“A lot of “Necrophaze” is my own nightmare, but we’ve worked some history in there as well, it’s not all fantasy,” so says Wednesday 13 of the premise behind his new record.
Prepare to be afraid. Very afraid.
Except, don’t be. Because, this is Wednesday 13, after all. He’s ace. Like some hybrid made in a lab of Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper, but rather like the bit in Alice’s live show where he cuddles Ethyl and they kill him, you know this ain’t real.
In fact, in particular with “Necrophaze” the best way to approach this is as a horror film. The thing has end credits, which sort of helps and there is a cinematic feel to the opening title track too, because for all the blood and gore, no one really gets hurt. Not here. And Alice is on it, so it rules, right?
Of course it does.
On this one, though, he has ramped up the unsettling nature of what he does. It feels like it lurks in the shadows, right from the harsh, industrial synth that ushers in the album, but when it does full on rock like on “Bring Your Own Blood” it is phenomenal. The aforementioned Mr. Zombie would kill for this one. It is magnificent – right down to the genuinely glam rock hook.
“Zodiac Killer” is essentially singalong a serial killer, but it is based on true events and it is one of the heavier moments on the album, which he juxtaposes with an absolutely enormous modern rocker, “Monster” a duet with Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho who supplies harmonies and backing vocals along with Cristiana Scabbia. Rather like “….Blood” it does that thing that The Duke Of Spook always does at his best and sounds catchy as hell and possesses a chorus that you can’t get out of your head.
The best thing here, though, is “Decompose”. “Best” in the sense that it is the most W13 thing it offers. Written by drummer Kyle Castronovo, it contains the immortal (perhaps more literally true than normal here?) lines “I know you are dead, I just wish you were deader…..” and the arguably better (or worse, depending on your views) “your rotting cadaver can never rot enough for me…..”
“The Hearse” is more metal – and the synth from Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour) is brilliant here too – and the thunderous sleaze of “Tie Me A Noose” shines and stomps about, while there is something arena rock about “Life Will Kill Us All”, and a flavour of Volbeat in the stunning “Bury The Hatchet” (spoiler alert, he wants to bury it in your head), which effectively is the chorus line in a musical taking its final bows.
After the end credits there’s a de facto encore too. “Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)” is basically the perfect cover for Wednesday 13 too. Put it this way, if Blackie Lawless won’t play it anymore than everyone here ramps it up to the extent that you half expect Quagmire from Family Guy to turn up yelling “gigiddy” at one point.
It seems odd, perhaps to call this record “upbeat” but it is certainly more lighthearted than his last one “Condolences”. What “Necrophaze” proves beyond doubt, though, is even if Wednesday 13 is a bit of a one trick pony it is one hell of a trick – in all senses of the word.
Rating 8.5/10
