There’s something to be said for a frequent release schedule in the current here today, gone tomorrow music industry – especially if you have the talent, ambition, and ability to issue quality material. Such is the case for Chicago, Illinois-area outfit Necronomicon Ex Mortis. The Mother of Death as the latest five-song EP comes hot on the heels of this past summer’s fine You and Your Friends Are Dead: Game Over EP, showcasing the quintet’s diverse approach to melodic death metal that infuses elements of thrash, shred / technical prowess, as well as old school aspects taken to a modern edge.
Opener “Trick Or Treat” wastes no time in obliteration mode as far as the twin melodic guitar riffs and thunderous double kick plus entertaining fill spots, the transitional sequences providing ample opportunity for a sick, sophisticated lead break before the charging riff parade returns. These gentlemen always figure out a way to intertwine American style death with some Scandinavian flair – yet injecting key melodic runs that seep back to classic Priest/Maiden-like tricks as you’ll hear during the otherwise fairly frantic highlight “Infestation”. The instrumental “Itchy Tasty” gives off an old Resident Evil – horror vibe, where the bass and guitar work allure the aural landscape in this jazzy, progressive state of mind while also calming emotional before the final track “Salem’s Lot” ends the record in chugging death metal form, the raspy vocals conjuring up scenes from the infamous Stephen King novel (and movie adaptation) that stands up as well today as it did during its late 70s origins. Many will get a bit of a blackened meets Edge of Sanity vibe during the speedier sections of this arrangement, while the leads from Manuel Barbara will floor the schooled axe players of the metal brigade.
The intersection of acts like The Black Dahlia Murder, At the Gates, and Arsis next to those technical, thrash, and old school influences puts Necronomicon Ex Mortis in great position to capture a wide array of followers, underground or above. Keeping on a solid release schedule with four EP’s over the past two years, The Mother of Death could vault the band into the eyes of record label executives who can sense a buzz swirling about though this five-piece.