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.

Dracena-Cursed to the Night

Infernö Records
2017

Formed in 1994 by vocalist/bassist/guitarist Mia Larsson (ex-Necrohell, ex-Pagan Rites, ex-Deathwitch), Dracena is a blackened heavy metal/thrash metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden that has two LPs, one EP, and a couple of demos to it's name. Released this past October and clocking in at just over just over 38 minutes in length, the eight-song "Cursed to the Night" is Dracena's sophomore LP as well as my first introduction to this longstanding & absolutely-legit band. The album comes three years after the release of the EP "Ravenous Bloodlust" and is the first Dracena recording to feature new drummer Jocke. In addition to exceptionally-skilled talents of Mia Larsson (she's perfectly wicked as a front-woman, bassist, and rhythm guitarist!), "Cursed to the Night" features two notable guests. The first (and certainly most important!) one is veteran guitarist Fredrik Folkare (Dead Kosmonaut, Firecracker, Firespawn, Unleashed, ex-Incardine, ex-Scudiero, ex-Necrophobic, ex-Siebenbürgen, ex-Fireborn). With a style that leans heavier on old school and classic heavy metal, Fredrik provides all of the lead guitar work on "Cursed to the Night" and man alive(!), he does a fucking fantastic job of it! The lead guitar work on this album is simply stunning and it is perfectly suited to Mia's black metal vocals. Meanwhile, Ola Malmström (vocalist of Swedish death metal band Sorcery) offers his voice on the track "The Shadow of What Once Once". It is a nice gesture that adds a little something extra to what is already a pretty solid number. And speaking of solid, "Cursed to the Night" is exactly that! More or less traditional/classic heavy metal mixed with a (much better than expected!) female black metal vocalist with style & substance, Dracena is a group that at first I didn't think that I would care for, but somehow fell hard for! One could argue that it was the old fashioned heavy metal moments that won me over. Others might say that as a longtime fan of all things female-fronted rock and heavy metal, "Cursed to the Night" was destined to show up in my play list. Whatever the case might be, "Cursed to the Night" ultimately proved to me that black metal and true heavy metal can not only co-exist, but feed off of each other's strengths. This beast might have roped me in with it's heavy metal leanings, but I ended up sticking around because of Mia Larrson. Now that this Swedish act has got my attention I cannot wait to see what comes next!