single here. This song would fit right into their live set between classics like “Blinded by Light, Enlightened by Darkness,” and “Mark of the Necrogram” without missing a beat.
Highlights from the second half of the record are undoubtedly “Mirrors of a Thousand Lakes” and “Cast in Stone,” especially the catchy guitar soloing of the latter. “Nordanvind” is a particularly unusual, yet still strong track, for the band. This is definitely the most exploration they’ve done in a while, straying the furthest from the standard Necrophobic template to create something new yet not completely out of place. Imagine a Necrophobic song arranged like an early Satyricon track, which is very high praise. The title track, however, is absolutely by the numbers Necrophobic – not in a bad way, but it’s exactly what you’d expect from them in 2024.
Overall, this is an incredibly consistent and strong offering from the band. Tracks like “Stormcrow” and “Cast in Stone” will hopefully be recurring tracks in their live set and are worthy of being played alongside the band’s classic material! There’s very little to complain about here – just some odd distortion in the drums at times, and perhaps “Shadows of the Brightest Night” lacked direction a bit, but overall, this is a band not content to rest on their legacy. The classic Necrophobic sound is still intact, yet the band isn’t afraid to go where the songs have taken them.
Necrophobic’s In The Twilight Grey arrives on March 15th via Century Media. Grab your copy here. Check out our interview with co-founder Joakim Sterner via this location.
