Review by Felix on April 28, 2019.

Necrodeath are an institution, no doubt at all. With the exception of the experimental (or let's say lousy) Draculea, they have been completely immune against mediocrity. Nevertheless, there exists an ambivalent facet. The Italians always loved to recycle their own material and both their debut and Fragments of Insanity have been kept alive by many alternative versions of classics on the albums that have been released since the reunion of the formation. In my humble opinion, this has had a dubious touch, because new songs are always a greater creative challenge than the re-recording of old material. Aggravating this situation, the regular albums of Necrodeath do not suffer from overly opulent playtimes, to express it politely. But now the band has taken the next step in terms of recycling: welcome to the complete re-recording of Fragments of Insanity.

Originally released in 1989, the album mirrored the move from an almost heavy-handed black horror metal combo to a serious trash formation. Nevertheless, the band did not lose its two main features on the way from the dark domain to the territory of thrash: There is still a threatening atmosphere and it would be foolish to expect any form of clemency. Of course, the expressive and passionate vocals of Flegias, who was no part of the line-up back in 1989, emphasize these features and give the re-recording a new element. This ruffian has always been a hellish weapon and his style of singing is just one new detail - it goes without saying that the here presented form of the compositions benefit from a brilliant, contemporary mix. I guess it is impossible to create a more direct, straighter and sharper sound than Necrodeath have done here. Especially the guitar sound is overwhelming. Many newcomers will lower their heads ashamedly when they lend an ear to this manifesto of thrashing evil. However, it lies in the eyes of the beholder - is this immaculate production an improvement or has the material lost its slightly dusty flair?

From my point of view, the formation has treated its early outburst with dignity. The re-recording is a typical Necrodeath work and the spirit, the attitude and the mentality of the dudes shimmer through every note. I really like the fact that they deny getting old; Defragments of Insanity takes the listener on a wild, violent and merciless ride and the minimal change of the album's title indicates the degree of changes concerning the musical content. All new versions lie in close proximity to the original songs. And it goes without saying that these songs always had a lot of power, some catchy elements while delivering a pretty engaging spectacle. Finally, the new artwork resembles the original cover as well. Taking all these things into consideration, I cannot deny that Necrodeath have been successful. They have recorded a strong, brutal and intense album and Peso has probably killed a dozen of innocent drum kits in view of his ruthless yet highly demanding performance. Thus, two hearts beat in my chest. Even though I wish they had recorded some new tunes, an EP or just a single, I must admit: this re-recording fascinates me, at least to a certain degree. Guess I have heard the best unnecessary album of the year.

Rating: 8.1 out of 10

Review by Felix on April 28, 2021.

Necrodeath disappeared after two convincing albums. The more or less legitimate successor of the band, Schizo, followed another approach due to its more progressive songwriting. Inter alia because of this new direction, the harsh early outputs of Necrodeath never fell into oblivion. Therefore, the comeback of the group was just a question of time. Drummer Peso and guitarist Claudio formed the well-known backbone of the new line-up. But the most conspicuous contribution was delivered by the new lead vocalist called Flegias. This guy was obviously insane - and no doctor was around in order to cure him. His rasping and hysterical voice appeared as a sonic cluster bomb. The omnipresent nagging characterised the album in an impressive manner. This led to a special situation. On the one hand, the band offered an almost forgotten track from 1985 ('Iconoclast'), on the other hand the vocals had the effect of a rejuvenation cure. Without tearing down the bridge between the past and the present, Necrodeath had generated a new sound. Thus, maybe they did not find the solution to the squaring of the circle. Nevertheless, due to this development, the musicians had all the trumps in their hands - and they knew how to use them. Eleven diversified thrash hammers documented this.

After the passable, but surprisingly unimposing opener, the band was taking off like a rocket. 'Flame Of Malignance' shone with razor-sharp riffs, abrupt breaks and a devastating chorus. Without lacking in depth, the track came as a redefinition of ferocity. The majority of the further songs also offered a truly furious approach. But sinister acoustic parts, for example the first tones of 'Black Soul', were also carefully integrated. Thanks to the musicianship and the technical competence, Necrodeath was able to combine the different song parts to a very fitting overall package. The Italians got wild like former prisoners who had been behind bars for much too long. The skillfully handled tempo changes led to a dynamic appearance of the album. The same applied to the different demonic background voices that showed up. Flegias could not complain about insufficient support. And, equally important, I also had no reason to lament in view of a lot of fantastic details that showed up. I am speaking, for instance, of the outstanding first riff of 'Experiment In Terror' or the morbid opening of the quasi title track 'At The Root Of Evil'. The threatening atmosphere of this tune, especially during its mid-tempo parts, was fascinating. If you want to make a horror movie, this song could be your soundtrack.

The tracks were ennobled by an archetypical thrash sound. Sharp and dominant guitars characterised the songs as well as the different moods of Flegias. The truth, let me say without wishing to offend anyone, was that no other Italian band had been able to follow in the footsteps of Necrodeath during their absence. In view of this circumstance, their return was more than overdue. And it was good that they did not reappear in the original line-up. Their former singer did not fail to make a solid job. But the performance of Flegias marked the difference. It is not a hollow phrase that Necrodeath were stronger than ever before.

Rating: 9.3 out of 10