French extreme metal band NECROWRETCH have announced a run of European dates with Iceland’s Misþyrming, taking place from 10 to 16 October as part of the All Worlds in Decay Tour 2026. The seven shows cover Belgium, Germany, Sweden and Poland, with French death metal outfit Profanation and Italian experimental black metal duo Gorrch completing the bill.
Live, Necrowretch operate as a four-piece, with Vlad on vocals and rhythm guitar, W. Cadaver on lead guitar, R. Cadaver on bass and N. Destroyer on drums. Their road record runs through club tours alongside Impiety and Cemetery Urn, Asian dates in 2018, Hellfest in 2022 and Nox Occultum in Tilburg in September 2025.
The dates follow Swords of Dajjal, the band’s fifth album, released through Season of Mist on February 2nd, 2024.
Three years in the making, Swords of Dajjal was recorded, mixed and mastered by Francis Caste at Studio Sainte Marthe in Paris and sharpens the band’s black metal focus while keeping traces of the death metal that shaped them. Its eight tracks are conceived as prophecies centred on Dajjal, the false messiah of Islamic eschatology, drawing on North African and Middle Eastern mythology.
Seven nights in club rooms across four countries, and Swords of Dajjal at close quarters.
ALL WORLDS IN DECAY – 2026 EU TOUR:
10 October: Zulte, BE @ The Cluck Factory 11 October: Oberhausen, DE @ Helvete 12 October: Malmö, SE @ Plan B 13 October: Erfurt, DE @ Club From Hell 14 October: Dresden, DE @ Club Pushkin 15 October: Kraków, PL @ Zaścianek 16 October: Poznań, PL @ 2Progi
Cover Art – Stefan Thanneur / Manifeste
Track list:
Ksar Al-Kufar (04:22)
The Fifth Door (05:30)
Dii Mauri (05:07)
Swords of Dajjal (04:56)
Numidian Knowledge (04:12)
Vae Victis (04:18)
Daeva (02:49)
Total Obliteration (06:13) Total runtime: 37:27
Line-up: Vlad — Vocals, Rhythm Guitars W. Cadaver — Lead Guitars R. Cadaver — Bass N. Destroyer — Drums
Since their creation, Necrowretch haveproudlycarried the mark of the beast. A decade ago, these devil worshippers emerged alongside the old school death metal revival. But their new album casts the French band in a bigger, blacker and more Satanic mold.
“Any move toward what’s considered true black metal is a good thing and Necrowretch stride with furious momentum in that particular direction”, writes Black Metal Terror. “These are the fabled days of world end and I can think of no finer record to track the sound of it all than Swords of Dajjal”.
Swords of Dajjal is out now. To celebrate the mass fanfare that has greeted their latest offering, today, Necrowretch are releasing a new video for one of the album’s deeper cuts.
Watch the raw and ruthless video for “Vae Victis”:
While forged with newfound mysticism, Swords of Dajjal was drawn from real life experience. Living in Turkey during the tail end of the last decade inspired Necrowretch’s lead swordsmith Vlad to create their new album in the splitting image of the Antichrist. Each song warns of a harrowing prophecy brought down by Dajjal, who reigns fire over “Vae Victis”.
“Woe to the vanquish!” snaps Vlad, brandishing his pale but bloodied fangs.
Indeed, “Vae Victis” is pure savagery. The blast beats waste no time, galloping ahead like the horsemen of the apocalypse through a sandstorm. But Necrowretch can slice and dice from all angles. Walls of trembling, melodic distortion close in, only for the band to sneak up and crush you with a headbanging riff that swings with all the brute force of a scepter.
“Malheur aux vaincus!” Vlad says in greetings of his band’s new single. “History testifies that only the strongest survive and that prophetic wisdom still continues in the world we are living in. ‘Vae Victis’ is based on the story of the sack of Rome in 390 BC, where the Gauls defeated the Romans and imposed their conditions on the vanquished. In torment and disgrace, only the ruthless man, the survivor, can become a king. In chaos and torment, only the lawless man, the compeller, can become the bestower of Life and Death”.
The video for “Vae Victis” was filmed in Paris. It was edited and directed by Mounir Chraibi.
