History & Biography Stockholm, Sweden-based Necrophobic was formed in 1989 by guitarist David Parland and the sole remaining original member drummer Joakim Sterner. The monicker was inspired by the Slayer song of the same name from the Reign in Blood album of 1986 and coincided by the formation of a namesake in Poland. Stefan Harrvik sang on the band’s Unholy Prophecies demo and The Call 7" EP, which were distributed by the Wild Rags catalogue and store, in the USA. Before these the band had issued the 1989 demo Realm Of Terror and 1990’s Slow Asphyxiation with Stefan Zander on vocals and bass.
The band entered the local Sunlight Studio, where the likes of Dismember and Entombed had recorded, and taped its debut The Nocturnal Silence for the Sweden-German-based Black Mark Production. It was released in the summer of 1993. The singer was Anders Strokirk. He too left. Tobias Sidegård joined on vocals and the band recorded a demo called Bloodfreezing. This lead to an EP, called Spawned By Evil, featuring that original songs and cover versions of Venom, Slayer and Bathory. The last band was on the same label. By 1997’s Darkside, which featured a contribution by Jon Nödtveidt of Dissection, Parland had left towards more black metal realm of Dark Funeral. The Third Antichrist, possibly signifying the third millennium since Christ, featured Martin Haledon and Sebastian Ramstad on guitars. The former had joined in 1993 and the latter had joined in 1996. The band switched to Hammer heart from a stagnant and vanishing Black Mark and soon issued Blood Hymns. The band switched to Regain from a stagnant and vanishing Hammer heart and soon issued Hrimthursum. The album was distributed in the US by Candlelight USA. Dismember, Necrophobic, Debauchery, Pitchblack and Illnath were joining forces for the Feel The Darkness Tour 2007 in August and September across parts of Western Europe. Necrophobic also released Satanic Blasphemies on Regain Records in 2009, which was a compilation of the band’s earlier material and included a poster and a patch. Alex Friberg joined the band on bass. After utilizing Watain’s Erik Danielsson as a session member the band and its new members were hitting the studio. The group was part of the Sweden Rock Cruise in the autumn of 2009. Maryland Deathfest in the USA was the band’s next booking. The band switched to Season Of Mist from a stagnant and vanishing Regain and soon issued Womb Of Lilithu. Season of Mist had earlier signed goth act Order Of Isaz, which was led by frontman Tobias Sidegård. The Swedish band had finished recording its debut album. Singer und bassist Tobias Sidegard was imprisoned in late 2013 and had to leave the band. Reportedly, it was a demostic and matrimonial matter. The group booked a tour with Morbid Angel in late 2011. The act employed Naglfar singer Kristoffer Olivius instead for live performances. Bassist Alexander “Impaler” Friberg had joined Naglfar’s touring line-up in 2012. Parland committed suicide in March of 2013. Strokirk, who had sang on the band’s debut, joined in mid-2014. Italy’s Voltumna was opening for Necrophobic in 2015. The band was booked for the Eindhoven Metal Meeting at the end of 2015. To start 2017, Necrophobic was rejoined by guitarists Sebastian Ramstad and Johan Bergebäck after drummer Joakim Sterner fired Fredrik Folkare who had joined in 2011. Robert Sennebäck had left in 2013. The drummer yearned for a two-guitar band again and wanted more control. The band signed a deal with Century Media for territories other than USA and Canada in April of 2017. A 2017 7” on Century Media was called Pesta. Necrophobic released a new album, called Mark Of The Necrogram, through Century Media Records in 2018. Bassist Alexander Friberg was fired from Necrophobic in 2019 and replaced by the man who sessioned for him recently, Allan Lundholm. Friberg was disdainful. In advance of its Dawn Of The Damned album the band uploaded a song called Mirror Black. The band was booked for the Rockstadt Fest in 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the pandemic. The band was booked for Næstved Metalfest in Denmark in August 2024. In the meantime, Necrophobic guitarists Sebastian Ramstedt and Johan Bergebäck teamed up with Dutch drummer Marco Prij of Cryptosis to form In Aphelion in 2020. The band signed with Century Media Records, which was home to both bands. An album called Reaperdawn was scheduled for the summer of 2024.
Necrophobic released a new album, entitled In The Twilight Grey, through Century Media Records in 2024. It was produced, mixed and mastered by Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed) at Chrome Studio in Sweden. The band was booked for Gothoom 2024. The band was booked to perform at Montreal, Canada's Messe De Morts XII in 2024. It was its Canadian debut. The band was also booked for Inferno festival for 2025.
Reviews NECROPHOBIC - DARKSIDE - BLACK MARK
Some four years after the release of Necrophobic's acclaimed debut The Nocturnal Silence, and only interrupted by a stop-gap EP from last year, Sweden's Necrophobic is back with a shuffled line up and a slightly more basic sound. Having lost guitarist/composer David Parland to his project Dark Funeral, the band has fulfilled its promise to mix its death further with black metal and offer a rawer sound than was previously the case. Yet, the story remains that the gang is still highly fast and heavy, while having become more explicit in the proclamation of its Satanic beliefs. Phrases like "Satan take my soul" are surely cliched, but if stemming from a true belief, then the band has every right to write as it pleases. Musically, there are less solos and tempo changes and an attempt for a rawer, more simplified assault. I, for one, miss the classy solos that only Necrophobic delivered, but there remain a couple to savour. It is also funny how similar to albums by countrymen Entombed, Dismember, etc. the band leaves no gap between the first two songs. Finally then this album is not up to the standard set by the debut, but on its own is a good metal album. Play tip: Nailing The Holy One featuring a massive vocal contribution by Dissection's Jon Nodtveidt. - Ali "The Metallian"
NECROPHOBIC - DEATH TO ALL - REGAIN 
Celebration Of The Goat doesn’t waste too much time being Necrophobic. In the same mould as Dissection few can claim to be death and black metal, add touches of melody and still do it with such impact. Revelation 666, for a good chunk of its seven minute length, is an example of what death and black metal should be and incorporates some Slayer sounding heavy riffs and metal solos worthy of any metal tag. In its latter parts the song concentrates on the moody and mid-paced stuff but the impact is never diminished. La Santisima Muerte picks up the full steam ahead nature and only briefly lets up. For Those Who Stayed Satanic has a more black-ish feel to start before picking up the pace and presenting more of the expected. Here the band does dabble into simple raw black metal in the midst of the more melodic and the heavy. Temple Of Damnation is a sort of natural flow of things, not much new but there is no need, with again hints of Slayer in short bits and pieces and a long solo too. The Tower is for the most part Marduk, Dissection and Dark Funeral like. Wings Of Death starts off slow with melody then turns mostly heavy and is perhaps the most technical song on Death To All. The closer and title track is in three parts, The Summoning, Triumph Of The Horned and ...And Jesus Wept. After a brief haunting start it jumps into riffs, melody, solos, speed, and downright evil that make all of this 45 minutes a must have. - Anna Tergel
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