How could it be any other way?

So yeah, it’s basically NECRONOMIDOL Week, which is both a great and deeply disturbing thing when it’s realized, but come on: U.S. tour, fan club, VIP stuff … and OH LOOK IT’S A NEW VINYL RELEASE!

That’s a lot of pressure, Specific, even in French. Yeah, I said I’d review the thing, what of it? I AM UNCORRUPTIBLE! But let’s not kid around, this thing’s gonna be awesome.

Now, this is DEATHLESS that we’re talking about, one of the best albums of the year and a record that I personally think just gets better with time. I, however, have only been able to enjoy it digitally — the last Specific disk that I spun and told you about* was also Necroma, and it was an actual improvement. So what kind of surprises should I expect?

Summoning spirits of the deceased via music

Summoning spirits of the deceased via Japanese Ouija board on the sleeve

Playing the disk backwards yielding the forbidden name of the chaos deity responsible for the Bloop

Deep in the mix, the sounds of literal Christian hell

Lots of possibilities!

I mentioned the Ouija board and sleeve, so let’s take a second to look at the art:

Here’s a much better detail of the front:

I’m violating my own image standards to show this off better

Specific tells me that the artwork is by Pierre Weird, a “talented French graphic artist/designer”; here’s a little more of the man’s work, to give you an idea:

Right?

All right, let’s crack this sucker open.



We’re off to a great start!



Gorgeous

It’s hard to tell because of my crappy photography, but that record … you can see it in the Facebook post from Specific much better, this incredible deep green, like jade or emerald, with light marbling deep inside the color. Smoky, like an offering to a dark god (or Sari), wafts of incense curling toward the stone ceiling of the crypt. I remember how I used to scoff at non-black vinyl, like making your petroleum product into a different color somehow made it special, but I gotta say, this is very attractive. And, to maybe be a little more thematically appropriate, think of that green in another way: A bloated, swollen corpse, skin mottled as it stretches, showing all the stench of decay. #Metal

Okay, that’s great, but we’re talking about a lot more than a pretty collector’s item here. Again: DEATHLESS is an incredible album; on vinyl, played on a quality turntable connected to a quality system (like the one I bought recently!)? Imagine bigger crunches, clearer and more violent percussion, extra atmosphere from deep in the mix … and the ever-improving vocal performances from the members sounding like the heralds of demonic doom that they are. It’s correct to have been noticing how much improvement comes in the production of Necroma’s music, too, as well as in the songwriting, and that diabolical development shows through so well on vinyl. My only wish is that I had a better sub and/or true surround on my system, so I could get appreciate the bass more.

For real, though, if you’re a NECRONOMIDOL fan, you’ll want to get your hands on this. Look at it, appreciate it, listen to it and recall many of the things that make Necroma such a special entity.

I’m told that this guy doesn’t actually release until Jan. 5 next year, but there’s a pre-order that opens on Dec. 1 and runs until the 10th, with shipping in time for the holidays, so keep your eyes on the Specific Bandcamp and Facebook and whatnot for when the moment arrives and you want to give that someone special a gateway into unfathomable madness for Hanukkah!

*There’s actually another LP that I still need to write up; I completely forgot about it like a doofus

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