| Anaal Nathrakh In the Constellation of the Black Widow |
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 | Tracklist:
1. In the Constellation of the Black Widow
2. I Am the Wrath of Gods and the Desolation of the Earth Music
3. More of Fire Than Blood
4. The Unbearable Filth of the Soul
5. Terror in the Mind of God
6. So Be It
7. The Lucifer Effect
8. Oil Upon the Sores of Lepers
9. Satanarchrist
10. Blood Eagles Carved on the Backs of Innocents
| Ranking: #56 for 2009 | |
| | other reviews | ThyCrossAwaits (4.5)
In this constellation, there is pain.... | Eternalnow (4.5)
'In the Constellation of the Black Widow' will rip your face off with brutal, punishing guitar riffs... | Greg Wood (4)
The musical equivalent of sadomasochism; painful, but oh so gratifying.... |
On 38 Lists
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| Summary: Anaal Nathrakh may be a bright spark in the British metal scene, but don’t let that fool you. They can proudly stand tall in the midst of today’s extreme metal. |
4 of 4 thought this review was well written
On the surface, the British music scene can seem pretty mediocre in the 21st Century. Without even going into the mainstream pop scene there aren’t many new bands of this Century putting out consistently great albums. As far as mainstream metal goes it isn’t much better. Bullet for my Valentine blew up all over Britain but have only managed to make average Metalcore, and Dragonforce can’t make an album without turning into a complete wankfest which can only appeal to Guitar Hero geeks. As far as ‘extreme’ metal is concerned, Cradle of Filth hasn’t really made an album living up to the days of ‘Dusk and her Embrace’ and even then you can argue that really, it wasn’t that great.
So imagine the surprise when bands like Anaal Nathrakh are apparent in a seemingly declining British metal scene, stressing the word ‘seemingly’. It is clear that England hasn’t produced a band this unrelenting, blistering and brutal in a very, very long time. The title track itself really showcases what this band is about, starting off with haunting atmosphere and background laughing before exploding with V.I.T.R.I.O.L.’s inhuman high shriek before going into utter chaos. On first listen it can be somewhat of a overwhelming or awe-inspiring experience but don’t let that fool you, as you listen more you start to detect the underlying melodies and harmonies which are all over this album. Mick Kenney’s performance on this album is perfect for a band of this nature, His crushing riffs and pummeling blast beats are met with a variety hooks which can make this album extremely catchy after repeated listens, once you get used to the Armageddon like sound you can really start to appreciate the albums sound as a whole.
The vocal performance of V.I.T.R.I.O.L. is nothing short of incredible. His vocal range allows him to go from incredibly high shrieks to disgustingly low grind vocals and pig squeals, vocals which cross black metal, death metal, grind and even clean singing. What's even more impressive is that it is all surprisingly audible and listenable. Even the ridiculous amount of ear piercingly high shrieks at the start of the title track can be with stood from any long term metal listener or fan. His clean singing is also very well executed and unique causing breaks from Anaal Nathrakh’s continuous onslaught. All this makes for a surprisingly varied album which rarely gets repetitive despite the 34 minutes of hatred and evil.
The song writing as a whole is also superb, the riffs are crushing, melodies are placed when needed and in no way overtake the sound this album wanted to achieve. Crossing over from extreme metal to core, these guys can compete and even surpass the vast amount of core and extreme metal bands. The black metal shrieks are among some of the best of today’s black metal breed and the enormously epic breakdown in The Lucifer Effect puts pretty much every core band to shame as it is extremely well thought out.
This album is arguably a classic in modern British extreme metal but there are few things to consider. This album is certaintly not the most accessible in the world to newer metal listeners. If you are not familiar with Black metal, Death Metal or even Grind then you may be in for a shock and it could very much overwhelm you and become to unbearable to listen, it takes quite a trained listener to get past the extreme heaviness to see the appeal of this album. However if you are a seasoned metal fan then I see this as no problem, this should be in your metal collection because you would be missing out on one of the highlights of the year. Anaal Nathrakh may be a bright spark in the British metal scene, but don’t let that fool you. They can proudly stand tall in the midst of today’s extreme metal.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Can't wait to check out more from these guys.
Digging: Between The Buried And Me - The Silent Circus | | |
british music's fine thx
Digging: The National - Alligator
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
we all have our own opinions ;)
| | | Album Rating: 4
Anaal Nathrakh maybe a bright spark in the British metal scene, but don’t let that fool you. should say "may be" What’s even more impressive is that it is all this is surprising audible and listenable. should say "what's even more impressive is that it is all surprisingly audible and listenable"
also I have a pet peeve when people use the summary in the review but whatever
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Wouldn't say the British music scene was mediocre at all. Architects, Dead Swans, Mesa Verde, Manatees, Maybeshewill, And So I Watch You From Afar etc are all decent bands I think of off the top of my head.
But the three bands you mentioned do kind of suck.
Anyway, good review.
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V.I.T.R.I.O.L.'s clean vocals on all the albums post-Domine Non Es Dignus ruin AN for me. It's disappointing because I know he can do great clean vocals that fit the music perfectly -- he did it on "When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as It Has Sown" from the EP.
| | | Album Rating: 4
if they're great and fit the music perfectly then why do they ruin it for you?
Digging: The Swell Season - Strict Joy | | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Wouldn't say the British music scene was mediocre at all. Architects, Dead Swans, Mesa Verde, Manatees, Maybeshewill, And So I Watch You From Afar etc are all decent bands I think of off the top of my head.
I know i know, thats why i said 'on the surface', most british mainstream artists these days are very average, i like architects from what ive heard but the others i have not yet listened to which i will do when i feel like it.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Anaal Nathrakh maybe a bright spark in the British metal scene, but don’t let that fool you.
should say "may be"
What’s even more impressive is that it is all this is surprising audible and listenable.
should say "what's even more impressive is that it is all surprisingly audible and listenable"
also I have a pet peeve when people use the summary in the review but whatever
haha its cool, i like the fact that you are pointing these things out, makes me think how to write better next time ^^
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if they're great and fit the music perfectly then why do they ruin it for you?
Is this a real question? The implication was that I think he has the ability to do good clean vocals, but falls short most of the time, thus ruining AN for me. The possibility of something carries with it no necessity.
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Fantastic review man. Good work.
Digging: Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
whoa five? idk.
Digging: Disparaged - The Wrath of God | | |
not a 5 plz
Digging: Thee Kvlt Ov (((Ouroboros - Blvd
| | | Album Rating: 2 | Sound Off
bad album
Digging: Thee Kvlt Ov (((Ouroboros - Blvd | | |
i bumped your sound off
| | | Album Rating: 2 | Sound Off
you best
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
2? Nah
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fight fight fight
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
You be ref
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Trickster you're a fag you rated Wold 3.5, you have no right to diss any album ever again you have the worst taste ever.
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