Promoting Regularity

Necrophagist - Stabwound and Seven

There aren't many people that are indifferent to death metal. It's just one of those things that you either love or hate. But I believe in having plenty of variety in a healthy musical diet. Necrophagist is one gigantic heaping serving of fibre for you.

I can totally understand why many people aren't into death metal. There are a lot of barriers that you have to overcome like harsh vocals with no melodic content. Either you appreciate the art of screaming and growling or you don''t. I doubt I could change anyone's mind on it. It's just an acquired taste. To some people whiskey tastes like kerosene while to others, it's a source of sublime joy.

The whole pervasive horror/death/satan/gore aesthetic turns a lot of people off too. I guess it just appeals to some people in the same way that horror movies appeal to some. There's something paradoxically appealing about being scared and shocked that they both play to.

It's also one of those forms of music that requires a bit of effort to really appreciate. It's not exactly "danceable". Nor is it really "background" music. Good death metal requires careful, attentive listening and some knowledge of the musical forms. Its complexity rewards careful study in the same sort of way as the headier, more intellectual strains of classical and jazz.

Necrophagist is a prime example of this. Honestly, the vocals are pretty mediocre. Not bad, just pretty average low-register growling. That's OK with me because I'm not really listening to them. Necrophagist is hardcore guitarist porn. The guitar parts are insanely fast, rhythmically complex and tightly played. These guys are not shy about letting fly some ridiculously fast, arpeggio-filled and relatively melodic prog-rock inspired solos. But it's the rhythm guitar that really kills me. The syncopation and abrupt time-signature changes would be nearly impossible for most guitarists to pull off at half the speed. The mechanical precision that they play with borders on inhuman. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that calculus is involved in their songwriting process.

As your musical nutritionist, I advise you to add their album Epitaph to your diet and try to catch them on tour.