Papa Necrose – Anthropomorphy Execution
Release Date: 20th March 2026
Label: Awakening Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Old School Death Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Progressive Death Metal.
FFO: Death, Pestilence, Gruesome, Obituary, Asphyx, Massacre, Atheist.
Review By: Rick Farley
Formed in 2010 in the harshest corners of Salvador, Bahia, old school death metal merchants Papa Necrose are set to unleash their fourth full length studio album Anthropomorphy Execution. Being released via Awakening Records, this strictly old school offering recaptures the days of death metal groove, intricate guitar riffs, and darkly melodic brutality. A wicked meld of Pestilence, Death, and Obituary, you’ve definitely heard this album before, but that doesn’t change the fact that these Brazilian death metalers crafted one hell of a tribute to the pioneers. I’m not going to pretend that Papa Necrose are even sort of doing anything fresh but if you’re in this for a lethal shot of old school badassery, this is right up your alley.
I’ll be honest though, on one hand I really wish bands would stop duplicating this sound nearly identically for the sake of being inspired by the old school bands, but on the other hand Papa Necrose have really set the standard of modern old school (such a weird thing to say) to a level of high standards. There are moments on this record that gave me chills when I heard a melodic guitar line that’s so reminiscent of the mighty Chuck Shuldiner that the band could be easily mistaken for Death or when the John Tardy-worshiped vomited vocals coarsely grate your ears and the Obituary stomp that’s insanely hooky sets you’re headbanging to uncontrolled levels. The Pestilence musicality and thrashiness ripping hard, this is the absolute best of all these bands which presents a record that’s incredibly hard to score accurately. Papa Necrose are quite skilled technically, write a great song and are helping to ensure old school death metal lives forever. I wanted to dislike this record; I really did, mostly because it’s damn near a carbon copy of all those elements that make the old stuff so good. However, I will truthfully say the more I listened to it the more I wanted to listen to it. I’m old, this probably kicked up my nostalgia to maximum levels.
If Anthropomorphy Execution were released anytime in the early to mid-nineties, we would be talking about an instant melodic death metal classic. So, in good faith I can’t rate this too low, but I also can’t rate this too high simply because just by reading this useless review (in this case) you probably already know exactly how this sounds. Pretty fucking awesome.
Which leaves me to say this, if you’re into intricate guitar lines that rip and shred through flesh, drums that relentlessly punish you with speed, thick rolling low end, vocals that are harshly pukey and an unmistakable sound already done to death but also done really well, Anthropomorphy Execution is probably going to sound pretty damn good to you, but if you’re into those same things but are leary of bands that don’t have their own sound, or you want something a lot fresher and not beat to death this will probably not be for you. In the end I really liked this record and was quite impressed with how well the songs are crafted. Will it replace any of the greats, definitely not, but I will surely have fun with it for the time being. Too good to ignore, but with massive limitations. Check it out for yourself.
(3.5 / 5)
