Based in London yet featuring members from such diverse and quality-stuffed international acts as Macabre Omen and Nightbringer, Necromaniac are an enticing prospect for the blackened thrash enthusiast. Having been in existence since 2011, the band have clearly taken their sweet time to create their debut full-length, with nothing bar a couple of demos and a 2018 EP since, and you can hear that a lot of love and effort has gone into Siomancy, Malediction & Rites Abominable. Even the intro is tremendous; Caput Dranonis building menacingly with horns and Celtic Frost-esque percussive flourishes (featuring guest choral vocals from Primordial's Nemtheanga) is a superb tone-setter and leads the way to the galloping chaos of first track proper Daemonomantia perfectly. This is the band at their best - heavy and infectious blackened thrash with more than a little classic heavy metal in the mix to make for a pounding metallic stomper that isn't neglected in the atmospheric side thanks to notable but far from overwhelming backing synths.

Generally the music is driven by the guitars but the band throw plenty of influences into the mix to keep things fresh and undeniably morbid, such as the uneasy doom-flecked opening to Grave Mound Oath. The frequent change in tempos and general riff-driven approach is a solid enough one to make for a compelling album alone, yet the band indulged in themselves just a little too much on the likes of Calling Forth the Shade, where entire minutes are given over to overly theatrical yowling, gasping, and growling vocals from guest Marek "A Corpse Without A Soul" Górecki of Cultes des Ghoules. It may have worked in smaller doses but this entire six-minute track is dominated by them and unless you're fond of this kind of cheesy attempt at atmosphere then this is a huge misstep, particularly by the time you reach the eeeevil laughter towards the end.

You'll either love it or find it downright cringeworthy, which is especially sad given how incredible the songs surrounding are, particularly the following Great is the Thirst of the Restless Dead which proves you don't need to go to such lengths to create a morbid air when the music itself is more than capable. It dips a little more into black metal for a buzzsaw assault on the senses, matching the energy of the thrashing Teraphim (Skull Sorcery) as it follows hot on the heels with a greater sense of melody in the guitar leads. Sadly the over-the-top vocals return again and again, interlude Conjuration of St Cyprian basically being a spoken (snarled) word piece and then ten-minute finale Necromancess / Cauda Draconis starting well before breaking down and meandering with said vocals around the midpoint with even the riffs starting to become a little repetitive by the end.

The one place these style of vocals work well is Swedenborg's Skull and this is because they are much more limited and less theatrical, matching the gloomy, doom-infused pace of the track and its tolling bells, and contrasting nicely with the shifts into speed here and there. If more of the album could have got the balance right like this then Sciomancy... would be in serious contendership for year-best already! As this is, it's a seriously fun yet flawed listen that nonetheless will particularly appeal to fans of the likes of Negative Plane and the most outlandish moments from Hell and The Meads of Asphodel.