Release Date: June 15

Formats: CD (Japan only); Digital (International)

Number of Editions (1): Regular Edition

NECRONOMIDOL delivers a solid and various record that shows the unit’s potential.

Since the beginning of the Alternative Idol revolution, started with BABYMETAL’s fusion of Metal with Idol pop, and BiS’ provocative concepts, the Japanese scene has been literally invaded by groups bringing formulas influenced by these two acts. It’s a natural flow, and something needed in a scene where the pure image of Idols is unavoidably becoming old, and, in practical terms, isn’t selling as it used to.

Still, only few acts took these influences to create something really unique and striking, both sonically and visually: NECRONOMIDOL is one of them.

The “Ultradark Japanese Idol Unit” is well known in the scene for its impressive art direction and on-stage presence. Still, the winning element of the project lies in the adoption of extreme Metal sonorities to create haunting atmospheres instead of a forced contrast with Idol pop, a trend that became unavoidably abused in the last few years.

After the release of their first album at the beginning of the year, the girls from NECRONOMIDOL are coming back on the scene with a new EP titled from chaos born, that brings six new tracks and a beautiful cover from artist Toshio Maeda; not surprisingly, the quality of these compositions is up to the always impressive artistic direction. From chaos born is indeed a record that doesn’t directly aim at cohesiveness, but instead focuses in showcasing the potential of the unit’s sound and of its variations, with a result that proves a remarkable improvement and fixes the few issues that didn’t work in the past.

The EP kicks off with psychopomp, a haunting, five-minutes-long Death/Black Metal piece featuring an intriguing contrast between distorted guitars and sinister vocals, serving as a strong opener that will sound particularly familiar to the fans. Similarly, but with a different approach, the shortest (and possibly best) track on the EP, Nyx, adopts Alternative Rock sonorities coupled by layers of profane-sounding synths, delivering dark vibes in a very effective way, and representing the identity of the group the best in this record. Shimin Kaihougun opts for 80’s European Power Metal influences, featuring a remarkable work in arrangement and an intriguing chord progression, while the structure takes the time to properly focus on vocals; It’s a genuinely well done Power Metal track, and the girls sound confident on its myriad solos and shiny melodies.

The second half of the EP slightly leans on the Pop side, and while the synth fest of Tamam Shud does the job right with its catchy singing, Midnight Dominator does it better by taking classic Heavy Metal influences merged with pop-ish vocals, with an output that sounds natural and never forced. Heading towards the end, the group surprisingly brings acoustic layers and electronic bits in Idols Elegy: showing a different (and welcome) side of the group’s sound, the track borrows a lot from Idol Pop in the vocals, which makes for a catchy (and sometimes bizarre) number that shows once again how these girls can adapt to different styles, and still sound genuinely good.

From chaos born is a strong showcase of NECRONOMIDOL’s potential, that exposes the best elements of the group in an effective way: The right balance between Metal and Idol Pop follows the personality of the group, the vocals give relevant contribute to each track, and the attention for each section shows a clear knowledge of the influences adopted. All of this makes for a very enjoyable and various record that will be loved by all Necroma’s fans, and that will undoubtedly conquer newcomers from any part of the world.

Vote: 8 / 10

Shout out to Necroma’s team for providing me with a copy of this EP!

Tracklist:

01. psychopomp

02. Shimin Kaihougun

03. Nyx

04. Tamam Shud

05. Midnight Dominator

06. Idols Elegy

– Alex