Band: Necrophobic
Title:     -  The Nocturnal Silence & Darkside - Release date: January 17th 2011
            -  Bloodhymns & The Third Antichrist -           Release date: February 21st 2011
Label: Hammerheart Records
Distribution: Hammerheart Records
Review: re-release-LP

[Not Polish Necrophobic (used to play Thrash Metal during the late eighties / early nineties), yet the Swedish one…]

Originally formed in 1989 by David ‘Blackmoon’ Parland (also known from e.g. Dark Funeral, War or Infernal) and Joakim Sterner, Necrophobic used to be one of the most interesting bands within the Swedish (and in general: the international) scene back then. Demo tapes like Realm Of Terror, Slow Asphyxiation and Unholy Prophecies were praised with gratitude within the underground scene – personally I think Slow Asphyxiation is (one of) the best demo tape within the Death (see next paragraph) Metal scene in 1990, at least from Sweden (even though fellow countrymen like Unleashed, Expulsion, Desultory, Pan-Thy-Monium, Crematory a.o., did record splendid demonstrational material as well that very same year). But Realm Of Terror and, especially, Unholy Prophecies were of a superb quality as well. My opinion: the band created a very occult and underworldly form of Death Metal (not the anti-government or critical-to-humanity-kind of shit that was rather popular back then as well).
And yes, as you did see, I’m talking about ‘Death’ Metal.

Nowadays, Necrophobic are especially known within the Black Metal scene. The band however once started as a very technical experienced Death Metal formation, combining both the ‘traditional’ Swedish style with slightly progressing elements – which was enormously refreshing back then.
Anyway, after those demo tapes (still on tape in those years, can you imagine? Melancholy brings those tape-trading-years back to mind, when interviews were done per letter or, just a few times, per telephone (+ registration on cassette); email and digital recordings hadn’t been introduced yet – and demo tapes were send around in an envelope with a few stamps), the band recorded the EP / MCD The Call (released in 1993 via Wild Rags Records). Shortly after, the band did sign to Black Mark Production, which actually was the label of Börje ‘Boss’ Forsberg, father of Bathory’s Thomas ‘Quorthon’ Forsberg. It resulted in the release of The Nocturnal Silence in 1993, recorded again at the legendary Sunlight Studio with famous producer Tomas Skogsberg. The permanent evolution / progression of Necrophobic’s Metal came to a peak by turning more and more into utter darkness, both musically and atmospherically. After another MCD (Spawned By Evil, sort of appetizer to the next upcoming full length), a second full length was released through this Germany-based label, called Darkside (1997). In comparison to the debut, this album was even more darkened, injecting blasphemy and misanthropy. Hurray! This album still contained the elements from the past (Thrash à la Slayer mixed with old school Stockholm Death Metal), yet more than once, bands as Dark Funeral and Dissection seemed to be of influence. But it was the third full length, called The Third Antichrist, which did definitely penetrate the worlds of Black Metal. The following recordings sort of searched to reach perfection of this output: Bloodhymns (Hammerheart Records, 1999 – the last one with T. Skogsberg in the studio), Hrimthursum (Regain Records, 2006) and Death To All (Regain, 2009) (in 2009, Regain released a compilation as well, called Satanic Blasphemies, including the second and third demo and the 1993-EP The Call).
And here we are…

That’s a short history / biography / discography in relation to one of the most influential Death / Black bands from Sweden. The band used to be signed to Dutch label Hammerheart in the past (The Third Antichrist (see above) + the re-release of all former Black Mark-albums), and now this (sometimes fantastic) label will re-release this material again on LP (vinyl) too. Both first albums (Darkside and The Nocturnal Silence) are available as from January 17th, Bloodhymns and The Third Antichrist will see the light again as from February 21st. But if interested: hurry up, because it gets released in a rather limited edition (500 copies each).

Ivan Tibos.