So I went to see Nosferatu last night and it was OK. Before you cine-bros jump me for being an uncultured swine with an inferior opinion, hear me out. Contrary to what the memes were foreshadowing, it was not 3 hours of Johnny Depp’s kid getting banged by an undead count. Rather it was maybe 5 minutes of that, with 2 and a half hours of drawn out narrative beforehand. The cinematography was fine, no more, no less, as was the acting. I just couldn’t take mustached Bill Skarsgård seriously, as he looked less like Nosferatu and more like Jim Carrey’s portrayal of Dr. Robotnik (“PINGAS!”). Furthermore, the Blue Öyster Cult song of the same name does a far better job telling the ancient tale with much more grace and brilliance. 5/10, probably wouldn’t see again.
Anyways, what on earth does that have to do with today’s album in review? Well, Sciomancy, Malediction & Rites Abominable, the debut album from English morbid metallers Necromaniac, is also of an occult nature, both musically and thematically. The band has been lurking about the London metal underground going as far back as 2011, dropping the occasional demo and EP, but never a full length. Admittedly, I am new to this band, as I first became aware of them amidst the mounting hype leading up to the release of this here album. Seeing they were being released by the elite Invictus Productions immediately captured my interest, as did the rather impressive “similar artists” section of their Metal Archives page.
Upon first listen of Sciomancy (I’m too lazy to type out the full title again), I found myself taken aback by the band’s unique spin on first wave black metal. It was just last week I was discussing the differences between rehashing and reinventing a classic style. Sciomancy falls into the latter category. The most vicious moments of the affair (“Demonomantia”, “Teraphim (Skull Sorcery)”) recall the likes of early Sodom and Sarcófago, albeit with a grandiose twist akin to To Mega Therion era Celtic Frost. Even at its most wickedly thrashing, the guitar riffs boast an ungodly heft and the atmosphere is one of larger than life proportions.
Scattered amongst these diabolical headbangers are ambitious slabs of epic black metal, blurring the line between first wave worship, disorienting doom, and progressive musicianship. This approach becomes evident on “Grave Mound Oath”, on which it becomes apparent these maniacs have drank from the well of Celtic Frost’s avant-garde aspirations. As the band continues to flex their writing and musicianship abilities on the eerie “Swedenborg’s Skull” and devastating “Necromancess / Cauda Draconis”, the songs tend to veer off, becoming less “songs” proper and more dirge-esque soundscapes straight from the underworld, before returning back to the core riff-based attack.
Unlike the film I nearly dozed off to last night, which never ascended past averageness, Sciomancy is a truly adventurous outing and the first great metal album of 2025. It’s leftfield and unpredictable, yet without deviating from the true black metal spirit established prior to the genre’s early ’90s typecasting. I’d say Necromaniac has a bright future ahead of them, but using the word “bright” in a review of this nature just seems wrong. The only DnD this band is about is devilry and darkness. May heaven have mercy on those who stand in their way.
8 out of 10
Label: Invictus Productions
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Celtic Frost, Sarcófago, Tormentor
Leave a Reply