Have you ever wondered what early Slayer would sound like if they came from Costa Rico instead of LA? Well, wonder no more as Necrólisis are here to answer all your questions with their debut album, Tempo de Fraude, available now via Witches Brew records.
Formed way back in 2002, why it has taken Necrólisis over two decades to release their first full-length album is beyond me – and having looked on their Bandcamp page, I’m not 100% convinced it is – but nonetheless it has and what Tempo de Fraude offers is at times brilliant, while at others unbelievably frustrating. First, the brilliant parts.
Necrólisis know their way around a tune and carry riffs and thrash-out moments that will have you throwing up the Devil Horns while you bang your head to a whiplash state. The guitar and vocal work of Sergio Velásquez is very impressive as he shreds, screams, growls, roars, and noodles his way across the nine tracks Tempo de Fraude offers. His ability with a six-string reminds me of a young Kirk Hammett in his Ride the Lightning pomp, while his singing has a heavy does of Tom Araya running throughout. His riffs crunch in all the right places and his solos move with the speed of a rabbit on fire.
Tomas Campos on bass is an interesting equation in the Necrólisis puzzle as even though he pummels the shit out of his instrument, he isn’t adverse to throwing almost funk influenced bass runs and lines into the mix whenever the mood takes him and, surprisingly, when he does it works really well.
And then there’s Jainer drumming…
Now, far be it for me to criticise a fellow tub-thumper. I played drums for about 20 years, so I know how fucking difficult it is, and for large parts of Tempo de Fraude, Jainer is on point, driving the band along at a furious pace, but there are moments when it sounds as if it’s all about to fall apart. And then it does.
Being a drummer is a lot like being a goalkeeper – if you’re American and have no idea what that is, Google it, I’m not your mother – in that when you do your job, nobody really notices, but when you fuck up then you’re suddenly in the spotlight and everyone has seen or heard what you did. I don’t know if it’s me, if my ears are off, but there are sections of Tempo de Fraude where the time changes just don’t work and seem to surprise the band, or when too many happen in a small space and they can’t keep up with each other. This is when, as the drummer, the rest of the group look to you to keep it glued together and, sadly, it sounds to me as if Jainer can’t quite do that.
My reference to early Slayer at the start of this review wasn’t just a throw away quip, used to try and be funny, because Tempo de Fraude reminds me a lot of Slayer’s Show No Mercy. That was an album that wasn’t quite there. Wasn’t quite right. It was an album that showed a band getting to grips with each other and their craft, but underneath its warts and all exterior, you could sense there was a properly good unit just waiting to get out, and that’s what I think Tempo de Fraude is.
It’s far from perfect, but somewhere in there lurks an act that, given time, can improve drastically. I have faith that Necrólisis can, and will, do just that.
RATING: 2.5 OUT OF 5
- 0 – 1: Fucking shit
- 1 – 2: Shit
- 2 – 3: Not Bad Shit
- 3 – 4: Pretty Good Shit
- 4 – 5: Amazing Fucking Shit
- 5: The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear
PRESS SOURCE: Against PR
