NECROPHAGIA - Ready For Death CD

For such a legendary death metal band, the very limited rollout of their second full-length album was quite shocking. After all, this album has everything that makes a standard death metal album great: chunky bass and riffs, brutal and gruesome vocals, mild production. The whole nine yards are here in spades with this record, and this album is arguably better than their debut, an album that received loads of critical acclaim for being one of the most forward thinking metal albums of the mid-late 'eighties.

The songs on this album are ruthless, creative, and unrelenting. "Lust of the Naked Dead" is the first example of brilliance on this record, and it's the first of many. The pinch harmonics, winding song structures as the band speeds up and slows down on a whim, and clever use of blast beats all contribute greatly to the music. And it's clear that Necrophagia takes a very artistic approach to writing and performing this album, as each song takes on a presence that feels more expressive than most death metal bands. The instruments are played with pure emotion with less emphasis on the technicality aspect. The solo on "Lust of the Naked Dead" is a good example, as it spirals across different scales, the band likely could be playing faster, but they opt for something with more character.