NECROPHOBIC - MARK OF THE NECROGRAM (2018)

on a gatefold vinyl released on Century Media that also comes with a double sided poster. One horizontal and one vertical a really nice addition to this release.

Next year Necrophobic will have their 30th anniversary but these guys show no sign of slowing down. In fact I think that Mark Of The Necrogram is better then both their two previous albums Womb Of Lilithu (2013) and Death To All (2009). And those two are really great.

The release of the EP Pesta (2017) with the title track of that 2-song EP was a clear indication that the album was going to be great. But I really didn’t think it would be as excellent as it final product proved to be.

The production and the sound on Mark Of The Necrogram is another amazing thing. It was recorded with Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed, Firespawn etc.) at the Chrome Studio. That’s a really great location for many releases. Also got to mention the astonishing cover art done by the legendary Kristian “Necrolord” Wåhlin. I don't think I have to mention all the album cover art he has had his hands on throughout the years.

The album is great throughout but some of my favorites are Mark of the Necrogram; Odium Caecum; Tsar Bomba; Pesta; Requiem For A Dying Sun; From the Great Above to the Great Below and the ending instrumental Undergången.

A bit off-topic maybe. But... I always despised whenever someone says that “this band are the Dissection of today” or "continuing the legacy of Dissection". There will never another band like Dissection!!! There is this band that has been called that for quite some time. I don't think they should be mentioned in the same sentence as Dissection.

But if someone says that about Necrophobic (or Unanimated) they will get a free pass. Once at least. I'm probably guilty of it also on some occasion... Anyway that’s how good the Blackened Death Metal of Necrophobic is and has been for many years now.

Will have to fit Mark Of The Necrogram somewhere on my top-?? of 2018. The competition is murder this year so we'll see where it finally lands. My top-5 is pretty much set already but what happens after that we'll just have too see.

An album you definitely should have in your collection this year. Also a great introduction to the amazing world of Necrophobic.

SAMAEL - CEREMONY OF OPPOSITES (1994)

On a red vinyl limited to 100 copies a Century Media reissue from 2018 comes with a 60 x 60 cm poster. This release also includes a CD of the album it's just in some very cheap generic sleeve. They should've put some effort on it or not include it at all in my opinion.

Have already done a post on Ceremony Of Opposites with my old CD copy over on my Instagram. Got this reissue in the same package as Viktoria by Marduk this June so I was extremely busy with that one. Also the newly released Funeral Mist album and the then upcoming Immortal record for weeks (and also work) so it took awhile for me to listen too it properly. Anyway it’s such an amazing album that it deserves another post and also one for the blog.

Remember the time when the video for the excellent song Baphomet’s Throne were being played on Headbanger’s Ball on European MTV. Got completely blown away by this Swiss band just by that song alone.

A friend owned the CD and I borrowed it from him also of course recorded it to a cassette-tape. Got the CD myself some time later because cassettes were a pain in the ass. However essential to bring music with us to play in the 90's, a big brick by today's standard. My so called “portable” CD-player from 1991 was even bigger & heavier and never an option.

I heard Ceremony Of Opposites a few months before I bought both The Somberlain (1993) and In The Nightside Eclipse (1994) in 1994. Even if we called Samael Black Metal (or Dark Metal don't remember clearly?) at that time it wasn’t an album that sparked my deep interest for the genre like the Dissection and Emperor albums did.

Don’t remember seeing or reading an interview with Samael back in those days. Still don’t exactly know how I would describe Ceremony Of Opposites they have all sorts of different influences on it. But who the hell cares? The record is excellent!

Other songs besides the one I already mentioned like Black Trip; Celebration of the Fourth; Son of the Earth; Flagellation etc. are excellent. Recorded with Waldemar Sorychta producer of many great albums by other Century Media bands in the 90’s like Borknagar, Tiamat, Unleashed, Moonspell etc.

The earlier Samael records Worship Him (1991) and Blood Ritual (1992) are both great that I consider to be essential to own. But for me Ceremony Of Opposites will always be my favorite album by the band. After this one many were raving on about their Passage (1996) album but I never cared for that one and lost interest for the band.

However I must admit that I really like the re-recorded version of the song Into The Pentagram on the Rebellion (1995) EP. The original version is found on the debut album Worship Him that was originally released by Osmose Productions. Would say that about 99.9% of the time I usually hate whenever bands re-record their old songs but that one is truly amazing. It sounds like something that could've fitted on this album. The other songs on that EP isn't particularly exciting.

Anyway Ceremony Of Opposites is a must have album in your collection and I’m glad being able to spin it on my record player.