There’s a lot to 
like about Necropsalms, Obliteration‘s second album, unless you don’t like doomy death metal that is. But, of course, everyone likes death metal. Obliteration hail from Kolbotn in Norway, that’s the home of Darkthrone amongst other bands. Their first album was released on Tyrant Syndicate, the sub-label of Peaceville run by Darkthrone’s Nocturno Culto. So you’d be forgiven for thinking Necropsalms was a good orthodox piece of Norwegian black metal under the evil shadow of Darkthrone; but you’d be wrong.
With Necropsalms Obliteration have really found their own style: a form of old-school death metal that harks back to the likes of Celtic Frost or early Death (before the late great Chuck Schuldiner moved into a more technical precise direction, which is pretty much what has happened to modern death metal). Obliteration have brought the DIY black metal ethos to death metal and infused it with slow epic doominess. Necropsalms doesn’t sound like its spent way too long being mixed and produced. Its raw and fairly loose sounding.
Just like early Celtic Frost, or like the Melvins, Obliteration have that great edgy sound that feels like it could fuck up at any moment. Beneath all this punk black metal ethos is a lot of ambition, Obliteration have made an album epic and complex death metal songs. As doomy as Frost in their heyday and as ramshackle as a black metal album recorded on a four track recorder in a Norwegian bedroom. Fuck yeah, Necropsalms is a winner.
-Alaric-
