Review NECROPHOBIC ‘In the Twilight Grey’

‘In the Twilight Grey’ is Necrophobic’s tenth studio album and it took the band a bit longer than usual to finish work on this longplayer. To blame is the pandemic as the predecessor ‘Dawn of the Damned’ has been released in 2020 and moment to promote the release have been very rare. Therefor a lot of shows and touring activities took place later which impacted the process for ‘In the Twilight Grey’.

Necrophobic returns with ten new songs which are all reflecting the trademarks in great fashion. There is a sinister vibe throughout, and you feel a cold breath in your neck the moment the opener ‘Grace of the Past’ unveils its devilish grin.

In the Twilight Grey’ is the first album that features the bands new bassist Tobias Cristiansson and he not only provides the hellish groove of the album but also came with quite some demo ideas. None of them reflected Necrophobic’s sound but sparked ideas for the material that ended up on the newest longplayer.

What makes ‘In the Twilight Grey’ to a thrilling release is the flow the tracklist offers. There is the gloomy and atmospheric ‘As Stars Collide’, an anthem in pitch-black. After such an excursus the following ‘Stromcrow’ shows a different approach. Inspired by the early days of the band the song comes as a smashing blackened piece of raw metal. In the vein of the first two albums, ‘Stormcrow’ is a relentless song and is straight to the point.

The gates to realm of doom open again with the moderate paced ‘Shadows of the Brightest Night’ while ‘Cast in Stone’ brings back the hard-hitting and uncompromising side of the Necrophobic. Equipped with smart breaks the song is a thundering blast, followed by a chilling cold Nordic storm called ‘Nordanvind’.

The title track comes relatively at the end of the album and is an eight-minute epic, inspired by a poem by William B. Yeats. The song itself is a blasting masterpiece with a general high pace and breaks that maintain the thrill. There are calmer moments, breaking the furious main theme of the song and at the same time adds intensity to the mix.

‘Ascension (Episode Four)’ is the closing chapter of this raging metal album. It is an atmospheric and calm outro that could be the perfect bridge to a next album. So far it is the gloomy finale that summarizes the spirit of the album, just in a calmer fashion.

‘In the Twilight Grey’ is a thundering blast from the North. The album fits seamlessly into the discography of the band and can be seen as being the most accomplished released to date.