Necropolissebeht – TTCCCLXXX

Necropolissebeht is something as rare as an international Black/Death Metal act consisting of members from both Canada and Germany – A combination I will be honest and admit that I have never come across before. They have been active as a band under their current moniker which, I have sadly been unable to find a suitable explanation for, for three years now. The closest explanation I came across for their name was that it might be a name created by shortening Necropolis of Sebeht, which might refer to a UNESCO heritage site called Bet She’arim – But that is all speculation on my part, after I once more fell into the Google rabbit hole. What I do know for certain is that the band has so far released a single EP, a four tracks long record entitled TTCCCLXXX – A name I am once again clueless about. What is delightfully refreshing about the release however, is the music itself; A clear-cut mixture of old-school Death Metal riffs and drums infused with the disorted guitars and rough recording and mixing of Black Metal. As a matter of fact, had I not known that the record was released as early as last year, I would most likely have missed the subtle fact that the instruments (and vocal track in particular) is ever so slightly cleaner than their 80’s and 90’s counterparts (no doubt due to being recorded on significantly newer as well as digital hardware). 

As a result the music itself is very hard to rip into its constituent parts, instead acting and presenting as a coherent mass of loud, unmalleable noise, a constant onslaught, a whirlwind of abhorrence directed squarely at the listeners – And overall it is a very succesful approach, filled with energy just itching to drag you along. 

The three musicians seem to have had a very specific sound in mind when recording this album, seeing how they went to great lengths to bring to life the sound I haven’t heard since Krabathor – Chaotic, angry and violent, the way (normally) only a Blackened Death Metal act of the nineties could be. It hits all the right notes, and does everything ‘by the book’ as it were and as such is a solid release. Personally I would have loved to see a bit more to make them more unique and more easily identifiable in the long run. But all in all almost precisely twenty minutes of pure aggression, recommended to any fans of Krabathor and God Dethroned. 

https://necropolissebeht.bandcamp.com/