The Serpent's Breath VII: Vanitas

Late 2012 rolls around and the prolific duo release Vanitas.

This is what it's been building to. I hate to say it, but I've grown to expect everything Anaal Nathrakh can possibly throw at me. Hunt's vocals are still technically magnificent and varied, but the emotion behind them has been played out throughout the past decade. The band's one-dimensionally pissed expression no longer works as well as it used to. The songwriting and instrumentation have dragged themselves into a rut too. I can tell where each track will go before it gets there, where each melody will take me, and where each cry of disdain for humanity will end.

Vanitas is even less unique in Anaal Nathrakh's rapidly growing discography than Passion. This helps and hurts it in a few ways that I've mentioned many times already in the other reviews. You get exactly what you expect and exactly what the duo excel at: catchy, melody-driven black metal thick with death metal and grind elements. The result is so prototypical at this point that I don't even feel like describing it anymore, and I'll just dive right into the actual music.

The mastering of this album is oddly loud. Everything is amplified to skull-shaking levels, but at least the mix sounds good. There's more texturing this time around, and the better riffs sound layered and full. Many of the early tracks on the album are typical works for the Nathrakh, but are potent nonetheless. Sing-along "Forging Towards The Sunset," bouncy "Todos Somos Humanos," blast heavy "In Coelo Quies, Tout Finis Ici Bas," and the melodic ballad "A Metaphor For the Dead" are all decent tracks with standout moments. That's how I feel about the majority of Vanitas actually, but it just doesn't hold up. Distinguishing new albums from a rich back catalog is something I have problems with in regards to any band, but it's more apparent when the new albums are merely pale reflections of those old albums.

If there's one good thing about this being the state of their music, it's that it makes jumping into Anaal Nathrakh's discography insanely easy for newcomers. Shame it makes getting hyped for a new release so underwhelming.

6.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. The Blood-Dimmed Tide
2. Forging Towards The Sunset
3. To Spite The Face
4. Todos Somos Humanos
5. In Coelo Quies, Tout Finis Ici Bas
6. You Can't Save Me, So Stop Fucking Trying
7. Make Glorious The Embrace Of Saturn
8. Feeding The Beast
9. Of Fire, And Fucking Pigs
10. A Metaphor For The Dead

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The Serpent's Breath VI: Passion

The formula wearing thin, Anaal Nathrakh have opted to mix it up a bit on Passion. The duo break out the grind and industrial elements with more abundance this time around.

It works to an extent. A very limited one.

As musicians, both Dave Hunt and Mick Kenney have grown far past their primitive, honest origins on The Codex Necro. Kenney's chops have been getting progressively more varied, aggressive, and melodious, while Dave Hunt has shown numerous feats of technical harsh-singing prowess by changing styles on a whim. These elements of instrumentation carry over onto Passion perfectly fine. The production, something the band has always had an issue with, hurts them in every way possible. Guitars are subdued in the worst of ways, the bass is virtually inaudible, the drums are once again sterile and that damn snare is clicking again.

High-speed grinders like "Post Traumatic Stress Euphoria" and "Locus Of Damnation" are as aggro as you would expect from these guys. Dave Hunt's vocals on "Tod Huetet Uebel" are technically brilliant and as deranged as ever, and the slower second half of the track is a unique touch for Anaal Nathrakh. "Drug-Fucking Abomination" is another pseudo-experiment on their part: it features a prolonged intro and eschews the typical popular song construct that they tend to follow. That dynamic pops up on "Paragon Pariah," which is decent at best coming from a back catalog of so many similar tracks.

Passion at times feels like a vain attempt by Anaal Nathrakh to avoid stagnating in their own filthy, misanthropic mire. The duo love their trademark sound but don't seem to know where to go with this release, and it leads to half-baked tracks on the latter half of the album. The last three are inane, lifeless tracks that don't do much to further the sound they started toying with early. The redeeming qualities on Passion, ones we've seen time and again, aren't enough to make it worth listening to over their vastly superior back catalog.

5.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Volenti Non Fit Iniuria
2. Drug-Fucking Abomination
3. Post Traumatic Stress Euphoria
4. Le Diabolique Est L'ami Du Simple
5. Locus Of Damnation
6. Tod Huetet Uebel
7. Paragon Pariah
8. Who Thinks Of the Executioner
9. Ashes Screaming Silence
10. Portrait Of The Artist

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The Serpent's Breath V: In The Constellation Of The Black Widow

Goddamn I know these guys have bad or cheap album art but did they really have to use a work of art that's been on tons of albums (and that awesome Timeghoul demo) for In The Constellation Of The Black Widow?

In The Constellation Of The Black Widow had some big shoes to fill. I was pretty hyped for it, even going out of my way to buy the "More Of Fire Than Blood" single. In the end I wasn't disappointed, but it became clear to me that innovations in Anaal Nathrakh's sound were wishful thinking. They found what worked on Eschaton and the more death metal-oriented Hell Is Empty, and now they decided to stick with that sound.

