This is really a difficult album to review, or even to listen to. Variety dominates every aspect, whether it's the music, vocals, or quality of songwriting. Don't get the wrong idea. The members of Necromanicide are definitely skilled musicians with the talent to write good songs, but a more focused direction would be to their benefit. Hate Regime borders on being a metal compilation CD...by one band.
To describe Necromanicide's style and sound adequately would require a song by song breakdown, so we will just stick to some general characteristics and a list of influences. Though they spend much of their time playing '90s thrash, they also incorporate death metal, NWOBHM, and touches of black and industrial. Two of the band members handle the singing duties, which adds even more variety. It's strange that some of the songs are very musical and draw the listener in, while others are just there with no real redeeming qualities. One track might border on progressive death with hints of jazz, then the next devolves into generic thrash with low-growl vocals.
On rare occasions somebody (liner notes don't say who) breaks out with an amazing, unique-sounding lead reminiscent of Larry Farkas's wild improvisational style on Vengeance Rising's Once Dead. Whoever that is "smokes." They should be allowed out of their cage more often. "Society" has a heavy industrial vibe and would have fit nicely on Generation's album (the one-album industrial band Generation, which included Kemper Crabb and Trouble's Bruce Franklin). In fact, listeners with a strong familiarity with classic Christian metal bands might notice several spots that remind them of a certain riff or song structure by Deliverance, Betrayal, or Mortification.
Amid the excessive variety, a few things are consistent. First, the production is good--just check out the spoken word intro to "The Birth;" you can almost feel the breath in your ear. Second, the guitar tone/sound is pretty similar throughout, although it changes more than on most death metal albums. Finally, both singers' non-English accents are awkwardly apparent most of the time, which is something that will hopefully improve with time.
The band lives in Malaysia, a strict Moslem country, but they've been free so far of potential persecution for their faith. Three of them were saved from Buddhism, one from Hinduism, and one from witchcraft! With such drastic conversions driving them, Necromanicide's main lyrical focus seems to be how modern society is full of evil, hate, injustice, and godlessness. Some specific topics are evolution, not taking responsibility for actions, fighting evil, and biblical truths. The lyrics are sometimes straight-forward, and sometimes handled in a more vague manner, with fantasy-type imagery, but consistently read in a very "heavy metal" way.
We wanted to say more good things about this release, but it just didn't move us. Necromanicide obviously has a lot of versatility, but they need to figure out how to utilize that in forging a cohesive album. And they should let that lead guitar player break loose on every song--that would almost put them on another level by itself. For now, though, Necromanicide's Hate Regime is best for those who are really into that compilation album style of variety.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #73Reviewed by Willow DeLangeThe first thing I noticed about this CD is the great artwork. When I started listening it took me by surprise: it's metal! And although it's not really my thing, it's quality stuff. There's a variety of styles on it that ranks from the old school hardcore The Crucified excelled in, to the speedmetal of Deliverance to growly deathmetal.Similar sounding releases
1995DeathSymbolic
1990TourniquetStop the Bleeding
1998Rebel's MotherThe Dark Unknown
2003DrottnarAnamorphosis
1998UltimatumPuppet Of Destruction
2005Living SacrificeIn Memoriam
