Genre: Death Metal| Label: Nuclear War Now! Productions
Location: Oakland, CA | Listen: Bandcamp
Necrosic are a death metal group consisting of some well known names in the American death metal underground. Their four song EP, “Putrid Decimation,” has been their lone release thus far, and it’s a great little slab of mid-paced death metal. Through strong songwriting, catchy riffs, and powerful grooves, Necrosic are by no means some lazily put together “supergroup.”
The EP opens with its overall fastest track, and right away we are met with some pretty frantic riffing. Eric Cutler’s presence in the band will draw comparisons to Autopsy right away, and that can be seen immediately in “Vomit Transmutation,” as it breaks down into an Autopsy like groove. Additionally, there’s some octave harmonies between the two guitars that further creates that parallel. However, bassist Erika Osterhout’s (Scolex, Chthonic Deity) writing seems to have a strong presence here, as the riff styles of her other bands appear to seep in here. That’s apparent with “Spawn of Radiation” and its catchy, Bolt Thrower groove riffs infused with some impressive flair. The structures of the songs are fairly traditional, with a verse/chorus repetition in the beginning, a counterpoint middle section, and eventually resolving back to the start. Although simple, the flow of these songs are great.
For the most part, this EP has a lot of mid-paced and slower sections. “Squirming In Your Guts” is likely the slowest track on the record, but dynamic is never lost, and they even sneak in the only blast beat section near the end of this track. Drummer Charlie Koryn (whose resume is far too long to list here) delivers an excellent performance, never overplaying anything, but still being thoughtfully nuanced when appropriate. He especially drives the overall flow of the songs in a cohesive manner, and this can be seen on his switch up between the main d-beat feel of “My Casket Drains” into its gargantuan doom middle section. This song also features an eerie melody that gives way to an unmistakable Eric Cutler solo. Bringing it back to the Autopsy influence, vocalist Sean McGrath (of Impaled, among many others) does a fairly spot on performance in the vein of Chris Reifert’s death metal vocals (as opposed to his punkier/shouting vocals).
The quality of the recording here is as spot on as the performances. Recorded at Earhammer Studio, everything sounds large, well balanced, and without anything that sounds artificial. Greg Wilkinson has produced a lot of great sounding records, and whether it’s an album or an 18 minute EP as in this case, he does quality work. It sounds professional, and there’s none of that methodically lifeless sheen that some modern death metal has.
I’ve given this EP plenty of listens since it came out in 2016, and it never fails to be a satisfying spin. Autopsy fans will find this right up their alley, likewise will fans of all the other bands these folks play in, especially Scolex and Chthonic Deity. I’m not sure if there are any future plans for this band, as everyone here seems to have a lot of other commitments, but at least they managed to squeeze out four tracks of quality death metal, and it’s definitely worth picking it up if you spot for sale.
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