Review by Kevin de Haas.

What makes a band truly iconic? It takes blood, sweat, tears and alot of hours perfecting and honing a distinct
sound that everybody can recognize the first second it's put on. If you are into Death/Doom and you don't know
about Asphyx, you don't known jack shit! Starting in 1987 they are the undisputed forefathers of the Dutch
death/doom scene and to this day they still carry the torch with a ferm grip. They've had quite some line-up changes in the past, which to me, definitely contributed to their progress and the eventual sound and style that they developed over the years. Making them even more brutal and dangerous now than they have ever been. With nine full-lengths, eight EPs of wich six 7'''s, two split releases and a dvd release back in 2010, you can surely say that Asphyx know what they are doing and they are doing it right!

With their previous release ''Incoming Death'' way back in 2016, me and a whole lot of metalheads were anxiously
waiting for some new brutality to be released by these guys. Well... the time has come my friends and what a
glorious release this is!

Feast your ears on Necroceros. A super heavy and massive record that will knock you off your feet and crushes you for the entire fifty minutes long. Not only is it really crushing and heavy, it also takes you along on a more melodic journey that gives you the much needed breathers in the midst of all this brutality. The record overall is super catchy and littered with earworms wich will cause the uncontrollable urge to headbang in every decent metalhead brain. The opener of this record ''The Sole Cure Is Death'' hits you like a freight train, leaving you no time to rest your ears from the moment it starts.
The crisp and clear drum sound brought by Stefan ''Husky'' Hüskens and an absolutely crushing guitar and bass tone by Paul Baayens and Alwin Zuur combined with a rock solid production make this record super satisfying to listen to from the get-go. Not to mention the unmistakable signature agonizing vocaIs from leading
man Martin van Drunen wich gives the record a thick layer of discusting rawness. I also find alot of thrash influences
on this record, which is awesome!

 

Tracks such as ''Mount Skull'', ''Botox Implosion'' and ''The Nameless Elite'' really crank up the speed while, for example, ''Three Years Of Famine'' is a slow and melodic piece with an acoustic section in the middle followed by a juicy lead section wich only further enhances the contrast and replay value of this album.

Asphyx have been around for a long time and beeing able to still innovate themselfs and push the envelope, not
beeing afraid to step outside the boundaries of genre, really shows they've earned their place amongst the
greats. This record ''Necroceros'' only proves this even more.

I am going to own this record and it is probably going to fuse with the cd player in my car. To me this release is
beter than their previous, wich gives me even more excitement for the future, knowing that they are continuing
on this uphill ride.

A near perfect and more that decent release by Asphyx!

Score:
9/10.