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Necrophobic > The Third Antichrist > Reviews
Necrophobic - The Third Antichrist

Zlatan's goal remains unrivaled - 80%

Felix 1666, November 4th, 2016
Written based on this version: 1999, CD, Black Mark Production

I guess we all know that some statements are simply true. Sweden is a fascinating country. Loudmouth Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored the goal of the century against England. In sharp contrast to their compatriots of In Flames, Necrophobic have never released a bad album.

"The Third Antichrist" is made for those who enjoy mature death / black metal. Necrophobic's trademark, the combination of profound musicality and sinister brutality, builds the fundament of all songs. From my point of view, the black metal elements prevail. Or to express it differently, typical death metal modules are conspicuous by their absence. Tobias Sidegård does not growl in the most incomprehensible way and the guitars are not focussed on the deepest tones. Of course, this does not mean that Sidegård sounds like a prima donna. His vigorous voice delivers an admirable dose of vileness. Additionally, the guitars also do not lack of penetrating power. The organic, powerful mix presents the guitars almost optimally. Sharpness and vehemence are well balanced. In a nutshell, the sound has everything that it needs to draw the black metal hordes on its side. "The Third Antichrist" provides a sinister and dense experience without presenting overly insane sequences. Death / black metal lunatics from South American should take this work with a grain of salt.

But even if one does not originate from Colombia or Brazil, the output does not border on perfection. It holds good songs without exception, but I miss two or three absolute highlights. There can be no doubt that the mid-paced "Into Armageddon" scores with its flattening guitar work. It is also out of question that "Eye of the Storm" grows malignantly. Its high-speed parts, the rather steadfast verses and the dark melodies of the chorus form a strong unit. "The Unhallowed" is a rapid eruption which sends its deadly arrows from the gateways to hell. Indeed, these three examples may give you an idea that Necrophobic do not disappoint the supporters of the very dark arts. Yet the last iota of brilliance is missing. Anyway, "The Third Antichrist" works as a whole and you will not be tempted to press the skip button. The album has more substance than its good yet slightly skinny predecessor and its omnipresent atmosphere of unholy darkness is probably its greatest advantage.

In view of the homogeneous song material, one cannot say that the album is filled to the brim with surprising twists and turns. Yet each and every songs holds an andequate number of breaks and tempo changes. The musicians are definitely not interested in primitiveness and any form of sloppiness. Instead, they have a knack for the right mix of fairly melodic sections and misanthropic outbursts. This cocktail tastes well and its aroma holds on until some very rapid guitars shape the beginning of "Demonic", the last regular songs. This tune summarizes the strengths of the band for the final time. A worthy ending, if we forget the overlong outro for a moment. So let's come to the end. All in all, this album is free from major flaws and Necrophobic's potential can only be denied by ignorant fools (aka diehard In Flames fans). Nevertheless, model students are condemned to deliver outstanding results. I definitely recommend this album, but it is rather (very) strong than absolutely outstanding, at least in comparison with Zlatan's goal against England.

Dawn of Crucifixion - 97%

Cyconik, June 20th, 2008

Out of the firey depths of Hell came Necrophobic, a Swedish death metal band (more black metal now). With their third full-length album, they have done the devil proud. The Third Antichrist is a purely demonic effort put out by this outstanding group of musicians. Adding black metal to their previously death metal sound, Necrophobic does a terrific job at creating an image of horror, fire, and death.

After an intro that is a little lengthy for me, the album kicks off with a fury of blast beats and intense, authentic black metal guitars, "666 - We vomit on the crucifix!". With many riffs shooting out of Bergebäck and Ramstedt, the songs on this album never get boring. They are constructed beautifully, with appropriate speed variations scattered throughout to add to the atmosphere.

The guitars on this album compliment each other very well. While one is soloing or riffing like mad, the other is playing just the perfect notes to make the atmosphere perfect and evil. Countless riffs are played, in a very careful sequence, resulting in perfection. Not a single riff I heard in this album resembled any other, leaving you with a total sense of satisfaction. The guitars have a really thick, yet perfectly lucid tone that is not extremely common amongst black/death metal bands. The bass adds more thickness to the sound of the music. Although not completely audible at some points, it does however add an eerie, chilling, guttural sound to the songs. He Who Rideth In Rage is an exceptional example, where the bass is at the perfect level and adds just the right amount of atmosphere.

The vocals on this album are outstanding! Tobias does an amazing job with the lyrics, purely satanic and evil, as well as a great job with vocalizing them. They are not so guttural that you cannot understand a word he is saying, but are still vicious, destructive and evil. His vocals still sends eerie shivers down my spine. They are filled with pain and horror. It feels as if it were the devil himself, reincarnated, declaring his arrival and what will come next.

"Dreamlike shadows keep the light behind
Like clouds embracing the moon
The beauty of death enchanting my mind
As I'm nearing thy burning throne" - 'Demonic'

Drumming in many black metal projects is limited only to fast paced blast beats with little or no fills and variations. I am glad to let you all know that this is not the case with The Third Antichrist. The drums control the speed of the songs very well, adding in many fills throughout all of the songs. Yes, there are still many spots with the traditional blastbeats, going at a rather fast speed, but this is not a bad thing whatsoever. The drumming techniques used I cannot describe in full glory, so you must listen to see for yourself, but it is nothing less than spectacular. All of the instruments thrown together in such a perfect manner allowed for the creation of this juggernaut of an album.

The Third Antichrist stretches itself over the course of 44 minutes. A satisfactory length of album, from an exceptional band. It feels as if you just put the CD on and its over. With crystal clear production, you get consumed within the music and its all over way too fast. It leaves you begging for more and hoping that the next album you listen to will be even half as good as this.

I'm still amazed that I hadn't heard this album until now. This is the album everyone should be talking about. It is a completely classic black metal piece and is essential to anyone's collection. Pick this up as soon as possible, what are you waiting for?

Highlights: Rise Of The Infernal, Into Armageddon, Demonic.