Necrowretch

“I've worked eighteen months to write this album, it was a lot more difficult than the previous one since I wanted to push all the limits further, break all boundaries and deliver something as bestial as hell,” is how Vlad, vocalist/guitarist of French death metal commando NECROWRETCH summarizes his intentions for the band’s second full-length after gaining quite some attention worldwide for “Putrid Death Sorcery” (2013) and the demo/EP/rarities comp “Bestial Rites 2009 – 2012”. Preceded by the meanwhile sold-out “Even Death May Die” 7inch in October 2014, its title-track already hinted at NECROWRETCH’s more refined yet still utterly aggressive approach created with one, clearly defined artistic aim: “We’ve maybe drifted away from our pure death metal essence to make our own kind of unholy extreme metal. It simply has to be extreme, no matter what genre tag you put on it. The listener has to be drawn into something infernal he can't listen to without losing bits of his sanity!” Inspired by Swedish extremists like Merciless, Nihilist or Marduk over to Finnish legends Impaled Nazarene or early US brutality like Death, it is Vlad’s rabid screams, the fast played, occasionally even melodic black metallic riffing that defines their trademark vicious and maniacal sound. While NECROWRETCH’s roots reach deep into the underground scene, a German debut show with Asphyx, a mini-tour with Morbus Chron, notable festival appearances at Party.San 2014, the Fenriz (Darkthrone) curated Live Evil fest 2013, NECROWRETCH gathered many new followers over the past two years, no matter if they come from a death, black or thrash background. Developing constantly further, while remaining true to their original harsh and primitive sound, the trio is eager to expand its live activities to not just be another “underground gem” and is already scheduled for Wolfthrone festival in March 2015 and Hellfest in June: “For Summer 2015 we’re looking forward to play way more shows, conquer new countries and defile new souls...”, Vlad adds. While recording in France, Vlad, Amphycion (bass), and Ilmar (drums) decided for mastering in Germany: Temple Of Disharmony, owned by Patrick Engel (Asphyx, Desaster, Darkthrone), proved a reliable partner to realize their ideas and comfortable with their rigorous work ethic and merciless style. Vlad states about the recordings: “At the studio we played, screamed like there is no tomorrow, as if the world was about to end and the music was our testament. We were really mad and possessed, no kidding. Amphycion once was playing a bass part and something went wrong with the bridge of the bass. Instead of fixing it with a screwdriver, he grabbed a tube of mayonnaise and hit the bass like a psychopath, and the bass was fixed!” “With Serpents Scourge” offers more diversity, more musical twists and turns than its predecessor, more distinguished songs like “Black Death Communion”, the title-track, “He Thrones On Thy Sins” or the closing “Mortem Ritu”, at times even harking back to early to mid-90’s Swedish black/death made popular by the legendary No Fashion Records label (Dark Funeral, Dissection, Mörk Gryning, Unanimated). The cover art was again created by the ever faithful Milovan Novakovic and ultimately, NECROWRETCH have successfully crafted a more memorable and intense second album despite all its extremity. The French metal necromancers are back with another hideous summoning!