I’m pretty sure, in case I would be interested in composing an end year’s list for 2013, that French horde Necrowretch will be part of it by means of the band’s debut full length Putrid Death Sorcery, which was released on January 28th via current label Century Media (review updated on May 9th). So could you imagine my enthusiasm when receiving this new album. However, as the title suggests, Bestial Rites 2009-2012 isn’t a new studio recording, but a compilation. I do appreciate this for all material compiled is ‘new’ for me, i.e. I do not have the honour to possess any EP or tape done by the band before the release of higher mentioned debut full length album. Besides, Bestial Rites 2009-2012 comes with previously unreleased stuff too.
As a matter of fact, this album compiles seventeen Thrash / Death / Black pieces taken from the vinyl recordings Putrefactive Infestation and Now You’re In Hell, and the demo tapes Rising From Purulence and Necrollections, plus the previously unreleased cover-track Pure Hate, originally created by Merciless, as you do know (FYI: it’s not the only cover song done by Necrowretch; please enjoy a great re-adaptation of Death’s Zombie Ritual, for example; not the most original choice to cover, for this songs has been re-interpreted a couple of hundred times before, but nevertheless this specific one is pretty enjoyable). The attentive ones amongst you might notice a certain difference with the later material (and then I will refer to the review of Putrid Death Sorcery once more), but the core remains the same. It still brings pretty simple / simplistic and traditional-laden Old School Purity with a mostly evil, blaspheme attitude and a no-nonsense approach, lacking of any modernised gadget or trendy addition. And for sure this is the way this kind of stuff is meant to be…