Necroccultus – The Afterdeath Blackness (Mildewed Crypt Metal)

 

Ahhh, yes, old school death metal! Actually, I hate saying that because it assumes a band’s style and relies on comparison. Take them as they come, accept them as they are! Mexico’s Necroccultus should therefore be judged on themselves, and nothing else! But I get it, they’re quite obscure, and this is only their second full-length in over twenty years since they’ve been more inclined to dredge through the flooded crypts in which they dwell to pull out the occasional EP and split if they feel us worthy. Only the most filthy dare take this approach, and to prove exactly how old and rotten they are, they don’t even have a single bit of presence on social media. Talk about goddamn patriarchs of the genre! Simply put, they don’t give a shit if you listen or care, and if you do, they don’t care about that either. But if you want to be truly terrified and understand where the “death” in “death metal” comes from, well, lol, here you go!

   

The Afterdeath Blackness is a reveling in decay. I’ve seen this same phenomenon in Chile where mucky death, gore, and grind have found spectacular development, and I’m starting to believe that this kind of crypt metal is only acceptable, or rather is only effectively created, in those regions and their adjacent pals. Many a band has tried the murky approach, but rarely do I find myself authentically oppressed. Necrocculutus is one of the few that can manage this level of festering articulation in doing so. You’ll feel uncomfortably damp, surrounded by slick, mildew-covered stones, forgotten, rotting, and embracing the dark space in which you suddenly find yourself. A foulness here truly defines what these guys are about, old school only in the sense that they refuse to bend to technology or even make themselves accessible. So yes, the crypt in which they lie is surrounded by rusted gates, a foulness fills the air, and the swampy soil waits to swallow you down with the the rest of the dead, but you’ll find it a much-appreciated descent into things to come.

 

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Necroccultus – The Afterdeath Darkness
Terror from Hell Records
Cover Art: Thomas Westphal (Necromaniac)
4.5 / 5