The atmospheric intro of ‘Alephion’ carves the gateway to 45 minutes of deliciously impactful and striking black metal. Combined with the reflections on irreversible decisions that life can demand, this is an album that needs more interaction and attention than its predecessor. Conceptually, ‘Dawn of the Damned’ pulls together experiences from the formative and experimental period of the band, the impact they had, the experiences that can only now be revisited. Whilst one wonders what hallucinations Ramstedt experiences to conjure up such an intense and complex journey, at the same time, you can’t help but be excited and relieved that he has. Those five years away from Necrophobic were not wasted the material contained within ‘Dawn of the Damned’ strains like a pit bull to be unleashed. Ramstedt’s return to the fold as chief songwriter is more than just noticeable, it’s evident from the opening riffs that this album is suffocatingly good. Friberg moved on in 2019 after 12 years, replaced by new bassist Allan Lundholm, but despite that latest bump in the road, album number nine is more seductive that the preceding release. The unholy reunion of vocalist Anders Strokirk to the band he had last been heard uttering black metal rites with in 1993, combined with the return of guitarists Sebastian Ramstedt and Johan Bergebäck alongside founder Joakim Sterner (drums) and bassist Alex Friberg led to an album of such ferocity and quality that I don’t think there was a better, more intense black metal album that year. Album Review: Necrophobic – Dawn of the DamnedĢ018’s ‘Mark of the Necrogram’ saw a return to Necrophobic’s ideal fighting weight.
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