Cover Art – Stefan Thanneur / Manifeste
Track-list
1. Ksar Al-Kufar (4:22) [WATCH] 2. The Fifth Door (5:30) 3. Dii Mauri (5:07) [WATCH] 4. Swords of Dajjal (4:56) 5. Numidian Knowledge (4:12) [WATCH] 6. Vae Victis (4:18) [WATCH] 7. Daeva (2:49) 8. Total Obliteration (6:13)Total:37:27
Now entering their fifteenth year as a band, France’s Necrowretch are about to open the most ambitious chapter of their career with Swords Of Dajjal, their three-years-in-the-making fifth album.
Initially the sole work of multi-instrument and vision leader Vlad, the band was – for better and for worse – lumped in the ‘old school death metal revival’ of the early 10’s. Yet while their debut Putrid Death Sorcery did indeed bear all the usual suspects of said genre, it nevertheless already had that extra, raw-as-fuck and just plain vicious element that really set them apart from the rest of the pack. Conforming to the norm was never in question and instead of selling out or trying to slow things down, as true misfits as they are, they went the exact opposite direction, first with 2015’s With Serpents Scourge, only to be vigorously confirmed by its furious follow-up, and their first for Season Of Mist, 2017’s Satanic Slavery. To the point where once the touring cycle was over for the latter, Vlad himself felt he had explored this direction as far as he could have and that changes were on the horizon.
“On Satanic Slavery we on purpose took things as far as we could, as our goal was to deliver the most bestial album possible. But once we achieved that goal, I knew we had to take a slightly different if still as uncompromised direction.” Incidentally, that’s when Wenceslas Carrieu from Cadaveric FUMES entered the picture, first as a momentary live session on bass. But when second stringer Kev Desecrator vowed to amicably part way with the band to focus on DESTRÖYER 666, he switched to six-strings and proved to be the valuable songwriting partner Vlad had been looking for since the departure of the band original bass player Amphycion in 2015. “He immediately came up with lots of ideas and thanks to him, we now have a whole new dynamic: a bit like Sepultura had back in the days in between Max Cavalera and Andreas Kisser, with me focusing now on my vocals and playing rhythm guitars while Wenceslas takes care of all the solos, the starting riffs and the off-the-map bits.
With their fourth album, and first with Wencelas, The Ones From Hell was only one month old when Necrowretch was about to tour Europe with both Kampfar and Taake for three weeks. A tour bus was booked, the set was well-rehearsed, everything was ready and then… disaster struck. “Six days before we were due to play our first show, the whole thing was cancelled. Then COVID hit us and the world was basically shut down. We were numb for a couple of days but soon realized that the best way to bounce back was to move forward so we instantly started working on new songs.” The result is Swords Of Dajjal by far, their biggest, boldest and most ambitious production ever.
“We spent no less than three years working on the songs, demoeing them and fine-tuning the details and rehearsing them as a three-piece and six weeks in the studio with Francis Caste (Hangman’s Chair, REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER, Svart Crown etc.). Prior to that, we used to be a pure product of the underground, with albums done in just a couple of days whom were never 100% satisfied with in the end as we had to rush everything. We’re still very underground, mind you. But this time around, we knew we had to give it all, no matter what. So we started by changing our gear, our sound and our tuning. And once we entered the studio, we for instance spent a whole day just testing different amps just to get the right sound and crunch we were looking for. I even took some singing lessons to gain more depth and power. In a way, it almost feels like a whole new band.”
The whole record was written on purpose mostly on acoustic twelve-string guitars (“the idea was that if it sounds good and catchy that way, it’d be even better with distortion”) and as a three-piece, “something we hadn’t done in a long time” with their new drummer Nicolas Ferrero, not exactly a newcomer as he’s been playing on and off live with them since 2018. The result is, according to Vlad, “our most black metal record, with splashes of death metal here and there. Whereas on the previous album all tempos were pushed to the extreme, there’s far more variety here to be found. It also gave us free reins to reach a more mystical, Biblical if you will vibe” fed by his experience living in Turkey in the late 10’s. “We choose to focus on the Dajjal character, basically the antichrist in the Muslim religion. The Coran says that he’ll appear as a false prophet only to bring doom to this world, with an army of demons coming from the east.” Represented on the cover of the album with his double edged sword and bathed in the same kind of reddish and orangey mesmerizing lights one can experience when the sun sets on wind-beaten deserts, all eight songs on the album are prophecies, past and future, where Dajjal plays the leading role.
