Originally started as a joke, horror death metal became the tagline for Chicago’s Necronomicon Ex Mortis. Founded in 2023, the band blends ’80s shred and ’90s riffs and wraps it up nicely in a B horror movie.

“I was maybe four or five years old,” he explains. “I saw Halloween 4, and that opening scene with Michael Myers in Jamie’s room, and there’s the flash of lightning, and you see him; absolutely terrifying. When you get scared by something that much when you’re a kid, you look back on that, and you remember the adrenaline rush more than anything.”

Their fifth EP, “Zombie Blood Nightmare,” was released in February, and it’s a brutal concoction of riffs and breakdowns. It’s definitely a departure from the sound they’ve established, moving from Swedish melodic style to more Floridian based on the influences. Bala says it’s more capturing an atmosphere and feeling, with no other process other than listening back over and over again.

“I was a little nervous about this one,” he admits. “The idea behind it was I wanted to lean into that old school ’90s feel, specifically referencing death. I was nervous because some people who heard it before said it’s a little too ’90s, it doesn’t feel new enough. But then some of the dudes who were around in the ’90s said it’s not ’90s enough. Then it comes out, and people seem to like it; it’s doing pretty well.”

Before this band, Bala was in Los Angeles, in another band called Bloodfeast Ritual, but there were some roadblocks: the other guitar player wasn’t sure if he wanted to remain in music, and the pandemic was in full force. He realized that just because the world and the band were on pause didn’t mean he couldn’t do his own thing.

“My wife and I packed up and left,” he shares. “When I got back to Chicago in 2022, I thought, ‘I’ve got all these songs that I wrote.’ I started Necronomicon as a way to be able to do my own thing and also at my own pace. When you’re working with three or four other people, things are more democratic. In that sense, they can take longer; I wanted something where I could put out a lot of music quickly.”

In just three short years, he has delivered on that promise. Two EPs in 2023, one EP in 2024, and a split in 2025, and now this EP in 2026. Bala says there’s comfort in looking at the past and the future; everything today is about streaming numbers. He doesn’t care about any of that; he just wants to release the music. 

“I love going to the studio,” he smiles. “I love recording. I love being in a professional studio where we have a real amp and a real microphone. I have a lot of fun doing stuff like that, and luckily for me, I get to do the full-time musician gig. My passion is writing songs and putting stuff out.”

Necronomicon Ex Mortis is slowly making a name for itself, thus far in its career. It’s a niche genre, but if done right, it can look something like the trajectory of Ice Nine Kills or Wednesday 13. They are certainly on their way; it’s just a matter of mastering the learning curve. Bala considers himself to have always been a direct person, which can sometimes put people off. He’s learned to channel it when he’s working, setting time aside for it specifically, so he can relax the tendencies and bring a more calm, level approach at the end of the day.

“My best quality is the exact same as my worst quality. I am, some would say, persistent. Others would say stubborn. I’ll even throw tenacious there. I get an idea in my head, and for better or for worse, I need to relentlessly beat it into the ground until I feel like it’s finished. Most of the time, at least with Necronomicon Ex Mortis, it seems to be working out. It definitely had me reevaluate how I work with other people and how I bring myself to those relationships and conversations.”

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