Phylactery – Necromancy Enthroned

If there is one thing the world could use more of, it’s thrash metal. Canada in particular often seems to have a somewhat fractured scene, and so it is always a treat to discover a new band playing this style of music from my home country. Phylactery is billed as a death/thrash act with heavy influences from Sacrifice and Morbid Saint. In all honesty, this might be a bit of a disingenuous take; the former band’s sound really can’t be heard at all on “Necromancy Enthroned”, while the latter may be occasionally channeled sonically, but not quite in spirit. The real problem is that Phylactery’s vocals are straight-up death metal, displaying absolutely no thrash influence. This makes their sound definitively more diluted than the classic death/thrash acts of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Where Phylactery does shine, however, is in their riff arsenal. Thrash has always been about the riffs, and “Necromancy Enthroned” is filled to the brim with razor-sharp riffing. The guitar tone is particularly savage, making every note an aggressive experience. When the band does any form of simple picking on the low E string, this piercing tone is accentuated. The guitars aren’t excessively downtuned, allowing the bass enough room to fill the low end without sounding redundant. This is most evident when the riffs occasionally work their way up the fretboard. The production is where much of the atmosphere of this release comes from as it allows the band to successfully capture an old-school vibe. One strange curiosity about the production is that the volume actually changes across a couple of songs ("King of Ruin" into "Where I Dwell" is one example, but it also happens again towards the end of the record). It isn’t problematic, but is certainly jarring. Aside from this minor blip, the sound of this album is what will appeal to people most. 

Unquestionably, “Necromancy Enthroned” will be worshipped by any thrashers who can’t stand most modern bands. But unsurprisingly, this comes at a price. The songwriting on this record is simply adequate. The riffs rule for their runtime, but have little staying power, and there aren’t any specific vocal patterns or even sections that are extremely memorable once the album ends. This is definitely a good record, and I have no doubt that anyone who is a fan of Unspeakable Axe or Dark Descent Records will hail this as an album of the year contender, but for my tastes, it is neither true enough to it’s stated influences, nor close enough to its modern contemporaries to rank alongside either.

Be sure to check out and like Phylactery on Facebook!

Highlights

All of it

Final Rating

3.9/5 or 78%. 

Written by Scott

Nervosa – Agony

Brazilian thrashers Nervosa are back after two years with their sophomore record, entitled “Agony”. While the debut was an enjoyable slab of thrash metal, everything about “Agony” is a major step forward. Put simply, it is a much more brutal affair, but the songwriting does not suffer as a result. The guitar tone immediately makes it clear just how punishing this record is: it is chunky, making even notes that aren’t palm-muted sound as if they were. The bass similarly cuts through the mix with similar intensity, and the drums are on another level entirely in terms of sheer aggression. “Agony” is no stranger to speed, and all three musicians make that very clear with their hostile playing.

Perhaps the most satisfying thing about “Agony” is the fact that the songwriting is much more compelling than in the past. Nervosa’s song structures can occasionally be complex, but their choruses are very simple: they often consist of shouting the title of the track over and over (though this isn’t exclusive to every song). This makes it easy to remember most of these songs, even after your first listen. Tracks like “Arrogance”, “Intolerance Means War”, and “Failed System” are excellent examples of this approach. Aside from the catchy choruses, their songs incorporate a variety of familiar techniques to keep things interesting: tremolo picking, blast beats, standard thrash riffs, etc. The key to Nervosa’s success is the fact that they do many things well, without overdoing one particular sound.

Unsurprisingly, this brutality calls for an equally brutal vocal approach. Fernanda Lira has turned things up another notch on this album. Even though her vocals are almost entirely death growls, her delivery makes it sound like if Schmier from Destruction was doing the growling. There’s a certain snarl to it that really sounds like it pays homage to modern Destruction. An intriguing twist occurs on the closing song, “Wayfarer”. There are a couple of moments of pure clean vocals (presumably by Lira) in softer moments of the song, showing even more talent. Though this track is an anomaly, and not at all indicative of the remainder of the record, it is still an interesting inclusion, showing that the band can do more than simply thrash hard. On the whole though, “Agony” is a serious offering of death/thrash that will slaughter many of the most brutal thrash bands around. The jump between the first album and its successor is significant, and if it’s any indication of the future, Nervosa will always be a band to follow!

Be sure to check out and like Nervosa on Facebook!

Highlights

"Arrogance"

"Intolerance Means War"

"Surrounded By Serpents"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Written by Scott