Review by Felix on November 6, 2019.

I guess we all know that some statements are simply true. Sweden is a fascinating country. Loudmouth Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored the goal of the century against England. In sharp contrast to their compatriots of In Flames, Necrophobic have never released a bad album.

The Third Antichrist is made for those who enjoy mature death / black metal. Necrophobic's trademark, the combination of profound musicality and sinister brutality, builds the fundament of all songs. From my point of view, the black metal elements prevail. Or to express it differently, typical death metal modules are conspicuous by their absence. Tobias Sidegård does not growl in the most incomprehensible way and the guitars are not focused on the deepest tones. Of course, this does not mean that Sidegård sounds like a prima donna. His vigorous voice delivers an admirable dose of vileness. Additionally, the guitars also do not lack of penetrating power. The organic, powerful mix presents the guitars almost optimally. Sharpness and vehemence are well balanced. In a nutshell, the sound has everything that it needs to draw the black metal hordes on its side. The Third Antichrist provides a sinister and dense experience without presenting overly insane sequences. Death / black metal lunatics from South American should take this work with a grain of salt.

But even if one does not originate from Colombia or Brazil, the output does not border on perfection. It holds good songs without exception, but I miss two or three absolute highlights. There can be no doubt that the mid-paced "Into Armageddon" scores with its flattening guitar work. It is also out of question that "Eye of the Storm" grows malignantly. Its high-speed parts, the rather steadfast verses and the dark melodies of the chorus form a strong unit. "The Unhallowed" is a rapid eruption which sends its deadly arrows from the gateways to hell. Indeed, these three examples may give you an idea that Necrophobic do not disappoint the supporters of the very dark arts. Yet the last iota of brilliance is missing. Anyway, The Third Antichrist works as a whole and you will not be tempted to press the skip button. The album has more substance than its good yet slightly skinny predecessor and its omnipresent atmosphere of unholy darkness is probably its greatest advantage.

In view of the homogeneous song material, one cannot say that the album is filled to the brim with surprising twists and turns. Yet each and every song holds an adequate number of breaks and tempo changes. The musicians are definitely not interested in primitiveness and any form of sloppiness. Instead, they have a knack for the right mix of fairly melodic sections and misanthropic outbursts. This cocktail tastes well and its aroma holds on until some very rapid guitars shape the beginning of "Demonic", the last regular songs. This tune summarizes the strengths of the band for the final time. A worthy ending, if we forget the overlong outro for a moment. So, let's come to the end. All in all, this album is free from major flaws and Necrophobic's potential can only be denied by ignorant fools (aka diehard In Flames fans). Nevertheless, model students are condemned to deliver outstanding results. I definitely recommend this album, but it is rather (very) strong than absolutely outstanding, at least in comparison with Zlatan's goal against England.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Greg on December 28, 2023.

Usually, I hate to behave as an alternative person. So many are the people who amuse themselves going against common thinking, seeing it as cool or trendy. Music doesn't exactly differ from this, since it's not hard to find someone denigrating your Reign in Bloods, Ride the Lightnings etc. hoping to rile the passing metalheads, also on this site. I imagine them in the act of saying: 'Hey, it would be fantastic to make fun of *insert name of half world's favourite band here*, surely nobody has ever done it!' or similar. It has degenerated, really. Anyway, what does this reflection have to do with the review?

By now, I guess everyone has noticed the title, and most of all, in the eyes of many people, the certain dose of blasphemy it contains. Sure, I've listened to the Ace of Spades title-track countless times, it has never tired me, and possibly it never will. I recognize that the album is a milestone of Motörhead career and of music history, it's universally known. Same goes with Overkill and its historic, proto-metal opener. Still, when somebody asks me about the Bastards' 'definitive' album, I've never had any doubts: I've always answered with 4 numbers. Yes, my friends, this time it's my turn to differ. 1916 is my favourite album composed by the late Lemmy Kilmister's (road) crew, and probably the most complete of them. This because it's one of their few albums which contains no weak songs, a small flaw otherwise verifiable on most of their many 'classic' albums.

Although Motörhead, at a surface level, have never been renowned for originality, be sure that you won't find 11 copycat tracks here. Rather, it seems that the band wanted to write an album which could sum up the best things of their first 15 years, and even recall some solutions experimented on the overlooked (but, needless to say, great) Another Perfect Day. There is speed, there is melody, there is emotion: there is Hard Rock, with capital letters, and plenty of it. The tracklist shows indeed all the different faces of 1916. We have powerful tracks like 'The One to Sing the Blues' and 'Make My Day' (one of my favourite songs ever), classic, carefree R'n'R cuts like 'Going to Brazil' and 'Angel City', the emotional apexes found in 'Love Me Forever' and the title-track, the anthemic 'No Voices in the Sky', the experimental, doomy 'Nightmare/The Dreamtime' or the punk-infused 'Ramones'... you know it's gonna be a great album when even the so-called fillers are pretty good! 'Shut You Down', while not a first choice of many, is straight-to-the-point and shredding; 'I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care)' is the only song which I didn't fall for, yet the guitar work is still stunning.

Musically speaking, I feel Lemmy couldn't surround himself with better mates than he did here. Philthy Animal left his final mark, returning as a band member for the last time, but still showcasing sparks of brilliance like on the opener track. Guitarists Würzel and Phil Campbell are instead at their 3rd effort, but their potential wasn't wholly exploited on the previous efforts, so it sounds like a step forward. Some of their leads are able to reach a legendary status, be it the seemingly endless outro of 'Make My Day' or the memorable climax of 'Love Me Forever' first solo, which still gives me goosebumps every time.

There's really no need to add something else: if, for some strange reason, you still haven't checked whether Motörhead are your ideal band or not, or (even worse) you don't know them and you need some music to begin, look no further than 1916. If you love Lemmy's crew you will surely have heard it, several times. But fuck it, play it again! It's too good to be left inactive.

On a final note, it really hurts to see that Phil Campbell is the only alive member to have played in this masterpiece. May Lemmy, Würzel and Philthy rest in peace, mankind won't forget you.

Rating: 9.6 out of 10