Necrowretch: With Serpents Scourge

Old-school grit from the plague pits of southern France

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Hailing from the south of France, Necrowretch specialise in a style of old-school metal that you might not expect from a Century Media release, sitting as it does somewhere between the early bestial, Teutonic ravages of Sodom and Kreator as well as the early savage efforts of the Brazilian death gods Sepultura and Sarcofago.

You can also throw in the earliest assaults from Death and the maniac grinding of Repulsion. With songtitles like By Evil And Beyond, The Bells Of Evil Schism and Infernal Imprecation, the themes are very much in the black/thrash world although the music also hints at the original grindcore and death metal masters as well as the bullet-belt-and-spikes brigade.

Regardless of what subgenre you care to go with, With Serpents Scourge is an utterly ferocious slab of Gallic steel that will take the top of your head off at 50 paces. There are plenty of bands treading this path but Necrowretch stand out from the throng as they deliver with ferocity and utter conviction.

Via Century Media