Review: “Zombie Blood Nightmare” by Necronomicon Ex Mortis

There are bands who have been known to be prolific writers and then there are Chicago Shredders Necronomicon Ex Mortis. In the three years since their inception, the five piece have given us a whirlwind of 90’s Death Metal sounds inspired by an obsession with 80’s shred and laced with tongue in cheek humour from low budget horror movies and video games, creating no less than six studio records. Five of those have been EPs with last years split with Bloodfeast Ritual a diamond in the rough that needs to be heard. Produced, recorded and mixed by Charlie Waymire (Tarja, Bloodfeast Ritual) at Ultimate Studios and mastered by Ernesto Homeyer (Our Dying World, Mortalis) their latest burnt offering is in point of fact half an hour of power with guitarists Michael Nystrom Bala and Manuel Barbara joined by bassist Yusuf Rashid, drummer Joey Ferretti and marks their first with new vocalist John Sawicki (Viminal, ex-Chemi-Kill, ex-Anubis)…

…and we haven’t even mentioned the fact that the record features four guest solos across three cuts with former Megadeth riff slinger Jeff Young contributing two of them! “Left To Die” feels like a warning shot that accidentally took a life, the band finding the space between Death Metal and Thrash of the old school variety and subjecting us to some seriously good riffs. The mid-tempo soundtrack is accompanied by a tale of torment as Sawicki uses his raspy, dry throated vocals to tell a tale as old as time wrapped in an atmosphere of sinister dread. Throwing their shotgun shells on the fire and running like hell the band increase the intensity with the vicious “No More Room In Hell“, a barbed cut that pays homage to George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, effectively serving as the title track. Tremolo picked rhythms and spiralling solos depict the imperial death march of the dead, the dying and the damned, Sawicki proving his skills as a storyteller with his death growls. He roars “Necronomicon!” at the start of “Chopped Up And Burned“, a track which pays tribute to  Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead with a dark sense of humour to accompany an endless onslaught of Death Thrash riffs. A pair of guests in Matthew Mills and Jeff Young both contribute scorching solos to the seven minute long affair which is nothing short of jaw dropping. A fine example of the band at the height of their game, it has all the vim, vigour, verve and swagger of a group who have the upmost confidence in what they’re doing and are more than capable of carrying it off in style.

The Death Groove swagger of “Lumbering Blood Sucking Freaks” is equally as impressive, sounding like Suffocation playing a Pantera cover with lines like “There are too many! All hope is lost!” giving it that scream-a-long ability. In the absence of any guest Bala himself delivers a sumptuous solo that is as rich as the finest of dark roast coffee beans to ensure a moment inspired by cult cinematic treasures is fittingly bejewelled. “Hungry For Brains” is just as vocally harsh and sonically savage, Bala bringing in a friend from his college days in  James Norton to help the band annihilate the discerning listener. It’s as if it was written for the soundtrack to The Walking Dead series with zombies gnashing their teeth as sweeping solos cut them down one at a time. Inspired by the 1985 Italian horror film Demons the final track “Démoni“ is arguably the most technically demanding of the collection as the band switch time signatures in seamless fashion with Barbara this time providing the solo. There is even a brutal breakdown section to round it all off that absolutely crushes and will leave long time fans wondering just how the five piece keep producing the goods over and over again because they know only a bloodlust for 80’s shred! [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Left To Die (ft. Jeff Young ex-Megadeth)
2. No More Room In Hell
3. Chopped Up And Burned (ft. Matthew Mills and Jeff Young ex-Megadeth)
4. Lumbering Blood Sucking Freaks
5. Hungry For Brains (ft. James Norton)
6. Démoni

“Zombie Blood Nightmare” by Necronomicon Ex Mortis is out 20th February 2026