Thus for me In The Constellation became about the tracks that didn't fall into the pop-structured rut. I really enjoyed the breaks of the rhythm dominated grinder "The Unbearable Filth Of The Soul" and the pummeling anger of "Oil Upon The Sores Of Lepers." Some of the middle tracks became forgettable as I focused on the standouts. "So Be It" and "Terror In The Mind Of God" are both tracks that are at their best merely present. "Satanarchist" is interesting solely because of it essentially sounding like Anaal Nathrakh's take on traditional black metal, while "Blood Eagles Carved On The Backs Of Innocents" fits the bill of aggressive, memorable closer.

Anaal Nathrakh's formula withstanding the test of a few albums, the only huge differences on In The Constellation was the production which is far more...budgeted for lack of a better word. The drum machine dominates the mix, bass is sometimes audible ("Unbearable Filth Of The Soul"), and the guitar has a harsher edge. There's a prevalence of blastbeats on this album too, and you rarely hear the d-beat verses of In The Constellation's predecessor.

Still a successful album thanks to the talent of the duo and a formula that works.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. In The Constellation Of The Black Widow
2. I Am The Wrath Of Gods And The Desolation Of The Earth Music
3. More Of Fire Than Blood
4. The Unbearable Filth Of The Soul
5. Terror In The Mind Of God
6. So Be It
7. The Lucifer Effect
8. Oil Upon The Sores Of Lepers
9. Satanarchist
10. Blood Eagles Carved On The Backs Of Innocents

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The Serpent's Breath IV: Hell Is Empty And All The Devils Are Here

I grew to like Eschaton over the year and Anaal Nathrakh would gear up to release a new album. Hell Is Empty, And All The Devils Are Here was the result and at the time my mind was blown. I remember my excitement when I found this album in a bin at a record store along with some of their older material that I only had digital copies of. That was a good day.

This album was the first released through Kenney's label, Feto Records, and some people didn't find the production to be as strong as Eschaton's on Season Of Mist. I disagree and although the guitar was subdued in the mix, Dave Hunt was doing more experimentation with his vocals, and for once the drum machine sounded entirely legitimate.

Hell Is Empty is a monstrous album. Mister Hunt aka "V.I.T.R.I.O.L."'s vocals are all over the place: screeching bird cries, Barney Greenway-esque barks, black metal rasps, thick brutal death gutturals, and soaring cleans. "Screaming Of The Unborn" is the first track where you really feel like saying "Is this really still Anaal Nathrakh?" The black metal influence is still apparent, but they've fully taken on the more dense, death metal oriented riffing along with some classic d-beat aggression that I hadn't heard since The Codex Necro.

The choral hooks are still an engrossing aspect of the album. "Virus Bomb," "Shatter The Empyrean," and "Until The World Stops Turning" are all in the style, and although none reach say the greatness of the hooks on "When The Lion Devours Both Dragon And Child," they all sound more individual and less formulaic than those on Eschaton where they generally followed popular song structuring. Hell Is Empty isn't devoid of the typical verse-chorus-verse-etc. nonsense, but the fun is all in the variations on that formula.

The latter tracks on Hell Is Empty are all highlights in my opinion, starting with the wonderfully titled throat-destroyer "Genetic Noose." It's Hunt's most guttural track, and it really shows how talented he is. "Sanction Extremis (Kill Them All)" is perhaps my favorite Anaal Nathrakh track of all time, featuring some great chromatic riffing late in the track from Irrumator and a great build-up with a demented vocal bridge. It ends fittingly with repeated gutturals from Dave Hunt: "kill them all, kill them all, kill them all." The closer "Castigation And Betrayal" is the ONLY track I've heard by modern Anaal Nathrakh that matches the ferocity of The Codex Necro. Its blistering speed, bass blow-outs, frenzied "solo," and colossal vocal finish are all visceral and stunning. Definitely the peak of their style.

9.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Solifugae (Intro)
2. Der Hölle Rache Kocht In Meinem Herzen
3. Screaming Of The Unborn
4. Virus Bomb
5. The Final Absolution
6. Shatter The Empyrean
7. Lama Sabachthani
8. Until The World Stops Turning
9. Genetic Noose
10. Sanction Extremis (Kill Them All)
11. Castigation And Betrayal

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The Serpent's Breath III: Eschaton

What many would consider their seminal work, Eschaton is quite a revolutionary album for the duo. Here the development of the crescendo'd chorus that occasionally popped up on Domine Non Es Dignus would become the definition of Anaal Nathrakh's sound through today.

When Eschaton came out I had trouble getting into it. At the time I was put off by clean vocals in my heavy music, and I felt like the band really was heading to that metalcore route. Mr. Hunt's subdued vocalwork on tracks like "The Destroying Angel," and  new, lower-pitched variations on his style only exacerbated my fears. As time wore on though I grew to like Eschaton with its more textured sound.

