MNHG – Necare

The debut output by the twisted German entity known as MNHG offered a sinister yet incredibly entertaining take on catchy and somewhat groove-laden black metal that was overflowing with muscular riffs and disquieting vocals while also boasting a monstrously punchy rhythm section. Although all the trademarks and characteristics of their first album (Mundare) remain intact and are very much present on this great-looking 2024 disc of theirs, a lot has undoubtedly happened since then with respect to song arrangements, production values, and the notion of infusing the compositions with as much depth and power as possible.

In many ways, the record vaguely reminds me of Evil 1999 by Tulus, Vidsyn by Slegest, and to a lesser extent Krek by Khold, which is obviously meant as a massive compliment, but one could argue that the biggest common denominators between MNHG and the aforementioned acts are primarily confidence and determination; both of which come to the fore in such tunes as ‘The Fall of Wormwood’, the morose closing track ‘Far From Home’, and the epic album highlight titled ‘Lucifer’s Claim’ just to list a couple of examples. The band varies the pace and keeps things interesting (and also keeps the listener engaged) throughout, and the record pretty much always retains its momentum, which just goes to show that MNHG knows exactly what is required in order to craft gripping black ‘n’ roll capable of melting faces and leveling buildings.    

Necare offers nothing new as such, yet it neither feels regressive nor like a mere throwback to what once was. You can easily tell by everything from the artwork to the booklet and further on to the crunchy production and the actual song material that a lot of fucking thought went into this most wicked and unholy of creations. As with their debut LP, I feel entertained when I crank this fucker up loud and sit back and marvel at how memorable and gritty it is, but at the same time the atmosphere is one of darkness and loathing that leaves me feeling disgusted with myself and the world around me. Not a lot of bands out there can pull that kind of thing off in such a convincing manner as these morose gentlemen do. How awesome is that?!