Necronata – Cirque Du Freak (ft. Le Vide) (2020)
One of the best things about writing for an independent music blog is the mass of new artists I come across. True, going through mass submissions can lead to a jaded and indifferent approach; however, there are those artists that really take you aback making you stop and say wow! I was asked what artists I have discovered in recent months and my immediate response was Necronata.
Describing himself as “emo meets horror-punk”, Necronata could easily fit in amongst the pop-punk/emo bands from the mid-2000s. A one-man musical project by Australian artist Brendan Grace, Necronata combines distorted guitar riffs with synth-laden rock and haunting lyrics taking one back to the hey-day of My Chemical Romance, The Used, Fall Out Boy and Thirty Seconds To Mars. The latest addition to his repertoire is a re-invention of his debut single ‘Cirque Du Freak’ featuring the electronic-metal musician Le Vide.
As a follow-up to the eccentric single ‘Diabolical’, Necronata ups the ante with his obscurity and originality. According to Brendan, in a review on Australian blog scenestr, ‘Cirque Du Freak’ was “recorded at a time when he discovered his screaming technique was way off. This is partly why he contacted Le Vide because he is one of the most versatile vocalists and the song needed that extra oomph in the bridge”.
Unlike ‘Diabolical’, ‘Cirque Du Freak’ is more sinister, ominous and melancholic while offering a rather sanguine sound in its own malevolent manner. Lyrically, the track is a continuation of the Necronata story starting in ‘Diabolical’ with the antagonist locating his prey and luring her into a desperate trap. To increase the likeness to emo bands of yesteryear, Necronata uses a horror-style comic video as an allegorical visual representation of the narrative.
The haunting nostalgia associated with Necronata makes it difficult to compare him with any current melodic metal bands. Standing alone amidst a mass of others, I like to think Necronata is the epitome of Myspace emo in the 2020s. I am a fan of Jared Leto and Thirty Seconds to Mars, but I think Leto may have some competition in this guy from North Sydney.
Find out more about Brendan Grace, aka Necronata, on Facebook, Spotify and YouTube.
