ALBUM REVIEW: Anatomia – Corporeal Torment

Japanese Death-Doom legends ANATOMIA are back with their 4th full length album. Out via Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Dark Descent Records on May 20th.

Following some spacey ambience thunderous riffs and blastbeats drop us right into a cavernous cacophony of filth. Guttural vocals and meaty riffs spew forth a raw murk of dense and untamed Death Metal of the most grotesque order imaginable. Amidst the ferocious drums we see some tight punchiness, while the guitars and bass soar with murderous rage and then break into slow, spectral, doomy breaks. Vocally the album has just as much repugnant malice as the instrumentals with vomitous grunts carefully interspersing the venomous swing of rotten riffs and beats. The cutting tone of the guitars is really grimy while not overshadowing of the monolithic drum work or beastly vocals in any way, these Japanese masters of fetidness certainly know how to concoct a vile apparition of mighty Death-Doom brilliance. The occasional use of plodding synths reminds me of the kinds of sounds utilised in 70s Doctor Who serials, which certainly isn’t a bad thing in conveying otherworldly atmospherics. The booming drums and gargantuan riffs never are far from the ears as they deliver pulverising blows of doomy magnificence without remorse, something the band has done consistently, not just on this record, but throughout their career. The second track title “Slime Of Putrescence” is a perfect indicator of the bands sound for the uninitiated.

The layout of the record is interesting in itself, with 3 good-length songs (7, 8 and 5 minutes roughly) before a closing opus lasting 21 minutes, presumably the b-side. The earlier tracks have this brawling and monstrous energy that is dripping in ichorous ambience while often being relatively to-the-point with plenty of Doom Metal character that still retains a huge atmospheric side to the music, never straying from the extremities of Death Metal. So the 3 tracks that comprise the first side are wonderful, that is abundantly clear from this praise, better yet evidenced by using your own ears. But this is just half of the story, in terms of playing time and covering the many elements and nuances of this record, it would be redundant to not give equal amounts of attention to the last song as it contains 50% of the albums material. So let us venture below into what is contained on this humungous piece entitled “Mortem”…

A finale that certainly could be called grand, not just in sheer size (i.e. time) but also in quality. Like the first half, we start with an ambient introduction that is somehow tranquil and unsettling in equal measure, while I will not dwell too much on these intervals, they certainly do assist the creepiness of the whole. Dreary riffs and crashing cymbals cascade in inhuman fashion with a droning ambience that calls forth the cosmos very effectively, alongside drawn-out roaring snarls. The deep and reverberate production gorgeously allowing the cavernous nature of the music to be expressed to its full potential. This grandiose closing piece is clearly one that required huge attention to detail in its crawling, sublime and ecstasy-inducing states that transcend into some of the most morbid horrors imaginable. “Mortem” is a lucid dream of unimaginable terror that with something that feels rather minimalist is packed full of diabolic nuance that will worm their way into the brain matter. Almost a meditative feeling is conveyed here that closes the album is such a fittingly disturbing manner that it is now wonder Anatomia are regarded as not only a prime player in the Death-Doom field but also an innovative act of the underground in general. “Corporeal Torment” is clear and irrefutable evidence of these claims.

A punishing, claustrophobic and unearthly record that is somehow both superbly dense and yet eerily sparse. The crushing brutality and malevolent atmospherics entwine so naturally and fluidly with a deranged sense of floating through the exosphere of a distant, unwelcoming world. A true spectacle of haunting Death-Doom Metal that reigns supreme in its genre alongside the greats.