Anaal Nathrakh - A New Kind of Horror.
2018’s A New Kind Of Horror is a blasted doom siren for humanity.
Anaal Nathrakh have been soundtracking the apocalypse since 1999, collaborating with such royalty as Attila Csihar of Mayhem and Shane Embury of Napalm Death, as well as gaining a glowing endorsement from the late John Peel (look him up for a true icon). AN have consistently delivered pulverizing recordings and, for us, 2018’s A New Kind Of Horror is a blasted doom siren for humanity.
‘Obscene as Cancer’ surges forward out of the trenches, cutting and slashing as it goes. Can we just say right now that the production is simply crystal clear for a black metal offering? The drum sound is battering and the guitars are leaden and pulsing, Mick Kenney using a combination of precision trem-picking and brutal palm-muted beats. Dave Hunt has one of the most eclectic vocal styles in extreme metal and he’s really been let out of the cage for this record; his tortured screams give way to an acrobatic falsetto then lurches into a gut-wrenching growl.
‘Forward!’ is the next standout, a bullet-ridden sample punctuating the record’s World War I theme, assisted by more blackened riffage and an almost choral vocal delivery. That's what really grabs you about ‘...Horror’; rarely is black metal delivered with such passion. The true evil abound here is furious, snarling and tearing, almost fighting for survival to grasp for one last chance to exact revenge on a world it despises. ‘The Apocalypse Is About You!’ has this line “free us from this apocalyptic obsession so that we may see chaos” running throughout the song, you can feel the pain on display.
Anaal Nathrakh uses the depth of their soundscape to full effect, the keyboards and samples build the intensity in each song as do Hunt’s grandiose clean-vocals. You never feel lost in the noise, the sonic blitzkrieg wills the listener onwards with sheer ferocity yet measured clarity. We are gonna say this might be the finest album AN have ever written and whether or not you are a diehard fan or looking to see what they are about, you could do no worse than wading into the filth maelstrom on display.