Now completed on bass by R. Cadaver (former Cadaveric Fumes vocalist) who officially joined once the recording was done after playing as a live session member for the last two years, and armed with their biggest, most complex and intense album of their career, Necrowretch are about to yield their sword of destruction and exterminate everything in sight.
Lineup Vlad – Vocals, Guitars W. Cadaver – Lead Guitars R. Cadaver (Live) – Bass N. Destroyer – Drums
Ten years ago, Necrowretch emerged with the revival of old school death metal. But these French sorcerers have always been branded with the mark of the beast. After pushing their death drive to the extreme on their first album for Season of Mist, the band are back and ready to release their biggest, boldest, most sophisticated and blackest album yet.
Swords of Dajjal comes out this Friday. But you can hear the whole album now by listening to the full album stream.
Swords of Dajjal still lays the hammer. Lead single “Numidian Knowledge” churns through a corpse-grinding riff while beating you over the head with non-stop fills from new drummer Nicolas Destroyer. But even though their previous albums were devoted to Satan, this time around, Necrowretch sold their whole soul to the devil. Heck, this album isn’t just named after the Islamic Antichrist. That’s Dajjal on the cover, staring back at you with those cutting, soulless eyes.
“Ave Ingirozoglezim” Vlad erupts on “Dii Mauri”, conjuring riffs that churn and whip with the fury of a sandstorm.
Clearly, Necrowretch still play blindingly fast. But Swords of Dajjal is just as deadly when shifted into a more brooding gear. Where the band used to spend only a few days in the recording studio, they spent three years on this album, sharpening everything from Vlad’s signature shriek all the way down to the guitar tones. A molten crunch of reverb opens a fiery pit to hell on “Kasar Al-Kufar”, which erupts into a solo that’s so memorable, it’ll haunt your nightmares.
Vae Victis !
Cover Art – Stefan Thanneur / Manifeste
“Debout les morts!” Necrowretch says. “Today marks the release of Swords of Dajjal, our blackest opus to date. It took us many years to craft this unholy manifest, but it will take only seconds to bring you eternal doom ! Listen to it at full volume, stream, share, get it from your local death dealer and enjoy every damn part before you rot in Hell!
Praise for Necrowretch
“Dynamic blackened death metal…embraces melody and blends it with pure savagery” – Teeth of the Divine
“A raw, primitive and relentless sound with absolutely manical percussion and possessed singer Vlad’s beastial screams” – Kerrang!
“They charge blastbeats and hurl guitars and the kitchen sink at listeners, and that is almost always certain to attract fans of kvtl metal” – Echoes and Dust
“Speedy, razor-sharp display of blackened death metal mayhem that is as entertaining on a tenth listen as it is on the first” – Heavy Blog is Heavy.
“Filled with enough hate, putrefaction and sorrow to fill a deep inferno of black, deathly abyss” – V13
“They approach their ghoulish task with considerably more gusto (and know-how) than many of their peers” – Pitchfork
Track-list
1. Ksar Al-Kufar (4:22) [WATCH] 2. The Fifth Door (5:30) 3. Dii Mauri (5:07) [WATCH] 4. Swords of Dajjal (4:56) 5. Numidian Knowledge (4:12) [WATCH] 6. Vae Victis (4:18) 7. Daeva (2:49) 8. Total Obliteration (6:13)Total:37:27
Now entering their fifteenth year as a band, France’s Necrowretch are about to open the most ambitious chapter of their career with Swords Of Dajjal, their three-years-in-the-making fifth album.
Initially the sole work of multi-instrument and vision leader Vlad, the band was – for better and for worse – lumped in the ‘old school death metal revival’ of the early 10’s. Yet while their debut Putrid Death Sorcery did indeed bear all the usual suspects of said genre, it nevertheless already had that extra, raw-as-fuck and just plain vicious element that really set them apart from the rest of the pack. Conforming to the norm was never in question and instead of selling out or trying to slow things down, as true misfits as they are, they went the exact opposite direction, first with 2015’s With Serpents Scourge, only to be vigorously confirmed by its furious follow-up, and their first for Season Of Mist, 2017’s Satanic Slavery. To the point where once the touring cycle was over for the latter, Vlad himself felt he had explored this direction as far as he could have and that changes were on the horizon.
