Review Summary: 2012 solid revival old school death metal from Spain that comfortably sits within a plethora of good releases but does little to reach towards the number spot.
Necroven’d debut Worship of Humiliation is a solid 2012 release that contains excellent production, drums, riffs, vocals, compositions, and atmosphere. They’ve adopted the production feel of early 90’s but still have a rather crisp sound that is balanced with fuzz. Their music is generally the aggressive type of osdm but they strike a very clean balance of aggression and groove. “Tormented Till Death” is an excellent track that jumps through about 20 different riffs, ranging from high tempo to mid and alternating between blast beats and tempo drops. This same track always puts on an enjoyable display of crescendo builds as well.
I found the drums and guitar work to be perfectly on par. Usually when slower guitar riffs are going you can hear the drummer working the voids with cymbal and high-hat clashes that keeps the listener involved at all times. The drums seem to be always pushing the music forward. “Exhale the Pestilence” starts with a heavy drum mid-paced section that after moments jumps into a tasty double bass assault that blends perfectly with alternating tremolo notes. On the latter part of this song the drummer works the cymbals continuously which adds a great deal of atmospheric heaviness and build up.
Not every track here is top notch. “Enclosed in a Dead Soul Dimension” starts off really strong with aggressive opening moments but seems to change its nature during the mid-section with passages that seems to just be going through the moments. The track is still enjoyable and even tasty at times but to differentiate not at tracks are at the same level. The following track “Rejoice in Purulence” saves the previous miss with above average song writing and various sections that really makes the track stand out; holding solid harmonies, a solo, and a clean exciting ending.
With solid list of tracks that bring nostalgic values to the early 90’s, Necroven’s Worship of Humiliation not only successfully utilize osdm techniques but it is also one of the finest records of 2012. For anyone who enjoys death metal when new or old school I feel almost anyone can find enjoyment here.
