Necrophobic - Official Website - Interview

Mark Of The Necrogram

Sweden Country of Origin: Sweden
2. Odium Caecum
3. Tsar Bomba
4. Lamashtu
5. Sacrosanct
6. Pesta
7. Requiem For A Dying Sun
8. Crown Of Horns
9. From The Great Above To The Great Below
10. Undergången

Review by Brian on November 30, 2013.

It has been almost a decade since the last Fates Warning release and almost twenty years since their last great release. Not since Inside Out have they recorded anything worthy of a spot in my year end top ten. After two mediocre offerings and one absolute flop, maybe they needed the nine year break to recharge their batteries. It seems that the break is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Darkness in a Different Light is the eleventh studio album in the storied career of the band. From the opening track "One Thousand Fires", they prove that they are back and in a big way. Displaying all the progressive touches that have made Fates Warning the leaders of the genre, with the heaviness that brings back the glory days of No Exit. "One Thousand Fires" is the perfect opener and the albums best song. However, the other nine do not disappoint. This release has everything the Fates fan would want. From the crushing heavy songs as the above mentioned opener along with "Firefly", "I Am" and "Into the Black". The ballads "Falling" and "Lighthouse" and the epic closer "And Yet It Moves" clocking in at just over fourteen minutes, mixing the best of both worlds.



The musicianship is top notch, as expected from this stellar line up. The guitar tandem of Matheos and Aresti play crunchy heavy riffs, beautiful melodies, and the solos are nothing short of amazing. The rhythm section of Vera and Jarzombek tighten everything up. Vera's smooth and groovy bass playing is so soulful, while Jarzombek drumming, which may very well be the highlight of this album, is so technically perfect without losing any of the feeling. Often drummers focus so much on the technical aspect of things that they lose the feeling, sounding robotic. Jarzombek succeeds, where so many others a failed, playing with remarkably technical precision, while never failing to feel the music. Alder gives a fantastic vocal performance. Although he doesn't hit the high notes he used to in the past, each word that rolls off his tongue is sung with such passion. The lyrics are also incredible as always, producing some of the best choruses in the bands history.

Darkness in a Different Light is an incredibly strong comeback and the bands best album in nearly twenty years. It will definitely be making my top ten of 2013. This album has exceeded my expectations and I've had a hard time taking out of the cd player since the day I got it. Let's hope we don't have to wait another nine years for the next Fates Warning album.

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Originality: 10
Overall: 9.5

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

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Review by Adam M on March 8, 2018.

Necrophobic have a strong Dissection influence that they carry on their sleeves and put at the forefront of their music. This is still a very unique recording with a one of a kind sound, however. The music is mostly black metal in nature, but carries forth the strong vibes from other genres like death metal as well. There is a very impassioned stance that the band takes and makes for a fiery listen.

The guitar riffs are scathing and powerful and resonate strongly through the listening experience. On top of this are spiteful vocals that nicely fit upon the top of the music and provide a Dissection like aura to the band. In fact, this music is very similar to that outfit, but perhaps takes on a bit more of a death metal feel to it. I believe this album is better than the similar Watain release from this year and maintains a greater atmosphere than that band does. It requires a very silent room to hear the splendid nuances this release has and this is the setting that should be used for Mark of the Necrogram. This is still not a perfect release. Since it sounds so similar to the band mentioned and also Hyperion’s 2016 release Seraphical Eupnony, there needs to be something original to separate this band from those acts. There is nothing groundbreaking here and this only sounds like another good album from the style, but nothing greater than that.

It’s still a very powerful experience, but it lacks the extra little something that would make it even greater. Still, this is a highlight from early in the year and should be heard by both likers of black metal and death metal. It gets a moderate recommendation from me and a plug to check out the work of Dissection and Hyperion.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

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