Review Summary: 'In the Constellation of the Black Widow' will rip your face off with brutal, punishing guitar riffs, thundering blast beats, and the demonic howls summoned forth from the depths of hell itself. Prepare yourself.
Anaal Nathrakh is:
Mick Kenney - Bass, Guitars, Drums and Production
V.I.T.R.I.O.L - Vocals
For those not in the know, Anaal Nathrakh is an extreme metal band from Britain. Their name comes from the 1981 film Excalibur, and translates to 'serpent's breath'. The main thing you need to know about this band is that they are brutal, fast, heavy and unrelenting when it comes to their visceral audio assault. Listening to an Anaal Nathrakh album is akin to driving drills and jackhammers into your skull, only more melodious and 10 times cooler. Their music is stuck on overdrive, which can get very exhaustive at times, but the band never loses steam or creativity. They have 7 albums under their belt and yet their continue to churn out amazing, ear-splitting music that remains fresh and as brutal as ever.
Comprised of only two members Anaal Nathrakh's sound is surprisingly full and deep, with nary an empty space. Fusing black metal, grindcore, death metal and industrial Anaal Nathrakh have crafted a unique sound that allows them to stand out amidst the overcrowded metal genre of today. One of the biggest achievements of this band is their full sound; never once will you actually realize that there are only two core members in this band, as their sound is neither thin or empty. Another really cool aspect about Anaal Nathrakh is that they don't dress in corpse paint, ammo belts, spikes or other Hot Topic trendy trash, rather preferring to be themselves; I respect that. They let the music speak for itself without all the theatrics.
'In the Constellation of the Black Widow' is the bands first album on Candlelight Records, and its easily their best offering yet, with the best production values as well. Using their trademarked blend of black metal, grindcore, death metal and industrial Anaal Nathrakh bring forth the soundtrack of the apocalypse; a chaotic blend of styles, insane blast beats, speedy tremolo riffing and a variety of vocal styles that never lets up, not even for a second. This type of hyper speed, in your face, volume-up-to-11 style of metal could easily get old if the band's talents weren't up to snuff, which thankfully they are. While the pace of the album may be intimidating at times the band more than make up for this with sheer musical mastery, well written songs and catchy riffing.
The album opens with tortured, demented wails, wind sound effects, low growls and a slow, eerie dirge-like passage, but don't be fooled; the calm only lasts for a moment (yes, demented wails are considered calm when it comes to Anaal Nathrakh) , then the brutality begins. Insane blast beats, tortured and shrill screams and truly demonic vocals coupled with fast tremolo riffing fill your ears, unrelenting in their attack. From here the album rarely lets up, save for a few groovy parts, but there is enough variety in each song that you won't be disappointed, much less bored. Some may be turned off by the intensity of the album, but those metal heads (you know who you are) who love brutal metal albums will certainly dig this. Its not all blast beats and and screams though; there are plenty of clean sung sections (listen to 'More of Fire Than Blood'), slow, groovy moments (check out 'The Unbearable Filth of the Soul), and even a solo or two throughout ('Terror in the Mind of God'); its really a very diverse album that showcases a seamless integration of styles and the true talents of the band; 'Terror in the Mind of God' even features a strange melodic death metal throwback. Tracks like 'Satanchrist' and 'The Unbearable Filth of the Soul' feature catchy and tight, groove-orientated head-nodding riffs, while 'So Be It' and title track 'In the Constellation of the Black Widow' can almost feel anthemic at times.
Lyrically there isn't much depth beyond the whole religious angle, the apocalypse, misanthropy etc; the usual superficial black metal stuff, but the vocal performances are truly something to hear, as they can go from clean singing to high pitched screams to low guttural growls to demonic spoken word in moments. V.I.T.R.I.O.L is truly a talented vocalist that can evoke the emotions of a demon; his range of wailing, screaming, growling and singing is truly staggering, and makes for a very entertaining listen. Equally impressive are the guitar riffs, which while presented in standard black metal tremolo style are blisteringly fast, memorable and in some cases downright awesome. Stylistically the drums are all over the place; blast beats, insane tom fills and old school death metal patterns fill out the album. Sadly, bass guitar is all but audible, which is too bad because its my favorite instrument.
'In the Constellation of the Black Widow' will rip your face off with brutal, punishing guitar riffs, thundering blast beats, and demonic howls summoned forth from the depths of hell itself. Prepare yourself.
Favorite tracks: Satanchrist, More of Fire Than Blood, The Unbearable Filth of the Soul, Terror in the Mind of God.
Highly Recommended