“On Satanic Slavery we on purpose took things as far as we could, as our goal was to deliver the most bestial album possible. But once we achieved that goal, I knew we had to take a slightly different if still as uncompromised direction.” Incidentally, that’s when Wenceslas Carrieu from Cadaveric FUMES entered the picture, first as a momentary live session on bass. But when second stringer Kev Desecrator vowed to amicably part way with the band to focus on DESTRÖYER 666, he switched to six-strings and proved to be the valuable songwriting partner Vlad had been looking for since the departure of the band original bass player Amphycion in 2015. “He immediately came up with lots of ideas and thanks to him, we now have a whole new dynamic: a bit like Sepultura had back in the days in between Max Cavalera and Andreas Kisser, with me focusing now on my vocals and playing rhythm guitars while Wenceslas takes care of all the solos, the starting riffs and the off-the-map bits.
With their fourth album, and first with Wencelas, The Ones From Hell was only one month old when Necrowretch was about to tour Europe with both Kampfar and Taake for three weeks. A tour bus was booked, the set was well-rehearsed, everything was ready and then… disaster struck. “Six days before we were due to play our first show, the whole thing was cancelled. Then COVID hit us and the world was basically shut down. We were numb for a couple of days but soon realized that the best way to bounce back was to move forward so we instantly started working on new songs.” The result is Swords Of Dajjal by far, their biggest, boldest and most ambitious production ever.
“We spent no less than three years working on the songs, demoeing them and fine-tuning the details and rehearsing them as a three-piece and six weeks in the studio with Francis Caste (Hangman’s Chair, REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER, Svart Crown etc.). Prior to that, we used to be a pure product of the underground, with albums done in just a couple of days whom were never 100% satisfied with in the end as we had to rush everything. We’re still very underground, mind you. But this time around, we knew we had to give it all, no matter what. So we started by changing our gear, our sound and our tuning. And once we entered the studio, we for instance spent a whole day just testing different amps just to get the right sound and crunch we were looking for. I even took some singing lessons to gain more depth and power. In a way, it almost feels like a whole new band.”
The whole record was written on purpose mostly on acoustic twelve-string guitars (“the idea was that if it sounds good and catchy that way, it’d be even better with distortion”) and as a three-piece, “something we hadn’t done in a long time” with their new drummer Nicolas Ferrero, not exactly a newcomer as he’s been playing on and off live with them since 2018. The result is, according to Vlad, “our most black metal record, with splashes of death metal here and there. Whereas on the previous album all tempos were pushed to the extreme, there’s far more variety here to be found. It also gave us free reins to reach a more mystical, Biblical if you will vibe” fed by his experience living in Turkey in the late 10’s. “We choose to focus on the Dajjal character, basically the antichrist in the Muslim religion. The Coran says that he’ll appear as a false prophet only to bring doom to this world, with an army of demons coming from the east.” Represented on the cover of the album with his double edged sword and bathed in the same kind of reddish and orangey mesmerizing lights one can experience when the sun sets on wind-beaten deserts, all eight songs on the album are prophecies, past and future, where Dajjal plays the leading role.
Now completed on bass by R. Cadaver (former Cadaveric Fumes vocalist) who officially joined once the recording was done after playing as a live session member for the last two years, and armed with their biggest, most complex and intense album of their career, Necrowretch are about to yield their sword of destruction and exterminate everything in sight.
Lineup Vlad – Vocals, Guitars W. Cadaver – Lead Guitars R. Cadaver (Live) – Bass N. Destroyer – Drums Recording Studio Studio Sainte Marthe, Paris
Necrowretch might have emerged alongside the revival of old school death metal, but these deadly sorcerers have always carried a Satanic streak. After all, their new album, Swords of Dajjal, is named after the Islamic Antichrist.
Today, the blackened French band are summoning the gods of barbarity with “Dii Mauri”, the album’s smoldering third single.
“Dii Mauri” begins with a blessing and a curse. “Ave Ingirozoglezim!” Vlad spews, conjuring the fully eruptive force of his band. Drum fills reign down like boulders, while the riffs churn and whip with the blinding fury of a sandstorm. Even in the midst of a lone, piercing guitar that drifts through the air like a mirage, one thing is clear. In their wake, Necrowretch leave nothing but devastation.
“This song pays tribute to the ancient Moorish Gods in Dii Mauri“, says Necrowretch. “Unlike the other Gods that the Roman Empire was integrating into their pantheon after each conquest, the Dii Mauri were considered too barbaric to be ever integrated.
