ALBUM REVIEW: Anaal Nathrakh – A New Kind Of Horror

Here I review the new album of one of Extreme Metal’s stranger acts, UK duo ANAAL NATHRAKH who blend Black Metal with Grindcore and Industrial Metal elements to create a really unique and wonderful sound. Their new album is out on Metal Blade Records on the 28th of September.

01. The Road To… simply opens the album with some nice ambient horror sounding sampling that is quite unsettling but nothing too obtrusive. The general feel of it is a nice simplistic way to kick the album off with some cool guitar work thrown in for good measure.
02. Obscene As Cancer is a song I thoroughly enjoy and listen to regularly already with it being pre-released. The huge epic chorus’ and extremely vitriolic verses work beautifully. With hammering drum machines, intense riffs and both hideously evil and menacingly melodic vocals balanced to perfection I think this is a great example of Anaal Nathrakh moving on and doing something new and great rather than sticking to one thing and doing it to excess. There is a strong malaise felt throughout the track from the mentioned haunting and epic chorus’ to the really dark and gritty verses too, some purely dark, cathartic musical genius. Great work!
03. The Reek Of Fear opens with sampling and tons more bombastic riffs with cutting leads, brutal drum assaults and a really strong blackened vibe to the otherwise pretty heavily Industrial Metal. Anaal Nathrakh have a recognisably unique vision and fusing process of genre and influence that really is awesome and unpredictable. The almost King Diamond level high clean vocals sound eerie as hell between the hellish screams. It is cool to see the band have not lost their ability to drive into new territory, while less Black Metal elements are present, it is still part of the soundscape and certainly does not make songs like this any less ferocious. Excellent track, with such a strange Industrial vibe to it and some wicked samples and vocals!
04. Forward! was the other song that has been pre-released and seemed to divide fans on the basis it used more typically Hip Hop samples and even some dubstep elements within its more Industrial Metal fixtures. I still enjoyed it and found it to be a pleasantly intense piece full of aggression although not as enjoyable to me as their other stuff. I think it is perfectly healthy, however for a band with so many albums to experiment and try new things and I think for the Industrial fans more than the Black Metal ones this may even be viewed as one of their best (I mean hell, this is only my perspective I am giving). A cool effort and well put together, just not as much to my taste as say “Obscene As Cancer” or the previous albums.
05. New Bethlehem/Mass Death Futures opens up with some nice synths over grinding and absolutely violent guitars. There is a really punchy groove to this track that hooks really nicely. This is more headbanger friendly then their usual assaults and there are some huge atmospheric and symphonic elements which are totally new. The vocals sound huge in the mix and everything culminates into something really bombastically epic. The renowned experimental nature of the band is generally adored and I think this kind of material is a solid example why that may be, such a unique sense of direction in creativity. The ambient synth sections elevate the song for the huge choruses beautifully. This piece of music is actually quite stunning for a band who generally make decidedly ugly music (in a positive way for sure though).
06. The Apocalypse Is About You! ferociously falls into place with some disturbing samples that grow into a violent blend of Black Metal and some revitalised attack. The more traditional Anaal Nathrakh feel of the track is pretty obvious from the start, this song could have been from “Eschaton”. The epic and mesmerising choruses are gorgeous but the sheer aggression (or maybe the word ‘vitriol’ would be more suited) is astounding and really phenomenal to witness. While fitting nicely into the very different pace of this album, the more classic Black Metal and traditional AN style of this track are a nice addition to things for us long time fans. This is a glorious track for sure with some killer riffs and atmospherics.
07. Vi Coactus follows on from the last track fluidly, adding more synth work but with a more typically Black Metal formula being still present. The huge cascading riffs and intense blasting met with such tormented screams really are impactful while going into some nice breaks that have a real kick to them. The clean vocals from Anaal Nathrakh are one of my favourite things about the band, tracks like this use them sparingly but very well. The intellectual songwriting skills have certainly been fine tuned and grown over the years, their skill really shows. The spoken part is really heartwarming but also pretty bleak too. They did a fantastic job on this one (especially!
08. Mother Of Satan drops into more melodic riffing from the off but with its industrial vibes coming through nicely. The mix is pretty well wrapped up with a raw edge but perfectly placed together musical components. The hectic and abrupt songwriting of the band is used to create something catchy but it really tears into you the way this song pummels and drives through layers of abyssal songwriting that has had so much cathartic and passionate misanthropy going into it. Some really interesting material with cool Grindcore influences very present.
09. The Horrid Strife has a really odd ambient, bleak feel to it with dissonant guitars drawing into some really tight grooves that feel pretty upbeat but packed with aggression. The well fuelled menace of the track is met with a killer pace and incredibly diverse songwriting that really has unpredictable. The hooks are really killer with influence that may well have been drawn from genres like hip-hop taking their catchy and primal hooks for a well adjusted catchy yet in your face approach. The more blackened sections are typical of the band and well performed with a hugely epic feel to them. Another really good song here.
10. Are We Fit For Glory Yet? (The War To End Nothing) is the final battle of this war inspired opus of strife and suffering. How will the band end what may be their most experimental album yet? To quote Mr Vikernes, “Let’s Find Out”! Beginning with upbeat and hugely intense riffs, ridiculous intensity from the drums and some truly gruesome screaming. There is a nice feeling of finality while plentiful aggression is present but the song feels like the album is nicely coming to a well culminated close. The vocal synths sound killer and really menacing. There is both hatred and melancholy that fuse together extremely well, something Anaal Nathrakh have impressed fans for years doing so well. The almost folky chants of the song are an excellent addition. A really cool final piece, certainly doing the unpredictable album justice.

This is the best album Anaal Nathrakh have done in a few years for me, the reasons being are its unique originality, killer sense of atmosphere but having lost none of their original aggression (even growing it). The horrific theme is captivated perfectly and well executed. A must listen for the Extreme Metal fan who appreciates some experimentation. This is not a band who create music to please the masses, Anaal Nathrakh do what the hell they want, demanding respect and disregarding the philistine masses of structural non-diversity. I am especially impressed at how well the songs flow from one to the next! An epic album! -8/10