Necrophagist

[TechMetal]

OK, I might be way too outdated here but I just picked up Necrophagist's Epitaph.
I'm on my first and a half spin of the CD but the lead guitar sounds inspired by some Ron Jarzombeck lead lines. Anybody notice this before?

This reminds me of Ron's project with the Corpse and Lamb guys. What's the status of this project?

 

[Taedium Vitae]

Well, I know for a fact that Christian Münzner likes Ron a lot but I don't really hear that influence (not so surprising since Muhammed Suicmez is the one that writes the bulk of the material). I think the similarities you hear are just that both Necrophagist and Ron are arguably the cleanest players around — insanely so in fact, and that they can sweep their own pants off.

Get Onset of Putrefaction too, it's at least as good as Epitaph although it's not as cleanly played, and there are programmed drums, but better solos and more original riffs.

 

[fragility]

Agreed!

 

[SupersonicRobotic]

yeah, that thing is so tight it sounds fake.
its like a computer playing a guitar.
absolutely no excess noise ever and the notes are all hit absolutely perfect.
it sounds very sterile and heartless in ways to me... i can listen to it for a while and then i just get turned off by the sterile, robotic production.

 

[sava]

IMO, Onset... is way better than Epitaph. There is no progression in Epitaph. Muhammed repeated himself in the last release.
But Onset... is one of the greatest albums of all time maybe. The riffs are sick. The solos are Malmsteen inspired.

 

[Taedium Vitae]

I wouldn't say they are Malmsteen-inspired but maybe that's just because I think Yngwie has no worth in music... : D
I prefer to think they had the same sources of inspiration, namely baroque and classical music but maybe I'm just rationalizing away Yngwie... then again I don't think the Epitaph solos are that hot either. A couple are neat, but most of them are derivative of themselves and fairly predictable. My favourite solo is on Onset's Extreme Unction, but IIRC part of that wasn't played by Muhammed actually.

I see what you mean with your gripes with Epitaph and I agree, but on the other hand I find that album to be more diverse and dynamic to make up for what it lacks. Onset is a bit one-dimensional. They're both awesome albums however.

 

[juicerino]

i would have to agree with supersonicrobot in that the production and overall feel of the album is very sterile and almost boring. some of the songs are pretty well done and sort of stand out, but in the end i have a hard time listening to it very often. however, i have found that the latest Spawn of Possession album, 'Cabinet', really delivers some awesome riffage and comes across much more brutal because of its production. i do know for a fact that their main lead guitarist is a fan of Spastic Ink but i dont really hear much influence on this album, but on the next, who knows, could be pretty sweet.

 

[the_satanic_rabbit]

Sorry to ressurect an old thread, but I just got the two Necrophagist albums.
Im really diggin the tunes and the riffs. Its really hard for a DM band to capture my attention these days, but Necrophagist has done it.

I prefer Epitaph because it sounds like a full on DM assault, being that its a full band and all.

My only gripe, has to do with the subject of this thread. I find the leads, while executed well, to be very repetitive and boring. To me, they just sound like exercises from practice sessions played over and over. You could interchange any of them, they sound the same.

I would just like to hear some wacky innovative solos to compliment the innovative tunes. Know what Iz sayin?

 

[NeverMarty]

Well, I don't have any problem keeping them apart, and wouldn't stick the great solo in Fermented Offal Discharge in To Breathe In A Casket. Personally, I think they're the best thing to be released on CD since the Death and Atheist stuff of around 1990. Like Ron, Muhammed has one major thing going for him: he doesn't sound like the umpteenth GIT graduate.

Muhammed is, if I understand correctly, self-taught, thinks Ron is a god (as do I), and took his inspiration from Yngwie and Chuck - both of which I think I can rather easily identify in his guitar playing, even if he's combined them into his own style. He stands out in Death Metal due to his technical capabilities, song writing with great riffs and flow to the compositions and the combination of dirty, aggressive rythms with great melodic fills on both bass and guitar, and an easily identifiable style. The way he combines the sweeped arpeggios with slower parts and speed picking gives me goosebumps from time to time (especially the Fermented solo, but there are other examples).

I love it! And I hope he'll have some new twists to add to the new album after experimenting with a 7-string, which Muhammed mentioned he was using for composing the new stuff. I hope his new addition to the band (Sami Raatikainen replaced Christian Muenzner - hope I got those names right...) will add a new angle to the new album, too. Recording is tentatively planned for end of this year, and that and Blotted are the two main releases I'm keeping my fingers crossed for, now that Mathematics doesn't seem likely to be finishes any time soon, or perhaps even ever...