Review: “Death Is The Hammer” by Necrokinesis

The story goes that following the breakup of previous project Stereo Nasty after a six year run in 2019, multi instrumentalist and vocalist Adrian Foley needed a creative outlet. Taking the path less travelled he created Necrokinesis to explore his love of the golden eras of Thrash and Death Metal, taking the opportunity to use all of the song writing skills earned by creating material for more than two decades in various projects. The focus was on fusing dark melodies with claustrophobic atmospheres, abrasive riffs and sonic intensity and that was something achieved with the projects self titled debut album in 2020. Sophomore record “A Force Made Flesh” then surfaced in 2023, doubling down on the concept with emotive intensity and technical precision. Returning for a third bite of the poisoned apple, “Death Is The Hammer” promises more musical violence lurking in the shadows of malicious intent…

Firmly rooted in the traditions of Old School Death Thrash but with the killer instinct of a modern production edge, the record opens with the electrifying powerhouse that is “Death Is Just the Beginning“. A cut reminiscent of the work of Spanish Thrash overlords Angelus Apatrida especially in the lightening soloing, it’s one that only serves to enhance Foley’s already glowing reputation. His gravelly vocals mean the lyrics are as clear as the skies at dawns first light and yet pleasantly harsh enough to enjoy, as if he smoked six Havana cigars and sunk a six pack of moonshine cider before entering the vocal recording booth. “Cernunnos” continues in the same vein but with a little more malevolence in the atmospherics, not quite reaching Blackened territories but certainly approaching them. A scorching solo leaves burn marks on the ground in its wake before thunderous staccato riff breaks amplify the percussive battery in serendipitous fashion. Hitting ramming speed “Dig Your Own Grave” pays out at the tempo of the damned as a piece of violent turbulence with a fist in the air scream-a-long chorus. The whammy bar into the solo in the finale is the absolute chef’s kiss, a moment of pure old school magic that makes all the difference.

The restless and relentless pursuit of Death Thrash perfection continues with the skull battering “Annihilation“, another rampaging affair with adrenaline soaked riffage as Foley has his eyes set to kill. Bombastic rhythms are what the edge of the seat was made for and make no mistake, this is one that would be a worthy accompaniment to the protagonist taking out a few enemies with a shotgun in the back woods in a low budget horror movie. Moving into sinister atmospheric territory “A. Icon” warns of the true God that is technology with Foley the Soothsayer, foreseeing humanity consumed by Artificial Intelligence. His usual gruff uncleans fall away for a few moments in cleaner tones, something which works incredibly well in the context. Returning to the white heat of the Death Thrash furnace, “The Power” roars out of hells gate like a beast from the black depths while keeping hold of a few of those aforementioned cleaner vocal moments for s**** and giggles. The sonic weight of satisfyingly crunchy guitar tone ensures this one goes down like an ice cold beer on a hot summers day, the melodic almost ambient passage before the crushing grand finale a moment of beauty.

The surprise is “Wolfwalker” which throws back to the 2003 era of American Metalcore with its riffs distinctly reminiscent of bands like Unearth and As I Lay Dying. As if the title didn’t give it away, Foley plays the protagonist, a man who shapeshifts into a Wolf to stalk his prey in the dead of night. It’s a tale as old as time and one to which we can all relate, done cleverly without the hammer horror sense of humour that you night find elsewhere. A longer instrumental introduction givens Foley the opportunity to express himself in the guitar work before the vocals come into play after about two minutes of “Apologist” and that change of approach is an interesting one because so many bands would have trimmed that down as fat to be rendered. What it does here is chemically enhance the album as a whole, giving a little breathing space from the vocals before they return to put a vice grip on your mind. More infectious Metalcore style riffery with flavours of It Dies Today come home to roost with the finale that is “Breaking Down“, a vicious little ditty during which Foley confirms that death becomes clearer through bloodshot eyes. Curiously on this one there is some accenting on the vocals which adds a little rustic charm [8/10]

1. Death Is Just the Beginning
2. Cernunnos
3. Dig Your Own Grave
4. Annihilation
5. A. Icon
6. The Power
7. Wolfwalker
8. Apologist
9. Breaking Down

“Death Is The Hammer” by Necrokinesis is out 29th August 2025 and is available over at bandcamp