Nekrogoblikon – Welcome to Bonkers (Seek and Strike)
Wednesday, 11th April 2018
Admittedly, Nekrogoblikon’s last effort, Heavy Meta, didn’t seem to hit the same level of enjoyment and fun as their preceding records. Oddly enough, it seemed to need a little more of the zany stuff the early records had, and now we come face to face with its follow-up titled Welcome to Bonkers. It’s appropriately titled (bringing back the fun factor in full), and contains some of the strongest tunes that they’ve written to date.
Welcome to Bonkers takes some diverse turns, and sees Nekrogoblikon expanding their sound into new directions. It may start off in more traditional territory with “Mold,” but even that track seems to embody just the right combination of silly turns and solid musicianship. Other songs like “Dressed as Goblins” and “Thanks for Nothing Moon” solidify this notion, with lots of playful guitarwork that stands up on its own, outside of the whole ‘goblin’ angle. What’s more exciting though, is where they take things into unexplored territory. “The Skin Thief” is a frantic, blastbeat-driven piece that’s decidedly brutal for the band, but it works. Then there’s the utterly addictive “The Magic Spider,” a whimsical folky track that goes in a more melodic direction that will no doubt embed itself in your brain for a solid week after listening to it. “Dragons” ups the bombastic component, with bouncy synths and triumphant riffs, and lastly, the closer “Goblins” reaches back towards injections of ‘90s alternative and Queen into their goblin metal approach that becomes more infectious with each spin.
The strongest collection of tracks Nekrogoblikon has put together yet, Welcome to Bonkers is the right combination of goofy fun and metallic crunch. It takes their strong suits and makes the effort to reach outside their comfort zone, without ever taking it “too far.” An effective package sure to garner them some new fans.
