October 23, 2021

Necro - The Pre-Fix For Death (2004)

*First pressing. 
Contains 25 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: Horrorcore
Label Number: PLR-0033

© 1993 Giant Records
Necro is a white rappin' native of Brooklyn New York. Right about now, I can tell that you've read that sentence and you're questioning why a rap artist is being reviewed on The Metal Forge. Whilst this is a hip hop album with an extreme subject matter focused on death, it's the guest appearances on this album that makes it significant from the metal point of view. Back in the day, Necro was member of little known 80s death and thrash metal band Injustice which he describes as a cross between Death, Destruction, Voivod and Carcass. They opened for Sepultura, Obituary and Napalm Death.
Whilst his metal band of the 80s is a far cry from his underground career in hip hop, the list of guests on his latest album, The Pre-Fix For Death, includes both old and new friends such as VoiVod (drummer Away), Hatebreed (vocalist Jamey Jasta and guitarist Sean Martin), Obituary (vocalist John Tardy and guitarist Trevor Peres), Nuclear Assault (bassist Dan Lilker) and Slipknot (#0 aka DJ Sid Wilson).
It's a safe bet that if you're not a fan of hip hop then I'd be surprised if you're still reading this far in. Regardless of Necro's history, background and album guests, The Pre-Fix For Death is still a hip hop album. Necro's style is not something that I was familiar with even though I don't mind rap and hip hop acts such as N.W.A., Ice T, Public Enemy and The Wu-Tang Clan.
The Pre-Fix For Death features some solid raps (which include references to other metal acts and names such as Glen Benton and King Diamond) and beats that carry well even when mixed with some distorted guitars and guttural vocals such as the instantly identifiable John Tardy.
After the Charles Manson dialogued intro and some groovin' beats and rhymes on the Beautiful Music For You To Die To, The Dispensation Of Life And Death and Kill That Shit, Away's drumming opens the title track but without the liner notes, you wouldn't really know this. The first obvious guest appearance is next with Jamey Jasta providing backups over the chorus of Push It To The Limit and his style fits the song perfectly.
The hip hoppin' beats continue with Reflection Of Children Coming Up In The Grave before Insaneology brings together Sean Martin, John Tardy and Dan Lilker and the song truly sounds like a culmination of their talents. Tardy's voice is classic over the top of the riffage courtesy of Martin and Lilker. The guests on the next track Nirvana are some of Necro's buddies and label mates - Ill Bill, Goretex and Mr. Hyde.
Empowered instantly cranks up the heaviness with Trevor Peres' Obituary styled riff. Peres is backed by Away and Lilker with Necro and Tardy laying the rhymes and screams respectively. Slipknot's #0 subtlely sparsely interjects some samples and scratches over top. With the last few tracks being predominantly metal influenced, Necro returns to his hip hop ways with Human Consumption, Evil Shit, You Did It and Death Rap before Skarhead's Lord Ezec joins him for Watch Your Back. Food For Thought and Senseless Violence close out the hip hop numbers before the NYHC Mix of Push It To The Limit (featuring Jasta) rounds out the album. The hip hop numbers are solid with some clever and funny rhymes throughout and the metal numbers generally showcase the talents of the guests on them. The bottom line is that they work. The only part of this album that really made me reach for the skip button were some of the skits along the way. Otherwise, it's a good album that that truly showcases how rap and metal should mix after we've been subjected to an overdose of nu-metal and rap metal wannabes in recent years.
* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled. 


tags: necro, the pre fix for death, 2004, flac,