Necrophobic
Hrimthursum

There is no doubt that Necrophobic have always been a highly underrated band!

Many are the castles in the air built around the Swedish quartet, great premises (and perhaps promises), industry professionals always enthusiastic about their offerings on paper, but in the end, the band did not take off.

Probably, one of the reasons for this failed takeoff is the lack of commitment by the previous labels (Black Mark, Hammerheart) in promotion, but as of today, after the transition to Regain, there is hope that `the music changes`.
With `Hrimthursum`, I don't know if we can talk about a compromise with which Joakim Sterner and Tobias Sidegard's band has made their proposal more `accessible` or a natural stylistic evolution compared to the past, but it is certain that albums like `Darkside`, `The Nocturnal Silence`, and especially `Blodhymns`, perhaps because they were more impulsive, dazzled with their impact and aggression, while with this latest work they've taken their foot off the accelerator a bit, emphasizing, with long, airy epic passages, a more melodic and less `extreme` side.

To be clear, during the almost 60 minutes of `Hrimthursum`, despite not claiming a miracle, you won't get bored: the death-black bursts (track 2 `Blinded by Light, Enlightened by Darkness`), the retro moments (track 5 `Bloodshed Eyes` and track 10 `Serpents - Beneath the Forest of the Dead-`) and the more measured contributions (tracks 9 and 4 `Sitra Ahra` and `Age of chaos`) make the work well-balanced and enjoyable to listen to, also thanks to a well-crafted and professional production.

Regardless of the market's feedback, this is a good album.