Necrofier – Prophecies of Eternal Darkness (Review)

This is the debut album from US black metal band Necrofier.

Necrofier feature members of Oceans of Slumber and Church of Disgust in their lineup, (and other bands), and Prophecies of Eternal Darkness provides a compelling slice of melodic black metal across 36 minutes that manages to merge professional delivery with underground fire.

This is an old-school feast of malevolent black metal. It’s melodic and tight, and also conjures esoteric blackened atmospheres when it wants to. Think of a mix between elements of bands such as Dissection and Watain, mixed with a certain Southern USBM flair, and you will have a rough idea of what Prophecies of Eternal Darkness offers.

Necrofier’s blackened aggression is played with nuance and skill. The band are very capable musicians with a lot of experience between them, and the music reflects this. Infused with sharp melodies and venomous screamed vocals, the songs rage and tear at the cruel light as they attempt to drag it down into the grim dirt. The well-written songs have an obvious veneer of dirt and nastiness, but underneath this lurks a sophisticated heart that can’t help but inject subtleties into the music. The end result is a hymnal of the Scandinavian black metal of old, while also having enough personality and character to justify its own existence.

Prophecies of Eternal Darkness is a very satisfying and enjoyable collection of tracks. It’s engaging and easily replayable. Necrofier may play a familiar style, but they do so very well, and Prophecies of Eternal Darkness is easy to like if you’re a fan of this sort of thing. I very much am, so it’s great to hear it played so well.

Highly recommended.