One of the ways Necrofier are making a mark on American black metal is their guitar tone. After all, the band do hail from Houston, Texas, where the unforgiving heat causes their tremolo picking to burn with more fire than other keepers of the black flame.
Now, axe men can conjure the wickedly distorted riffs and eerie, melodic dissonance that Necrofier harnessed on their most recent album, Burning Shadows in the Southern Night. Idiot Box Effects has blessed the band with their very own custom guitar pedal.
"The new Echo Drive is a collaboration between me and the KILLER black metal band Necrofier", says Atarimatt, who's been making effects and noiseboxes full time under the name IdiotBox since 2011. "Plug this sucker in and bring on TOTAL SOUTHERN DARKNESS!!!"
The Necrofier Echo drive is a tube screamer-style overdrive pedal. It runs into two separate echo circuits. The left switch is for echoes, while the right switch does overdrive. Each knob is named after a different raw ingredient in the band's evil alchemy: Reflection (echo 1), Chaos (echo 2), Alchemy (echo signal mix), Flame (overdrive volume), Strike (overdrive intensity) and Darkness (tone).
"We are blessed to announce this unholy alliance with Idiot Box effects", says Necrofier frontman Christian "Bakka" Larson. "The grit of the overdrive and the space of the echo helps create a dark and menacing effect".
A limited run of first-edition, autographed Necrofier Echo Drive pedals are available on Bandcamp while supplies last. The pedal can also be purchased through the IdiotBox Effects webstore.
Necrofier Bandcamp
https://necrofier.bandcamp.com/merch/necrofier-echo-drive
Idiotbox webstore
https://www.idiotboxeffects.com/product/necrofier-echo-drive
Necrofier burned hot and fast on an especially Satanic 20th edition of the Decibel Magazine Tour. This summer, the band are pouring more fuel on their fire when they join the legendary Obituary for two swampy shows in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
"It's an honor to play a couple shows with these legends", Bakka says. "Surely, everyone will be chopped in half!"
Necrofier 2024 US Dates Supporting Obituary
May 31 - Dallas, TX @ Trees [TICKETS]
June 1 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea's Live [TICKETS]
Necrofier are also bringing total southern darkness to this summer's festival circuit. Before they turn crowds inside out with Obituary, they'll raise hell at Milwaukee Metal Fest with fellow SOM American black metal co-conspirators Profanatica. Come September, as temperatures start to drop, they'll cast their all-seeing shadow over Full Terror Assault.
Get tickets for Milwaukee Metal Fest
https://www.milwaukeemetalfestival.com/
Get tickets for Full Terror Assault
https://fullterrorassault.com/
Deep within the scorching cauldron of Texas, the alchemists of Necrofier have brewed another potent dose of American black metal with their sophomore full-length, ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night.’ The Houston four-piece honors the time-tested virtues of traditional black and heavy metal, even taking an organic sonic approach, tapping seven-time Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Joel Hamilton (Unsane, Tom Waits, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, etc.) to lend his magic touch for a natural sound.
“The goal going into the new record was to start setting ourselves apart from our contemporaries,” explains Necrofier drummer Dobber Beverly. “One of those ways was changing what the record sounded like. Moving away from the clinical and sterile nature that most productions suffer from and back into a real room with real instruments and performances. Our friend and esteemed producer/engineer Joel Hamilton had expressed interest in venturing back into the metal world and offered to make the record with us at his facility, Studio G Brooklyn. The results will speak for themselves hopefully, as this record breathes and spits fire wherever it’s played.”
“Dobber and Joel have become good friends since they recorded the last Oceans of Slumber album with him, adds Necrofier guitarist and vocalist Bakka. "After that, Joel wanted to record something heavy, so we made the trip to New York City to record in his legendary studio. It was an amazing experience in a great studio; besides having all the gear, he also created an environment where we challenged ourselves and brought everything up to the next level.”
‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ doesn’t just simply pick off where Necrofier’s debut album left off, but displays a conscientious effort to double down on the elements that made ‘Prophecies of Eternal Darkness’ successful. The solos are more plentiful and intricate, the hooks are more anthemic, and the overall musicianship is bolder and more daring. Speaking of the band’s evolution, Bakka explains, “I think this collection of songs represents us very well. We have grown together as a band and it shows in the new songs. Also, for this record we flew to NYC and recorded all day long for 10 days straight. I love recording this way because it captures a certain magic. The whole band is immersed in the process and it's all we would think, do, live and breathe during the process.”
Another core facet of Necrofier’s allure is being a black metal band from Texas. “Where you live always helps shape someone,” says Bakka. “It helps shape our style and tone in ways, it’s hot most of the year, so as we burn, it gives us warmer tones and more of a heavy metal influence than when compared to our brothers from the North."
To that avail, Necrofier isn’t your typical black metal band, and so this isn’t your typical black metal record as there’s a healthy amount of traditional metal influences, particularly within the guitar work. While conceptually, the band doesn’t heavily rely on Satanic themes, exploring deeper human philosophies and the occult like burning for your dreams or spiraling out on a psychedelic trip and exploring the beyond. “While there isn’t overt satanic worship in the lyrics, I would still say that he is a friend of ours,” Bakka cheekily says. “There are Occult themes on this record, but at the same time, it does take a philosophical approach.”
Further illustrating the influence of their environment, Necrofier also heavily explores one of Southern America’s most fabled myths. “The new record touches on selling your soul at the crossroads,” adds Bakka. “I like to take a different approach and touch on the elements of the esoteric world and dive into the forbidden or hidden that surrounds us in our lives every day.”
As the Texan black metal outlaws saddle up for record two, they are leading the charge as one of the contemporary purveyors of black metal revivalism. ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ is certain to elicit a sense of nostalgia for those who dare to lay ears on this vicious new offering.
Lineup:
Bakka – Vocals, Guitar
Semir Ozerkan – Guitars
Dobber Beverly – Drums
Mat Valentine - Bass
Guest Musicians:
Cammie Beverly (Oceans of Slumber) – Vocals on “The All Seeing Shadows” and “The Fall From Heaven”
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Necrofier
https://twitter.com/necrofier
https://www.instagram.com/necrofier/
https://necrofier.bandcamp.com
Producer/Sound Engineer/Mixing: Joel Hamilton at Studio G, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Mastering: Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering
Cover Art: Burney
Presskit: https://presskit.season-of-mist.com/Necrofier
Username: presskit
Password: Presskitofmist
Stream: https://orcd.co/necrofierbsitsn
Order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/NecrofierBSitSN