Reviews list for Necrophobic - Darkside (1997)

Captures the cold & evil atmosphere of Dissection but with a more sraight-ahead mentality, a harsher bone-snapping crunch.

There are none of the drawn-out epics or hypnotic song structures you will find on an album like Storm of the Light's Bane, because Darkside is designed to simply offer quick bursts of aggressive melodic black/death excellence. Necrophobic just want to be evil and menacing, with no delusions of being particularly artistic. And the results are POTENT. There are no weak points on this album. The songs are all remarkably compact - quickly striking the perfect balance between the wintry grimness of black metal, the ferocity of Deicide, and the catchiness of At The Gates - and then ending and charging onwards to the next before you have a chance to catch your breath.

Some of my favorite moments: The melodic acoustic passage and subsequent scream on "Black Moon Rising", the intro to "Darkside" (SATAN TAKE MY SOOOUUUL!), the frantic furiosity of "Nailing the Holy One", the verses of "Bloodthirst" that always make me bob my head, and finally, the gorgeous piano interludes.

Highly recommended for fans of Dissection and old-school Death Metal or Black Metal. For fans of atmospheric and headbanging metal alike. Hell, any real metalhead should enjoy this masterpiece!