Artist: NECRONOMICON
Album: ESCALATION VINYL REISSUE (LP BLACK)

Year: 1988/ 2022
EAN/UPS: 4251267711154
Media type: LP

Germany in the 80s – sounds like thrash metal, doesn’t it? And for the dedicated metalhead, the name Necronomicon could also ring a bell. Formed in 1984, the band from Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg, could have made it big, if only they hadn’t fallen prey to the wrong record label back in the days… be that as it may, Necronomicon never gave in, and they are still here today. “Escalation” from 1988 was Necronomicon’s third full-length album, after the self-titled debut from 1986 and “Apocalyptic Nightmare” from 1987. Vocalist and guitarist Freddy explains why the re-release on High Roller makes total sense: “‘Escalation’ was certainly one of the most successful releases by Necronomicon and has reached cult status ... so I am very glad that Steffen, the label boss, has promoted the publication”.

He then tells a bit about the history and the significance of this album, which was recorded and mixed during the year 1987, at the “Zuckerfabrik”-studio in Stuttgart: “When Jogi (git.) and I wrote the songs, we wanted to leave the dark path of the two previous productions. Musically, we wanted to sound broader and more diverse… somehow more mature. And we were very proud of the result!” According to the reactions by fans & press, all these goals were met: The band had developed a much more focused approach to the songwriting, delivered a tighter and faster performance, and also Freddy’s vocals had changed; compared to the former albums, they had become a lot harsher, and a lot more unique. Did he work on that intentionally? “I think that comes automatically when the songwriting changes. The new songs simply gave me more space and opportunities for development”.

In general, this album is said to be the most convincing of Necronomicon’s first three outputs. Freddy remembers it just like that: “The response was incredible, we gained worldwide attention and got a lot of great reviews. For the first time, we earned a little money with one of our releases, because Gama Records held the exclusive rights only up to a certain sales volume... they simply had not reckoned with the success. The release of ‘Escalation’ was followed by our legendary East European tour that should herald the breakthrough for the band before then the big bang should follow”.

Necronomicon recorded “Escalation” as a three piece, as bassist Lars “Lala“ Honeck had left the band. Why did he leave? And why was he not replaced with a new bass player? “This was a hard blow and shock, especially for me, because Lala was my best friend – but he did not want to walk this musical path with us... unfortunately! So we pulled the production through as a three-piece, that’s right. Later, on the European tour, Michael Mörgelin came in as our new bass player.”

SIDE ONE:

-Death Toll
-Black Frost
-Dirty Minds
-Skeletal Remains

SIDE TWO:

-Murder of Profit
-...and the Night Will Be Silent
-Mosh the ABC
-Cold Ages (Darkland III)    

LINE-UP:

Freddy - Vocals, Guitars, Bass
Jogi - Guitars, Bass, Vocals (backing)
Axel - Drums