With how many bands are out there, it’s possible for many to sneak under the radar even after twenty-five plus years of existence. This is the case with Valencia, Spain’s Anne O, who have been around since 1997 but hadn’t come across my desk before until their most recent full length Metatrón. Part of the reason for this obscurity may be the lengthy gaps between many of their releases, and even Metatrón comes nearly seven years after their last album Presencias y Constancias. Anne O started off a bit more on the metalcore and hardcore side of the spectrum but over the years have morphed into a combination of black and death metal with those other genre elements still lurking underneath the surface. It’s a consistently intense listen, and although some of the songs overstay their welcome there’s still plenty here that make Anne O worth discovering for those outside of the band’s home country.
The promotional material for Metatrón mentions that the group tried to lean more into their extreme metal roots this time around with a big epically inclined sound, and opener “Gnosis” showcases that this isn’t just PR speak. As soon as you hit play the guitars come lumbering in with a slower, heavy riff that transitions into denser grooves and full-on blasting as you make your way through. Anne O’s sound is massive and strives to act as a whirlwind of constant intense riffs and pummeling drums, but the production values give enough space for each instrument to break through. Sometimes you’ll be drawn in by the rumbling bass lines, while other times the twisting and turning nature of the guitar work will remain the focus. Stylistically things are split pretty evenly between black and death metal, but songs like “La Nada Tras la Cortina” slow things down to almost sludge levels, sometimes reminding me of bands like Celeste. There are hints of groove metal and the occasional metalcore/hardcore sounding passage, but these are stylistic flourishes rather than the foundation of the material. I personally found myself drawn in by some of the most intense passages, as the way the instrumentals swirled around in a form of barely controlled chaos on songs like “En la Heterotopía” hit hard but also had some standout moments. What does hold Metatrón back a bit is the length of the individual songs though, as the majority run between six and eight minutes and some of the slower moments start to drag, making it feel like a few of them keep going after their natural ending point. There are also similarities in the way some of the songs switch between mid-tempo grooves and blasting that makes some moments run together a bit, but even with these issues I still found myself drawn back to Anne O’s mix of everything extreme metal.
Anne O’s vocals are where a bit of the core influence comes through, as the band’s vocalist has a lower scream/growl that comes in somewhere between death metal and groove metal/metalcore depending on the passage. While this style can be an acquired taste for those that stick primarily to death and black metal, it fits the more intense and chaotic sound the group is going for on Metatrón. The production values once again help significantly, as with the wrong mix the vocals could easily get swallowed up by how dense the instrumentation is, but the screams always seem to break through. Admittedly compared to some of the other groups that go for a similar blend of metal styles, the vocal pitch only changes slightly from one song to the next and the limited range does make them feel repetitive at times. This is another area where some minor tweaks could lead to huge benefits, and I’d be interested to see where Anne O goes if they continue along this stylistic path.
Based on what I previewed of Anne O’s past material, it sounds like they’ve really tried something a little different with each of their recordings. Metatrón opts for a dense, heavy sound that captures the controlled chaos of black and death metal in equal capacity, making each track like a rollercoaster that batters the listener. This combination hints at a lot of other bands but still manages to have its own feel, and while some of the songs are a bit too long and the vocals do get repetitive, there’s still plenty here that makes this long running band worth checking out. Metatrón is available from Art Gates Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