So shall it be… to scribe thy names So shall it be… to cast thy flames…”
The video for “Dii Mauri” was filmed on location in Spain and Kyrgyzstan. It was directed, filmed and edited by Mounir Chraibi.
Horse training was provided by Carolina Lindenau from Spain’s Rancho Bonanza.
Cover Art – Stefan Thanneur / Manifeste
Track-list
1. Ksar Al-Kufar (4:22) [WATCH] 2. The Fifth Door (5:30) 3. Dii Mauri (5:07) [WATCH] 4. Swords of Dajjal (4:56) 5. Numidian Knowledge (4:12) [WATCH] 6. Vae Victis (4:18) 7. Daeva (2:49) 8. Total Obliteration (6:13)
Total:37:27
Now entering their fifteenth year as a band, France’s Necrowretch are about to open the most ambitious chapter of their career with Swords Of Dajjal, their three-years-in-the-making fifth album.
Initially the sole work of multi-instrument and vision leader Vlad, the band was originally for better and for worse lumped in the ‘old school death metal revival’ of the early 10’s. Yet while their debut Putrid Death Sorcery did bear indeed all the usual suspects of said genre, it nevertheless already had that extra, raw-as-fuck and just plain vicious element that really set them apart from the rest of the pack. Conforming to the norm was never in question and instead of selling out or trying to slow things down, as true misfits as they are, the went the exact opposite direction, first with 2015’s With Serpents Scourge, only to be vigorously confirmed by its furious follow-up, and first for Season Of Mist, 2017’s Satanic Slavery. To the point where once the touring cycle was over for the latter, Vlad himself felt he had explored this direction as far as he could have and that changes were on the horizon.
“On Satanic Slavery we on purpose took things as far as we could as our goal was to deliver the most bestial album possible. But once we achieved that goal, I knew we had to take a slightly different if still as uncompromised direction.” Incidentally, that’s when Wenceslas Carrieu from Cadaveric FUMES entered the picture, first as a momentary live session on bass. But when second stringer Kev Desecrator vowed to amicably part way with the band to focus on DESTRÖYER 666, he switched to six-strings and proved to be the valuable songwriting partner Vlad had been looking for since the departure of the band original bass player Amphycion in 2015. “He immediately came up with lots of ideas and thanks to him, we now have a whole new dynamic: a bit like Sepultura had back in the days in between Max Cavalera and Andreas Kisser, with me focusing now on my vocals and playing rhythm guitars while Wenceslas takes care of all the solos, the starting riffs and the off-the-map bits.
With their fourth album, and first with Wencelas, The Ones From Hell was only one month old,Necrowretch was about to tour Europe with both Kampfar and Taake for three weeks. A tour bus was booked, the set was well-rehearsed, everything was ready and then… disaster struck. “Six days before we were due to play our first show, the whole thing was cancelled. Then COVID hit us and the world was basically shut down. We were numb for a couple of days but soon realized that the best way to bounce back was to move forward so we instantly started working on new songs.” The result is Swords Of Dajjal by far, their biggest, boldest and most ambitious production ever.
“We spent no less than three years working on the songs, demoeing them and finetuning the details and rehearsing them as a three-piece and six weeks in the studio with Francis Caste (Hangman’s Chair, REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER, Svart Crown etc.). Prior to that, we used to be a pure product of the underground, with albums done in just a couple of days whom were never 100% satisfied with in the end as we had to rush everything. We’re still very underground, mind you. But this time around, we knew we had to give it all, no matter what. So we started by changing our gear, our sound and our tuning. And once we entered the studio, we for instance spent a whole day just testing different amps just to get the right sound and crunch we were looking for. I even took some singing lessons to gain more depth and power. In a way, it almost feels like a whole new band.”
The whole record was written on purpose mostly on acoustic twelve-string guitars (“the idea was that if it sounds good and catchy that way, it’d be even better with distortion”) and as a three-piece, “something we hadn’t done in a long time” with their new drummer Nicolas Ferrero, not exactly a newcomer as he’s been playing on and off live with them since 2018. The result is, according to Vlad, “our most black metal record, with splashes of death metal here and there. Whereas on the previous album all tempos were pushed to the extreme, there’s far more variety here to be found. It also gave us free reins to reach a more mystical, Biblical if you will vibe” fed by his experience living in Turkey in the late 10’s. “We choose to focus on the Dajjal character, basically the antichrist in the Muslim religion. The Coran says that he’ll appear as a false prophet only to bring doom to this world, with an army of demons coming from the east.” Represented on the cover of the album with his double edged sword and bathed in the same kind of reddish and orangey mesmerizing lights one can experience when the sun sets on wind-beaten deserts, all eight songs on the album are prophecies, past and future, where Dajjal plays the leading role.
