NecronomiconKlatuu… Barata…. Necktie!!! Oh shit, wrong reference!

Necronomicon are one of those cult German thrash come heavy Euro metal bands who seem to have been around forever but unless you do some real digging, the casual listener to the Teutonic metal scene won’t really be all too aware of them. Formed in 1984, the four piece are set to unleash their eighth full length album, the semi-conceptual “Pathfinder… Between Heaven And Hell”. Let’s see what tales from the German thrash scene we have here.

Opening up with a slight spoken word section, the title track begins to paint the story. It’s rather dramatic and easily lures you into it and when it kicks in, first with a steady paced hypnotic riff which then gets heavier with an atmosphere building lead, it explodes to life with that classic German thrash sound. Powerful vocals, no nonsense guitars, pounding bass and precise drums, it has a fantastic groove to it, becoming more Euro metal orientated in the choruses for that extra kick and when the lead section comes in, it’s exactly what you’d expect – wild thrash soloing with a slight dash of melodic elements and plenty of flair. It’s a good opener and gives a real taste for the rest of the album and its story.

“Betrayed” has some serious pace to it. Shouted vocals, pounding bass and chugging guitars bring it in and after the first minute it really comes alive. The combination of simplistic riffs with a massive sound and solid vocals make a great impact and the melodic riffs strewn across the track sound great. Lead wise, we have some classic heavy metal harmony leads which add an extra dimension to the sound initially and the solo has some good trade off and harmony spots, keeping the momentum of the opening track going. “Inside The Fire” momentarily teases with its thunderstorm intro and for a split second, you’d be forgiven for expecting a Tom Araya styled scream, such is the effect this sample has. It starts up with a clean, haunting melody which distorts, drowning out the storm sample and then out of nowhere, it explodes into a thunderous sounding thrash attack. Intense in the chorus, it has a rapid delivery and when it goes into the heavier section after the second verse, the harsh vocals really beef up the sound. The drum break section is the best bit of the track though. The solid sounding patterns combined with a descending thrash styled harmony riff section has an epic feel to it and is a great way to begin the final stretch of the track.

“Reborn” slows it down slightly with a steady paced building intro which builds anticipation well, giving it more of a traditional Euro metal feel as opposed to the thrash which has been more prevalent so far. The chorus is melodic with its complex riffs and massive sound and the mini breakdown section which follows it has one of those ‘must hear live’ moments. Vocally, it comes across as a little softer than the previous tracks but it still has some bite in the delivery and the bass solo and complicated outro wankery of the guitars wraps it up nicely. “Under The Gun” is more groove laden with some seriously heavy bass to it and if you’re listening to this one through headphones, the whispered vocal sections actually have a stereo effect, alternating from ear to ear which is rather cool. It’s just a total groovefest of a track, made for headbanging. Forget the decent sounding twisting lead section, it’s all about the riffs and the groove!

“We Are The League” starts with a quote from a former member of the band showing support for them and metal before it goes into what could best be described as a song which could be played in a moment of anticipation to help build the drama. The war-like drum pattern sounds great, it’s just a shame that the rest of the track has little of interest to write about, it’s just generic thrash with some real good drum work. “Alone In The Dark” thankfully addresses this lack of interest with a real dynamic sound. With a slightly symphonic edge to it in the intro, it has more of a power metal feel, placing more emphasis on the vocal delivery than the music and sounding somewhat like the time Blind Guardian made their initial switch from more thrash orientated to more power metal orientated. It’s got some good melodic lead sections to it and a heavy edge, but the lack of pace to it does hinder the delivery a little which again is a bit of a letdown.

“Farewell To A Friend” features another cameo from a former bandmate but this time it goes into some pounding thrash, waking everyone back up after the previous two tracks. With a solid musical delivery, heavy on the groove laden side of thrash, it has some real beefy sounding riffs and the venom in the vocal delivery really stings. It’s back to what this band seems to do best and whilst featuring a good technical solo, it’s just middle of the road thrash which isn’t spectacular, but it isn’t terrible either. “Monster” repeats a trick from some of the earlier tracks, starting off clean, but this time with an exotic styled sound and as expected, this distorts into a steady paced thrash track as the slow paced solo gets wilder as it progresses. It’s got a decent kick in the chorus and some real venom behind it in the verses but it feels a bit drawn out and it makes me wonder if this is an album of two distinct halves.

Closing the album is the 8+ minute epic “Out Of hell” which wraps the subtle story running through the album up nicely. With more of a power metal feel, it takes its time getting moving, but when it does, it sounds alright. With some solid vocal delivery tinted with a touch of darkness it leads into a thrashier section which brings the heaviness of the track up and is easily the best section of the track but once again, it shifts back to the power metal feel before revisiting the intro to close it. There is a lot of repetition in this track with clear distinct sections which when combined work well together and it does close the album on a decent note too.

Overall, “Pathfinder…” is your typical middle of the road Teutonic come Euro Metal release. It’s got the riffs, got the vocals, got the attitude in parts, but the fact it doesn’t just stick to one distinct style hinders it. The first half which is predominantly thrash based is a lot better than the second half of the album but overall, I’ve heard a lot worse than this album.

(6.5/10 Fraggle)

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