Filling My Blood with Poison...

Formed in 2008 by current Nunslaughter guitarist, Zack Rose, Nekrofilth is another in the long line of Cleveland based heavy metal bands that are dirtier and sleazier than nearly everything else on the planet. Filling My Blood With Poison…, the band’s second demo, was originally released on cassette in 2009, but Cleveland’s sewer gods at Hells Headbangers recently re-released it on vinyl, seeing a November 2014 release, perhaps because of the popularity of 2013′s Death Breath. The band has always performed as a trio, with current and previous members spending time in legendary Cleveland bands like Midnight, Integrity and Apartment 213.

If you’re at all familiar with the majority of Hells Headbangers bands and releases, then Nekrofilth’s style should not surprise you at all, commingling street punk, drunken thrash metal,old school hardcore and sleazy death metal into a sound that is the auditory equivalent of the scum at the bottom of the storm drain outside of a dive bar. Some bands focus on technicality, virtuoso playing abilities and perfect song structures, and then there are bands like Nekrofilth. There is nothing technical about Filling My Blood With Poison…, as the most technically intricate performance on the album is the included cover of GBH’s “Necrophilia”. Bands like Nekrofilth rely on fast paced thrashy, crossover riffing and dirty and raw production because they know that songs like this will get a crowd moving at a club.

That’s not to say that there is nothing to get out of this demo than baseless bashing, because there really are tons of catchy as hell riffs and a filthy, don’t give a fuck attitude that just can’t be faked. The bass heavy swagger of “Rotting” just oozes crud and desperation yet it is infectiously catchy, with some ridiculous lyrics about your face rotting off. “Worship Destruction” showcases rollicking double kicks and a chunky thrash riff while “Street Creep” focuses on galloping riffing and sauntering power chords. The lyrical content is ridiculous, in a humorous black humor sort of way, but it certainly fits with the sleazy, depraved style of music the band plays.

Nekrofilth’s Filling My Blood With Poison…is abrasive, sleazy and raw, but it’s damn good time. The band takes traces of Nunslaugter, GG Allin and Venom and combines them into a rancid amalgamate of heavy music that just oozes all of the stuff from the gutters; certainly not for the faint of heart. Fans of crude street punk, rangy death metal and drunken thrash metal should find something to enjoy, but remember, it’s all mashed together into a slimy and steaming pile that left to rot in the back alley of your nightmares.

Written for The Metal Observer.