Now completed on bass by R. Cadaver (former Cadaveric Fumes vocalist) who officially joined once the recording was done after playing as a live session member for the last two years, and armed with their biggest, most complex and intense album of their career, Necrowretch are about to yield their sword of destruction and exterminate everything in sight.
Lineup Vlad – Vocals, Guitars W. Cadaver – Lead Guitars R. Cadaver (Live) – Bass N. Destroyer – Drums
Necrowretch were forged from the blackened and most deathly pits of hell. These putrid French sorcerers recently announced their fifth and fieriest offering with “Numidian Knowledge”, a double-edged blade of riffs and shrieks hot enough to peel flesh.
Today, Necrowretch are opening another fiery pit to hell with “Ksar Al-Kufar”. The second single off Swords of Dajjal opens with a gloomy intro before dive-bombing straight into destructive blast beats. Catchy tremolo picking gets plucked out of the sky by the talons of an ancient dark omen.
As there stood a tree That grew from the bottom of Hell Ksar Al-Kufar
Watch the smoldering video for “Ksar Al-Kufar”, which was filmed on location in Ethiopia and Morocco by Mounit Chraibi:
There’s black metal. There’s death metal. And then, there’s NECROWRETCH.
The French band combine the best of both worlds into music made straight from the depths of hell. After setting a merciless pace with Satanic Slavery and The Ones From Hell, Necrowretch are back and ready to slice open a devilish new chapter of blistering blasts and piercing riffs with Swords of Dajjal.
Cover Art – Stefan Thanneur / Manifeste
Track-list
1. Ksar Al-Kufar (4:22) [WATCH] 2. The Fifth Door (5:30) 3. Dii Mauri (5:07) 4. Swords of Dajjal (4:56) 5. Numidian Knowledge (4:12) [WATCH] 6. Vae Victis (4:18) 7. Daeva (2:49) 8. Total Obliteration (6:13)Total:37:27
Now entering their fifteenth year as a band, France’s Necrowretch are about to open the most ambitious chapter of their career with Swords Of Dajjal, their three-years-in-the-making fifth album.
Initially the sole work of multi-instrument and vision leader Vlad, the band was originally for better and for worse lumped in the ‘old school death metal revival’ of the early 10’s. Yet while their debut Putrid Death Sorcery did bear indeed all the usual suspects of said genre, it nevertheless already had that extra, raw-as-fuck and just plain vicious element that really set them apart from the rest of the pack. Conforming to the norm was never in question and instead of selling out or trying to slow things down, as true misfits as they are, the went the exact opposite direction, first with 2015’s With Serpents Scourge, only to be vigorously confirmed by its furious follow-up, and first for Season Of Mist, 2017’s Satanic Slavery. To the point where once the touring cycle was over for the latter, Vlad himself felt he had explored this direction as far as he could have and that changes were on the horizon.
“On Satanic Slavery we on purpose took things as far as we could as our goal was to deliver the most bestial album possible. But once we achieved that goal, I knew we had to take a slightly different if still as uncompromised direction.” Incidentally, that’s when Wenceslas Carrieu from Cadaveric FUMES entered the picture, first as a momentary live session on bass. But when second stringer Kev Desecrator vowed to amicably part way with the band to focus on DESTRÖYER 666, he switched to six-strings and proved to be the valuable songwriting partner Vlad had been looking for since the departure of the band original bass player Amphycion in 2015. “He immediately came up with lots of ideas and thanks to him, we now have a whole new dynamic: a bit like Sepultura had back in the days in between Max Cavalera and Andreas Kisser, with me focusing now on my vocals and playing rhythm guitars while Wenceslas takes care of all the solos, the starting riffs and the off-the-map bits.
