This is the fourth album from US black/death/doom act Worm.
In many quarters Necropalace is a big deal. Through a range of EPs, splits, and albums, (such as Foreverglade and Bluenothing), Worm have continued to develop and grow over the years, essentially getting better and better as time goes on, while also updating and adapting their sound. So what does Necropalace have to offer?
With a duration of 63 minutes this is Worm’s longest and most ambitious album. Necropalace consolidates Worm’s various strengths into a collection of songs that showcase their considerable talents, but now with a firm focus in a specific blackened direction.
The material is a splicing together of black, death, and doom metal elements, albeit one that’s increasingly biased in favour of the first and most unholy of the three, (as the album cover telegraphs clearly). To put it simply, Necropalace offers up an old-school journey into the Gothic splendour of early symphonic black metal. However, it does this while also incorporating the molten technical wizardry worthy of a true guitar hero and, to a lesser extent, the crushing weight of death/doom malevolence.
Mix together ancient Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Limbonic Art, and Old Man’s Child, throw in some colossal death growls and a helping of sepulchral funeral doom, then spice with the sort of epic guitar solos that most guitarists would kill to be able to pull off, and you have a tasty recipe for Necropalace. It’s a meal fit for a king in his castle. Eat it all up now, no slacking off. It tastes damn good, doesn’t it?
Nostalgia is a Hell of a thing, and Necropalace is massively nostalgic for 90s symphonic black metal. It’s so reminiscent of that era that it hurts, yet somehow manages to mostly avoid coming off as too derivative. Probably, more than anything, this is simply due to how good it is; the quality of the songwriting and delivery is easily apparent, especially as you listen to it over and over. The good thing about all of this is that, despite the obvious stylistic and band reference points, Worm still maintain a character and personality of their own.
So, Worm have taken the core of a well-worn style and infected it with their own blood-hungry desires. The music is less nasty and malignant than it used to be, (and more vampiric and epic instead), but this aspect of Worm is still there, lurking beneath the surface, infecting the material in its slower, darker moments. The end result is an album that’s exceedingly well-rendered and enjoyable. Necropalace is another firm win from Worm.
Wonderbox Metal 