Necrosexual-Grim 1

Self-Release/Independent
2018

Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and sporting an image that is half King Diamond and half 90's garage rocker, Necrosexual is a up-and-coming heavy metal artist/entertainer. The full-length "Grim 1" serves as the studio debut for Necrosexual and it features eight original compositions and a cover of "Pain It Black" (The Rolling Stones). In addition to the main man himself (a solid enough bassist/guitarist/vocalist that also works as a video correspondent for Metal Injection and Metal Sucks), "Grim 1" includes the services of guitarist Anthony Vigo Gabriele and two drummers: Mike "The Machine" Churry (Basilysk) and Rob Pallotta (Tragedy: All Metal Tribute To The Bee Gees And Beyond.). Other than some of the high-pitched vocals of Necrosexual himself, "Grim 1" gets a eight out of 10 in terms of overall performances.

Necrosexual live and in blazing color!

In all honestly it took me a couple of spins to get to that grading point. As I type this review up I am on round number four of "Grim 1". While I'm still trying to wrap my head around this artist/band there are several points that I would like to make. As far as the group's sound goes, "Grim 1" falls somewhere between 80's thrash metal and (King Diamond-inspired) black metal. Influenced by the likes of Slayer, Venom, Grim Reaper, Celtic Frost, Gwar, and (early) Sodom, Necrosexual kills it on the thrash metal end. Meanwhile the black metal influences (both old and new) do shine through, but it seems secondary at best. Make no mistake about it though. That part of Necrosexual does work. Blackened thrash can be a really sick thing if done right. It works on "Grim 1". Well, it works so long as the lead singer stays within his range. When Necrosexual tries for those high-pitched wails it is often painful. They nearly ruin what is otherwise a cool metal number. If Necrosexual could lay off of the banshee shrieks next time around he could really be on the run to the top. The only other complaint about this album is minor. As much as I love The Rolling Stones, "Paint It Black" is a terrible cover choice for this group. It feels so out of place on this album that it isn't even funny! Maybe in better hands it might have made for an alright metal tune. Here on "Grim 1" it simply comes across as stupid and unnecessary. Otherwise, "Grim 1" is a interesting debut from a unique metal band. I'm actually curious to see where things go for this entertainer.