With their fourth album, and first with Wencelas, The Ones From Hell was only one month old,Necrowretch was about to tour Europe with both Kampfar and Taake for three weeks. A tour bus was booked, the set was well-rehearsed, everything was ready and then… disaster struck. “Six days before we were due to play our first show, the whole thing was cancelled. Then COVID hit us and the world was basically shut down. We were numb for a couple of days but soon realized that the best way to bounce back was to move forward so we instantly started working on new songs.” The result is Swords Of Dajjal by far, their biggest, boldest and most ambitious production ever.
“We spent no less than three years working on the songs, demoeing them and finetuning the details and rehearsing them as a three-piece and six weeks in the studio with Francis Caste (Hangman’s Chair, REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER, Svart Crown etc.). Prior to that, we used to be a pure product of the underground, with albums done in just a couple of days whom were never 100% satisfied with in the end as we had to rush everything. We’re still very underground, mind you. But this time around, we knew we had to give it all, no matter what. So we started by changing our gear, our sound and our tuning. And once we entered the studio, we for instance spent a whole day just testing different amps just to get the right sound and crunch we were looking for. I even took some singing lessons to gain more depth and power. In a way, it almost feels like a whole new band.”
The whole record was written on purpose mostly on acoustic twelve-string guitars (“the idea was that if it sounds good and catchy that way, it’d be even better with distortion”) and as a three-piece, “something we hadn’t done in a long time” with their new drummer Nicolas Ferrero, not exactly a newcomer as he’s been playing on and off live with them since 2018. The result is, according to Vlad, “our most black metal record, with splashes of death metal here and there. Whereas on the previous album all tempos were pushed to the extreme, there’s far more variety here to be found. It also gave us free reins to reach a more mystical, Biblical if you will vibe” fed by his experience living in Turkey in the late 10’s. “We choose to focus on the Dajjal character, basically the antichrist in the Muslim religion. The Coran says that he’ll appear as a false prophet only to bring doom to this world, with an army of demons coming from the east.” Represented on the cover of the album with his double edged sword and bathed in the same kind of reddish and orangey mesmerizing lights one can experience when the sun sets on wind-beaten deserts, all eight songs on the album are prophecies, past and future, where Dajjal plays the leading role.
Now completed on bass by R. Cadaver (former Cadaveric Fumes vocalist) who officially joined once the recording was done after playing as a live session member for the last two years, and armed with their biggest, most complex and intense album of their career, Necrowretch are about to yield their sword of destruction and exterminate everything in sight.
Lineup Vlad – Vocals, Guitars W. Cadaver – Lead Guitars R. Cadaver (Live) – Bass N. Destroyer – Drums
Recording Studio Studio Sainte Marthe, Paris
Sound, Mixing & Mastering Engineer Francis CasteCover Art Stefan Thanneur / Manifeste
There’s black metal. There’s death metal. And then, there’s NECROWRETCH.
The French band combine the best of both worlds into music made straight from the depths of hell. After setting a merciless pace with Satanic Slavery and The Ones From Hell, Necrowretch are back and ready to rip open a fresh and bloody chapter of fiery blasts and twisted riffs.
Today, Necrowretch are announcingtheir fifth and fieriest offering yet. Swords of Dajjal cuts closer to black metal but continues the band’s exploration into Satanism and other anti-theist iconography. Heck, these songs are so dark and devilish, that Necrowretch sound like the musical manifestation of the Anti-Christ.
1. Ksar Al-Kufar (4:22) 2. The Fifth Door (5:30) 3. Dii Mauri (5:07) 4. Swords of Dajjal (4:56) 5. Numidian Knowledge (4:12) [WATCH VIDEO] 6. Vae Victis (4:18) 7. Daeva (2:49) 8. Total Obliteration (6:13)
Total:37:27
Lead single “Numidian Knowledge” is a vile concoction of metal both blackened and deadly. N. Destroyer pounds out frantic double-bass kicks. W. Cadaver’s riff are hot and sharp enough to peel skin, while Vlad’s screams and shrieks baptize you in the fires of hell.
“Wisdom lies below the great Imedjasen”, says Necrowretch. “It is told that one who breaks the seal shall be blessed with infinite fortune… But his self will be condemned to endless suffering”.
Now entering their fifteenth year as a band, France’s NECROWRETCH are about to open the most ambitious chapter of their career with Swords Of Dajjal, their three-years-in-the-making fifth album.
