It can be something of a rarity to get kiddish levels of excited about music anymore. Especially at a time when even heaven’s own angelic chorus are contemplating auto-tune. But ‘Necrophaze’, the upcoming new album from the Duke of Spook himself, Wednesday 13, delivers many reasons to be cheerful. Featuring a myriad of the mad, bad and dangerous to know from different corners of the world, ‘Necrophaze’ enlists the talents of Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour) Alexi LaihoChi (Children of Bodom), Jeff Clayton (Murder Junkies), Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) as well as the Godfather of Shock Rock himself, Alice Cooper. Cinematic in scope, heavily inspired by mass murders and serial killers, and occasionally dipped in sentiment, ‘Necrophaze’ hits hard while retaining that trademark, campy fun good time you’ve come to expect from a Wednesday 13 record.
Vocally, Wednesday 13 is arguably at his strongest here on ‘Necrophaze’. His already animalistic growl coupled with his ear for melody are at their peak and even echo some of his earlier works on ‘Transylvania 90210’ and ‘Fang Bang’. Tracks such as “Animal (F*ck Like A Beast)” that see Laiho also lend his vocals to the piece, demonstrate the band’s talent for producing dense, heavy riffing with an unconventionally catchy chorus hook. ’Life Will Kill Us All’ foregrounds their ability to marry horror, hard rock, and a lyric, caramelized in sentiment without being naff or stretching themselves too thin.
If 2017s ‘Condolences’ saw the band breach previously unexplored elements with heavier writing, ‘Necrophaze’ sees them shift their focus toward the atmospheric. After enlisting Mayorga to tend to synth duties, the fun he had injecting these tones of temerity is unmistakable, playing such an integral part on ‘Necrophaze’ and present almost the whole thing over. From the records opening moments, voiced by Alice Cooper, to the hilarious and certifiably addictive, graveyard bop party number “Bring Your Own Blood,” Mayorga scores this album like an 80’s horror film. An 80’s horror film orchestrated by John Carpenter if he was produced by Gary Numan after a night of Grave Robbin’ U.S.A with the Murderdolls. What’s not to like?
Well… If there are faults to find, they are few and far between. Songs such as “Decompose” sound uncharacteristically droll when we consider the talent of its creator, while “The Hearse” feels like a nod to peers such as Cradle Of Filth. And if we wanted to listen to Cradle Of Filth then we would. Fortunately, these efforts are easily forgivable, for ‘Necrophaze’ is just full of the good stuff.
Should one particular guest feature stand out among the rest, it is that of Scabbia on “Monster”. There is no denying just how cool it is to, at long last, have the Godfather of Shock Rock and the Duke of Spook on the same compact disk (some millenials may require a Google search here), but as far as vocal deliveries go, more times than not Scabbia is simply too good to top, with the vocal harmonies that live either side of the prodigious chorus duet contribute to making “Monsters” as compelling as it is.
A graveyard horror record drenched in metal and given the cinematic treatment, ‘Necrophaze’ could one day be considered a masterpiece among the work of Wednesday 13. Cool, cagey, and oozed in a canorous kind of creepy, Wednesday 13 and ‘Necrophaze’ are irresistibly enjoyable. So on September 27th, when this album drops, if you fancy yourself a little graveyard singalong, ‘Necrophaze’ is the place for you. Just remember to bring your own blood.