Track Listing

1. Stabwound
2. The Stillborn One
3. Ignominious And Pale
4. Diminished To B
5. Epitaph
6. Only Ash Remains
7. Seven
8. Symbiotic In Theory

Release Info

• Released: August 3, 2004
• Label: Relapse Records
• Produced By: Muhammed Suiçmez

• Rating:

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Death Metal, when done right, is really something to admire. To find it done right, look no further than German tech/death metal band Necrophagist. Their sophomore album “Epitaph” is definitely one of the greatest and best put together death metal albums of all time.

Not to belittle their debut album “Onset of Purification” (which was also absolutely amazing) but Muhammed Suicmez (lead guitarist/vocalist and songwriter) has really hit the nail on the head with “Epitaph”. Blending all different styles ranging from classical, rock, and even some jazzy stuff mixed in with death metal is something that is hard to do, and something this band has pulled off in a very unique and awesome way.

The line up consists of Christian Muenzner on second guitar, Hannes Grossman on drums, Stephan Fimmers on bass and of course the shredding and growling Suicmez, making this the all-star line up that this genre of music calls for.  I highly recommend the album to anyone who wants to get their mind brutally blown! The use of tense and dissonant sounding chords, fast riffing and brutal yet beautiful guitar solos really set this album apart from any other death metal album. Suicmez and Muenzner together paint a horrifying picture in the songs with glassy sweep arpeggios, thrashing riffs and their use of harmonics. The bridge section of the second track of the album “The Stillborn One” adds just the right texture to the song and excellently displays the band’s tightness and virtuosity. To highlight the rarely recognized bassist of any metal group, Stephan Fimmers bass will fire back at the guitars with a fill or solo equally as fierce as the machine gun-like blast of Hannes Grossman’s drumming, adding energy and intensity to every track.

Epitaph has everything from fast all out metal songs, like the opening track “Stabwound”, and also takes a walk on a more progressive rock side with songs like “Symbiotic in Theory.” This album has everything you would want in a metal record, but at the same time can appeal to anyone who has a strong desire for music and who can appreciate a virtuosic performance. The way these musicians play together and work off each other is really something to pay attention to and take note of.

More often than not death metal has a bad connotation of it just being noise, but I think Necrophagist has proved that this genre of music takes much skill, appreciation and practice in order to really pull off well. While this whole album is extremely technical, it is all tastefully done and executed beautifully.  I highly recommend the album to anyone who wants to get their mind brutally blown!