Necrambulant – Infernal Infectious Necro-Ambulatory Pandemic
Necrambulant materializes from nowhere with an immediately enjoyable platter of slamming death metal.
This is not the type slamming death metal that is brutal death with occasional slam breaks, but the more committed kind that chugs and lurches for the major part of it running time. Fans of similarly-minded outfits such as Epicardiectomy and Cephalotripsy will recognize and appreciate Necrambulant’s devotion to altar of gurgling slowchug. Surprisingly, this debut release is one of the best releases I’ve heard in this strict style, one which is about heaviness and slow progress more than catchiness or excitement.
Also key to the success of this Phoenix, Arizona is the ugly and rich vocal performance that avoids the playfulness which undermines so many bands in this style—acts like Vulvectomy and Bodysnatch.
Infernal Infectious Necro-Ambulatory Pandemic (which sounds like fancy talk for ‘zombie situation’) is about groove and the synergy of their music–as is, it almost functions as one big chugging song. Much like Kraanium (and unlike the recent quantized to micro-perfection release by Abominable Putridity), the Necrambulant sound is that of an actual band playing together, a feeling that I feel is lost in a lot of modern brutal death metal music. I’d like to hear a couple more memorable moments on the next Necrambulant album—such as the unified conclusion of the last song—but this slamming platter supplies good (and filthy) meat and potatoes. -S. Craig Zahler
Lacerated Enemy Records
Worm Gear 