Initially the sole work of multi-instrument and vision leader Vlad, the band was originally for better and for worse lumped in the ‘old school death metal revival’ of the early 10’s. Yet while their debut Putrid Death Sorcery did bear indeed all the usual suspects of said genre, it nevertheless already had that extra, raw-as-fuck and just plain vicious element that really set them apart from the rest of the pack. Conforming to the norm was never in question and instead of selling out or trying to slow things down, as true misfits as they are, the went the exact opposite direction, first with 2015’s With Serpents Scourge, only to be vigorously confirmed by its furious follow-up, and first for Season Of Mist, 2017’s Satanic Slavery. To the point where once the touring cycle was over for the latter, Vlad himself felt he had explored this direction as far as he could have and that changes were on the horizon.
“On Satanic Slavery we on purpose took things as far as we could as our goal was to deliver the most bestial album possible. But once we achieved that goal, I knew we had to take a slightly different if still as uncompromised direction.” Incidentally, that’s when Wenceslas Carrieu from CADAVERIC FUMES entered the picture, first as a momentary live session on bass. But when second stringer Kev Desecrator vowed to amicably part way with the band to focus on DESTRÖYER 666, he switched to six-strings and proved to be the valuable songwriting partner Vlad had been looking for since the departure of the band original bass player Amphycion in 2015. “He immediately came up with lots of ideas and thanks to him, we now have a whole new dynamic: a bit like Sepultura had back in the days in between Max Cavalera and Andreas Kisser, with me focusing now on my vocals and playing rhythm guitars while Wenceslas takes care of all the solos, the starting riffs and the off-the-map bits.
With their fourth album, and first with Wencelas, The Ones From Hell was only one month old,Necrowretch was about to tour Europe with both KAMPFAR and TAAKE for three weeks. A tour bus was booked, the set was well-rehearsed, everything was ready and then… disaster struck. “Six days before we were due to play our first show, the whole thing was cancelled. Then COVID hit us and the world was basically shut down. We were numb for a couple of days but soon realized that the best way to bounce back was to move forward so we instantly started working on new songs.” The result is Swords Of Dajjal by far, their biggest, boldest and most ambitious production ever.
“We spent no less than three years working on the songs, demoeing them and finetuning the details and rehearsing them as a three-piece and six weeks in the studio with Francis Caste (HANGMAN’S CHAIR, REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER, SVART CROWN etc.). Prior to that, we used to be a pure product of the underground, with albums done in just a couple of days whom were never 100% satisfied with in the end as we had to rush everything. We’re still very underground, mind you. But this time around, we knew we had to give it all, no matter what. So we started by changing our gear, our sound and our tuning. And once we entered the studio, we for instance spent a whole day just testing different amps just to get the right sound and crunch we were looking for. I even took some singing lessons to gain more depth and power. In a way, it almost feels like a whole new band.”
The whole record was written on purpose mostly on acoustic twelve-string guitars (“the idea was that if it sounds good and catchy that way, it’d be even better with distortion”) and as a three-piece, “something we hadn’t done in a long time” with their new drummer Nicolas Ferrero, not exactly a newcomer as he’s been playing on and off live with them since 2018. The result is, according to Vlad, “our most black metal record, with splashes of death metal here and there. Whereas on the previous album all tempos were pushed to the extreme, there’s far more variety here to be found. It also gave us free reins to reach a more mystical, Biblical if you will vibe” fed by his experience living in Turkey in the late 10’s. “We choose to focus on the Dajjal character, basically the antichrist in the Muslim religion. The Coran says that he’ll appear as a false prophet only to bring doom to this world, with an army of demons coming from the east.” Represented on the cover of the album with his double edged sword and bathed in the same kind of reddish and orangey mesmerizing lights one can experience when the sun sets on wind-beaten deserts, all eight songs on the album are prophecies, past and future, where Dajjal plays the leading role.
Now completed on bass by R. Cadaver (former CADAVERIC FUMES vocalist) who officially joined once the recording was done after playing as a live session member for the last two years, and armed with their biggest, most complex and intense album of their career, Necrowretch are about to yield their sword of destruction and exterminate everything in sight.
Lineup Vlad – Vocals, Guitars W. Cadaver – Lead Guitars R. Cadaver (Live) – Bass N. Destroyer – Drums
Recording Studio – Studio Sainte Marthe, Paris Sound, Mixing & Mastering Engineer – Francis Caste Biography – Olivier Zoltar Badin
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
