Necronomicon

Quebec blackened death metal trio Necronomicon return with their new album, Rise of the Elder Ones, their fourth full-length and follow-up to 2010's The Return of the Witch. Having gone through some label troubles in the past, Rise of the Elder Ones marks the band's first release with Season of Mist, and it also introduces new bassist Armaros. Right from the start, with the onslaught of "Resurrection," it's clear Necronomicon are feeling a sense of stability, as the track blazes with extreme, fast riffs and blasting drums carried out with effortless precision. Since forming in 1988, the band have spent the last 25 years honing their sound. Like God Dethroned and Behemoth, they meld black metal and death with Swedish-esque, dark, ambient melodic passages. Tracks like "The Living God (Pharaoh of Gods Part II)" and "From Beyond" are brutal attacks of crushing rhythms and Rob "the Witch" Tremblay's deep, ominous vocals, while "The Nuclear Chaos" and "Celestial Being" feature eerie tones and progressive structures.