Few Death Metal scenes are as underrated as Mexico. Acts like Shub Niggurath, Cenotaph or The Chasm need no introduction to true acolytes of the underground and were one of the best kept secrets in the early 90s. Necroccultus may not be amongst that group, but throughout the 00s they kept the flame alive with their debut ‘Encircling the Mysterious Necrorevelation’ and a series of splits/EPs. The project had remained dormant for quite a while, until vocalist/songwriter Isaías Huerta assembled a new line-up of seasoned scene veterans circa 2024 and decided to finally record their follow-up, ‘The Afterdeath Darkness’.
All the qualities that mesmerized me with the Mexican scene are in full display here. Necroccultus are not betrothed to any one band in their sound, instead showcasing the raw and primal energy of late 80s/early 90s Death Metal in all its splendour. The guitar work is a fast and penetrating wall of sound, cleverly combining the thrashiness and whammy bar solos of Possessed and Morbid Angel with the ominous tremolo picks of Incantation. This gives the music a dense and penetrating sensation, like being dragged into a whirlwind of pure sonic chaos.
The jump in songwriting is considerable, particularly in the way Roel Slaughter and Alex Mendez curate downright malevolent riffs or even manage to conjure some truly gruesome melodic passages that add another layer of depth to the music, evidenced in tracks such as ‘Unburied Hellish Presences’, ‘Multiform Devourer of Souls’ or the last notes of the excellent title track. They recall some of the melancholic and sullen moments of the Finnish scene. In fact, this would be my biggest critique of the album as I wish the band had incorporated more of these moments.
The bass gives the music an additional thick and groovy edge. The percussive mastery of Dante Valladares on drums allows for the smooth transitions between the more crawling and gloomy Death/Doom moments before rapidly exploding in a maelstrom of fervorous blastbeats. The production has improved significantly when compared to the debut, sounding much fuller and boisterous but without losing the cavernous and malevolent essence that the band are clearly going for.
Having emerged from a deep slumber, Necroccultus have not only managed to release a worthwhile successor to their first record after 20 years, they have completely surpassed it. While there are still many worthwhile bands within the Mexican underground, Necroccultus radiates the ancient spirit of those that made the Latin American country such a hotbed for Extreme Metal all those years ago.
