Necropalace
Worm
Worm have never seemed especially interested in keeping things modest. Necropalace takes that approach and gives it an even bigger budget for keyboards, guitar solos and general unpleasantness. If your ideal metal album sounds as though somebody has opened a very questionable castle, this is a promising start.
The important change is in the balance. The slow, heavy foundations are still there, but the keyboards and black metal elements take more of the attention. Gates to the Shadowzone sets up the atmosphere before the title track opens the doors properly. The music moves between faster attacks and slower passages with enough space for the lead guitar to develop its own part of the story.
That guitar playing is a major reason to keep going. Wroth Septentrion gives the record melody without making it feel friendly. The solos are elaborate, but they also give you something clear to follow through the dense arrangements. Halls of Weeping makes particularly good use of that combination of gloomy surroundings and expressive playing.
There is a lot to take in. The main songs are long, and Dragon Dreams passes twelve minutes before the closing track goes further still. Worm give those songs changes in speed and texture, although the constant sense of drama can become tiring. Sometimes a little less decoration would let a strong riff make its point more clearly.
Then again, restraint would take away some of this album's character. Witchmoon: The Infernal Masquerade commits fully to the scale of the project, with Marty Friedman joining the guitar display. It's a fitting final stretch for a record that treats excess as part of the appeal.
Listeners who mainly want Worm's earlier death-doom weight may miss some of that emphasis. Necropalace offers a more theatrical experience, with enough strong playing to support it. The atmosphere is ridiculous in the best way, the melodies are memorable, and the band sound completely comfortable taking up all this space.
