The Pitch: UK industrial, symphonic, blackened deathgrind band Anaal Nathrakh deliver a new album focused on the horrors of WWI through Metal Blade Records.
What I Like: I have much to say about A New Kind Of Horror, but if there is only one area where it succeeds, it's at being supremely heavy. The bludgeoning industrial guitar riffs, driving synth work, and always demented blackened vocals of Dave Hunt never fail to knock me back out of my chair. This is certainly in keeping with the wartime themes. Furthermore, the insane double bass drumming is impossibly infectious. I was simulating the pedal work under my desk at work all day to this one. It's just plain fun. There are certainly some high points to be found in punctuated ragers like "Obscene as Cancer," which easily has my favorite clean vocals on the album. Anaal Nathrakh show no signs of slowing down with age. However...
Critiques: When compared to the previous album, this one feels like a step backwards. The songwriting feels rushed; coming off as less dynamic and even a little bland at times. Hell, there's literally a song where they mostly just shout "Satan!" over and over again. I've already heard longtime fans goofing on tracks like "Forward!", particularly the machinegun effect sounding like something an edgy deathcore band might do. I'm more inclined to compare the low points to Dimmu Borgir's lesser outings. The Whole Of The Law felt grand and dramatic in scope; like a Dante-esque black metal opera. A New Kind of Horror is much more simple and direct, and the contrast is admittedly a bit jarring.
The Verdict: It would be unfair of me to ignore that the shift in sound was very intentional. From Hunt's own mouth, "There are some superb songs on 'The Whole Of The Law', and some really powerful, impactful themes, but we never chase what we did before. To do that would be pointless, because you'd always be defining yourself with reference to where you were then, not freely expressing where you are now. Some bands drag their music out of themselves, and some overflow with it. We've got ample motivation and ideas in us to make new albums without it being a process of grinding them out. It's more like letting them out." It's a fair sentiment, and one that I greatly respect. As for the quality of the final outcome, I'll leave that up to you to decide.
Flight's Fav's: Obscene as Cancer, Forward!, Are We Fit for Glory Yet? (The War to End Nothing)
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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