Album Review: Nekroí Theoí – Dead Gods (Prosthetic Records)

Brutal Florida Death Metal band, Nekroí Theoí introduce their debut album ‘Dead Gods’. Out on May 31st 2019 via Prosthetic Records.

Formed in 2015 by JJ Polachek (Monotheist, 7 Horns 7 Eyes), Mark Gonzalez, and Dustin Rogers from the ashes of Ovids Withering, the group released last year’s Ouroboros of Shit EP which featured Dan Weyandt (Zao) on guest vocals. Polachek, a vocal critic of initialised religion as well as all injustices, uses Nekroi Theoi to be a platform for his and the band’s critiques of society as well as their own personal struggles.

At first you’d have no clue you were listening to a death metal record as the quiet, threatening sound that builds for a few minutes on Doxology is filled with emptiness most might associate more with doom or black metal. It’s a cold start that heats up with a bit more thanks to the guitars but the underlying feeling of bleak threat is ever present.

Where’s the Floridan style death metal? Right around the corner with The Foul Eucharist. A track that puts the unexpected opening to bed with the most desperate and disgusting sounding vocals and savagely heavy riffing. It’s some of the most concentrated metal you’ll hear all year but Nekroí Theoí aren’t sticking to one thing either. Dropping away to haunting sounding effects before building back up to unleash hell.

Their style of death metal with unearthly sounds, ritualistic chanting and unexpected shifts in sound really make the difference here. Simony of Hollow Christs, The Name Above All Names (an unblemished effort that goes over 13 minutes) and Ancient of Days are just three of the more unique sounding tracks on an album that keeps on giving for over an hour.

On occasion they drop all pretences and go all out for the vilest sound possible as Swine Call and Blue Shirt White Hood show. Impossibly outrageous but insanely good listening.

That they take their foot of the gas for the the heaviest and most booming finale in the title track is just the icing on the cake. Truly spectacular and one of the best extreme releases you’ll hear this year.

Nekroí Theoí – Dead Gods Full Track Listing:

1. Doxology
2. The Foul Eucharist
3. Simony of Hollow Christs
4. Swine Cull
5. The Name Above All Names
6. Blue Shirt White Hood
7. Ancient of Days
8. Empty Glory
9. Dead Gods

The album can be ordered in a number of formats via Bandcamp and more information found via Facebook.