NECROCENE - Scumocracy

Intro '(Threshold)' opens on an ominous note, with brooding, gurgling sounds creating the impression of being trapped somewhere beneath the surface. Eerie and unsettling textures slowly begin to emerge from the depths, building an increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere. Whatever is waiting on the other side of this threshold, it doesn't sound particularly welcoming.

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'Ordinary Enemy' serves as the real opener, immediately hitting us with fast-paced drumming, filthy, spitting vocals and some seriously effective riffing. Beneath all that aggression sits a hefty dose of groove that bulldozes its way through the entire track, giving the raw death metal attack an irresistible physical weight. Direct, dirty and straight to the point. One of the previously released singles, 'Scumocracy', comes crashing in with a crushing riff and cymbal-driven drumming that keeps pushing the track forward. The bass could certainly have a little more presence, and for music this dirty, punchy and direct, the song perhaps runs slightly longer than necessary. Then again, when something keeps slapping you in the face this effectively, who really cares? 

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The momentum continues to build as the track progresses, turning the whole thing into exactly the kind of filthy death metal assault that should cause some serious movement live. Put me in that mosh pit.'(Stillpoint)' serves as something of a breathing point, or does it? Galloping sounds, distant hammering and other difficult-to-identify noises fill the background, while a sinister yet strangely calm melody runs underneath. The aggression may have disappeared for a moment, but any real sense of comfort remains noticeably absent. 

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With 'Concrete Petrichor', we are thrown straight back into darker and more brutal territory. The composition bulldozes forward with considerable weight, led by forceful drumming while the guitars provide a thick, uncompromising backbone. Above it all sits that filthy old-school vocal delivery, throaty, dark and perfectly suited to the surrounding heaviness. A short solo towards the end adds some welcome depth beneath all that brute force, briefly allowing another layer to emerge without softening the impact.

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'Weapons Of The Damned' leads us towards the end of the album with surprisingly epic, almost floating melodies, while never losing the crushing heaviness underneath. It doesn't take long before we plunge back into a faster death metal attack, driven by a powerful rhythmic backbone and excellent instrumentation. I think I may have found my favourite. I'm a sucker for properly executed old-school death metal, and when it comes with this much drive, weight and musicianship, there isn't much more I could ask for.

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We end our devastating journey with 'The Lust Of Us', a closer built around many of the elements that have defined Scumocracy: heavy instrumentation, rapid riffing, thunderous drumming and filthy vocals. It works, although by this point there are moments when I find myself wondering whether I've heard some of these ideas before. Then again, this is a debut, and there is plenty of room for NECROCENE to develop a more individual voice in the future. For now, the band simply threw everything they have left at us. They have been relentless for most of the album, so why would they end it any other way?

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With "Scumocracy", NECROCENE delivers a filthy and relentlessly heavy debut rooted deeply in old-school death metal. Thunderous drumming, crushing riffs and appropriately rotten vocals give the record plenty of physical impact, while occasional melodies and atmospheric passages add welcome depth. Some ideas begin to feel familiar as the album progresses, but the foundation is undeniably strong. Raw, uncompromising and packed with potential, Scumocracy gives NECROCENE plenty to build upon.

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SCORE 8/10

REVIEWED BY SWAMPY