NOPE. WRONG. Weasels are little fur-bound killing machines. They’re tiny, adorable Ghengis Kahns. They are more necro than you and I will ever be.

Get this – a weasel’s metabolism runs crazy fast, to the point that they have to eat at least half their own body weight every single day. Because of this, they’re constantly running around murdering shit. We’re talking all day long killing sprees, chasing and pouncing on their prey, wrapping their tiny legs around their bodies, and delivering one crushing, fatal bite to the back of their skull or neck. IT’S THE SAME WAY JAGUARS KILL THEIR PREY. They will kill even if they’re not hungry, and stash away the corpses of their victims (which can apparently be up to 10 times their size – do not watch if animal-on-animal homicide isn’t your thing) as leftovers. They will kill you, then steal your damn house. They will jump on a friggin bird’s back and murder them mid-flight. According to Native American legend, one of these little psychopaths killed a goddamn Windigo by crawling up its anus and EATING ITS HEART FROM THE INSIDE.

So do not mock Necro Weasel. Weasels will fuck up your world.

That much wanton murder requires a hell of a work ethic, and these Finnish thrashers certainly match that energy. Consisting of vocalist/guitarist/bassist Necro Weasel (it is unclear if they are, in fact, a weasel) and drummer East Bay Max, Never Again is already their second full length of 2022, following the fun, fast and furious Global Warning, and their fourth since April of 2020 (not to mention two EPs released in the middle of all that). For those of you new to this project, the band brings a blistering, blue-collar brand of high-energy crossover thrash that will give you the juice needed to hit the circle pit or drop into your nearest halfpipe or empty swimming pool with reckless abandon. For those of you already familiar with these metallic minks, you’ll notice that Never Again hits with a grimier, less polished punch than its predecessors. While none of their work could ever necessarily be mistaken for sonic production masterclasses, the likes of Global Warning and Another Day to Waste were sleek ferrets compared to the snarling, mangey Wolverine or Fischer Cat that is Never Again. The band themselves admit that the change is intentional, giving the album more of a feral, unhinged sort of appeal that suits the general subject matter of Never Again pretty damn well – with the band once again focusing on the challenges of mental health and anxiety that come with, you know, being alive these days. Fun times! If by “circle pit” you mean “curl up into a ball in a pit of despair,” then yeah, CIRCLE PIT!

In all seriousness, Never Again truly does see Necro Weasel lay down some of their most serious work to date – with notable highlights including the album’s title track, and the thrashing, tremolo-picked “Sheep,” both clocking in around the 5:30 mark, serving as the biggest examples of the band’s general focus on adding a bit of meat to the bone. Obviously, “longer” is not an automatic by-word for “better,” but in this case Necro Weasel uses the increased running time well, allowing songs to really flesh out to their full potential. And it’s not as if Necro Weasel himself shows any signs of running out of riffs, either. Song after song greets you with an absolute battery of excellent thrash riffs, along with – in the instances of “Never Again” and in particular “This Reality,” the band show not only a willingness, but a proficiency in busting out some really superb, blackened melodies akin to the likes of Dödsrit or Uada – adding another dimension to the band’s sound that is certainly welcome to these ears, and a level of maturity that the band continues to showcase with every new release. But these guys can certainly get down and dirty with the best of them, as well. “To Weaken and Destroy” delivers as shit-grinning and swaggered a riff as you’ll hear, and “Vocation to Sustain” and “The Last Breath” serve up the sort of uptempo, punky piss and vinegar that would make the most righteous of Midnight fans swoon with glee.

I can’t necessarily begrudge anyone for judging this book by its cover. As hungry for gore and ready to kill as a weasel may be, it’s still the kind of name that can be difficult too take to seriously. I get it. That said, I promise you this is a project worthy of any thrash fans’ attention – one that, like it’s namesake, bites a lot harder than its appearances suggest. Maybe that’s been the band’s point all along, to lull listeners into a sense of security right before going in for the kill. Clever little ermine bastards.

Opening with the now over used “Unleash Hell” sample from Gladiator (there should be some rules whereby a movie sample can only be used a certain number of times, and that Straight edge hardcore bands CANNOT use Gladiator samples) to start “At The Gates”, Never Again rumble and shout their way through 11 gruff tracks of by the numbers straight edge hardcore. There’s nothing remotely original here, though it comes with the usual level of conviction and burly breakdowns such as “Walker” and “Point Taken” and the occasional power chord filler gallop such as “The Rookie” and “Texas Ranger” and even a piece meal solo here an there as heard in “Ohio State of Mind”.

Rendered with a nice crunchy production and the expected vocal gruffness (and guest performances from other obscure hardcore bands), Never Again have all the required elements and certainly reside on the appropriate label, but in the large scheme of things are just another angry straight edge group of kids brining noting to the genre except more of the same.