We’ve talked before about albums that just weren’t meant to happen and yet, thankfully, they do.  Lifeless Birth is one of those albums.  The sheer amount of willpower and grit it took to get this album into your hands is astounding, and lesser bands would have crumbled under the weight of the task. Necrot, however, are no lesser band, and while it seems ironic that just as they approached the zenith of their career, they become hit with blow after blow from the gods above, they have definitely come back stronger and more brazen than ever.

I had the great fortune of seeing Necrot open up for Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse (with Immolation and Blood Incantation, holy hell what a bill) back on the 2019 Decibel Magazine Tour, which was the last time Necrot laid waste to the States.  Let me tell you, in a very intense half hour, they won me over full stop, and since then I have been dying to see them live again.  There was a plan to tour for 2020’s Mortal, but that was struck down for reasons both obvious and not so obvious.  Frontman/bassist/songwriter Luca Indrio needed to return to Italy to see after ailing family members and drummer Chad Gailey broke his back in a way that almost kept him from drumming ever again.  More than a few surgeries and some intense physical therapy later, he is back and arguably better than ever, but just when Necrot were about to start recording, on the actual eve of his flight to the studio, Indrio came down with facial paralysis from Bell’s palsy.  None of that stopped them, though, and Lifeless Birth is as much a testament to never giving up as it is a culmination of everything the band has worked for their whole careers.  Lifeless Birth is at once the most aggressive, melodic and catchy album Necrot has made to date, and I can be certain when I listen to it that all the struggles and the hardships they have been forced to endure have made this album more than just the sum of its parts.  Although, the sum of its parts is pretty frickin’ good all on its own.

Riffs are central to death metal.  That is an indisputable fact, and good death metal stands apart from great death metal based on the size, scope and intensity of the riffage.  Lifeless Birth has riffs in spades, and they are all top quality.  Opener “Cut the Cord” and standout “Drill the Skull” are both chock a block full of nasty, crunchy and downright evil riffs, which, again, is to be expected.  What makes these stand out from the pack is their ability to worm their way into your head and never leave.  This is absolutely Necrot’s most melodic album, and while it’s not exactly a happy or light record, these melodies have a lot of care and craft put into them.  Lifeless Birth is an album that is going to stick with you.  In fact, every aspect of Lifeless Birth has an ironic amount of, well, life in it.  Of course this includes the riffs and solos, but the drums whip ass and never let up from start to finish, and Indrio’s vocals are insistent and in-your-face, and the overall craft of the songs shows a band with nothing to lose despite the fact that they’re been grinding for thirteen years at this point.  Necrot refer to this album as their most “mature” album, and while I definitely don’t like using that term to describe any form of art (least of all music), I can see where they are coming from.  Lifeless Birth is the confluence of every aspect of the band that they have worked so hard to cultivate, sharpened to a razor’s edge and poised to take no prisoners.

As luck, or lack thereof, would have it, guitarist Sonny Reinhardt needed multiple surgeries on his hands after recording this album, so the fun truly doesn’t stop for Necrot!  He’s all better now, though, and the trio are finally able to get back out on the road.  Do yourself a favor and catch them if they come anywhere even remotely close to you.  They’ve kind of earned it at this point.

-Ian

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Lifeless Birth is available April 12 on Tankcrimes.  For more information on Necrot, visit their Facebook page.