Official: Necropanther via Earsplit CompoundOut now
The Denver band went without a label for a 13-track concept album about transformation, from The Tempest to The Fly.
The story
Denver’s Necropanther released The Book Of Change, their fifth album, on 13/11/2026 on CD and digital, without a label. Decibel premiered the full stream ahead of release. The band is Paul Anop on guitar and vocals, Marcus Corich on bass and vocals, Joe Johnson on guitar and Adam Frost on drums.
Johnson says the concept is metamorphosis, drawn from The Tempest, The Thing, The Fly, Faust and the video game Rampage. The album was engineered by Felipe Patino at Green Door Recordings in Denver, mixed by Kurt Ballou at GodCity and mastered by Alan Douches, with artwork by Max Sherman. Ten songs are followed by three instrumentals, including a Chopin waltz.
Photo: Josh Massara, Permanent Ephemera Photography
Get it: Necropanther (self-released)
- Order the CD or download from necropanther.bandcamp.com.
- Out now (13/11/2026).
- Stream the full album via Decibel’s premiere and the usual platforms.
Our take
Self-releasing a fifth album with Kurt Ballou on the mix and Alan Douches on the master is a statement: Necropanther spent the money where listeners hear it rather than on a label deal. Decibel backing the release editorially also matters, because premieres are how an unsigned band reaches beyond its city.
The literary concept is unusually specific for blackened thrash, a style that tends to stick to war, occult or horror films. A Chopin waltz as a closing instrumental is either a flex or a joke, and the band have earned the benefit of the doubt.
Bottom line
For fans of melodic blackened thrash, Skeletonwitch and Vektor-style ambition. Buy direct on Bandcamp: with no label, that is where most of the money reaches the band.
Release sheet
| Band | Necropanther (Denver, USA) |
| Album | The Book Of Change (5th album) |
| Label | Self-released |
| Out | 13/11/2026 |
| Mix / master | Kurt Ballou / Alan Douches |
| Formats | CD, digital |
The original
NECROPANTHER: Decibel Magazine Debuts The Book Of Change From Denver Blackened Thrash Outfit
Issued by Earsplit Compound