Unlike the mediocrity that was Domine Non Es Dignus, this album is filled with memorable moments and tracks. "Between Shit And Piss We Are Born" is a classic in Anaal Nathrakh's discography, "When The Lion Devours Both Dragon And Child" is a choral powerhouse, and my personal favorite "The Yellow King" features one of the best melodies from Mick Kenney. In fact there's probably only one track I'd consider subpar on the album, and even then it functions as a solid intermission between the more hook-driven tracks: "Waiting For The Barbarians." I guess the second last track, "The Necrogeddon," isn't super interesting either, but it's context in the album is pretty minuscule compared to the others.

As I mentioned previously the production on Eschaton is leagues ahead of its predecessor. The bass is audible and high in the mix, the guitar has a bit of midrange to it, and the drumming doesn't sound hilariously fake, although it is still obviously a drum machine. The sound on Eschaton is one that is more reminiscent of death metal than of black metal, and it marks a shift for the duo in instrumentation as well.

The massive emphasis on hooks is something that these guys excel at. Dave Hunt's nigh impeccable clean singing and massive range allows them to explore a myriad of sounds on Eschaton and future albums, while Irrumator's glorious chops and quick melodic phrases as well as the occasional solos keep the music from being technically stagnant. It's a winning combination.

8.25 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes
2. Between Shit And Piss We Are Born
3. Timewave Zero
4. The Destroying Angel
5. Waiting For The Barbarians
6. The Yellow King
7. When The Lion Devours Both Dragon And Child
8. The Necrogeddon
9. Regression To The Mean

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The Serpent's Breath II: Domine Non Es Dignus

My nostalgia for this album can't save it.

Domine Non Es Dignus is often described as "blackened metalcore," and it did set the blueprint for the style that would soon make Anaal Nathrakh popular amongst the underground. Tracks like "Do Not Speak," with its vocal crescendo, would become their staple.

Dave "V.I.T.R.I.O.L." Hunt's harsh vocals are still intense as ever, and the samples on the album add a bit of flare to tracks that are stunted aurally. There are a few memorable riffs (early in "To Err Is Human, To Dream (Futile)" and "Do Not Speak"), but for the most part the sterile production kills it. The drum machine is invasive and as lifeless sounding as you would expect from the two words "drum" and "machine" being paired together. Many of the later tracks are unlistenable due to how boring they are, like "Swallow The World" and the dull blast-fest "The Final Destruction Of Dignity." Shame the final track "Rage, Rage Against The Dying Of the Light" has such a sweet title yet it can only disappoint with a production this bad. Still it's one of the stronger tracks on Domine Non Es Dignus.

The Nietzchean overtones are still there, and some of the track subtitles are even in Deutsch, but it comes across as half-baked when it's predecessor explored the themes in a much more appealing way. Domine Non Es Dignus might be mildly entertaining if you're looking for something proto-Eschaton sounding, but for the most part the album drags its feet through mud on the beaten path of extreme music.

I'm giving the album a bit of a bonus for being nostalgic, but even then the score isn't looking too good.

4.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. I Wish I Could Vomit Blood On You... ...People
2. The Oblivion Gene
3. Procreation Of The Wretched
4. To Err Is Human, To Dream (Futile)
5. Revaluation Of All Values (Tractatus Alogico Misanthropicus)
6. The Final Destruction Of Dignity (Die Letzten Tage Der Menschheit)
7. Swallow The World
8. This Cannot Be The End
9. Rage, Rage Against The Dying Of The Light

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The Serpent's Breath I: The Codex Necro

Anaal Nathrakh are a band that I've been listening to for almost as long as I've been into extreme metal. The Codex Necro and Domine Non Es Dignus were always in rotation in my late middle school-early high school years. Instead of listening to pop-punk ballads or the whiny, musically devoid aging grunge scene, I got my angst out to Dave "V.I.T.R.I.O.L." Hunt's harsh screeches and the distorted melodies played by bandmate Mick "Irrumator" Kenney. With the release of Vanitas late last year, I figured I'd go through their discography again.

The Codex Necro is perhaps the epitome of their pent-up rage. They have yet to match the scathing venom that the combination of "Submission Is For The Weak," "Pandemonic Hyperblast," and Nietzschean "Human, All Too Fucking Human" ooze. These tracks are fantastic for this reason alone, not to mention the infectious melodies pumped into them by Kenney's guitarwork. It's less noticeable on this release, which has a black metal sound to it, but he has said that he takes a lot of influence from metalcore and melodic death metal. The hooks are present on here though, and there's plenty of memorable riffs and phrases.

There's something so primal and disgusted in Anaal Nathrakh's music on this release, and it sounds fucking grimy to boot. The guitar is heavily distorted, industrial elements dip the riffs in oil, and the static-laced shouts of Hunt set them ablaze. This album is perhaps notorious in their discography for having the most blatant industrial elements up until Passion, but it doesn't hurt the music at all.

If there's one thing that bothers me about The Codex Necro that keeps it from being great is that it feels very single-minded. There aren't a lot of ideas here - just pure, unbridled aggression. The idea becomes stale when the more furious tracks give way to slower, more boring ones like "Incipid Flock" or the title track. However there are some surprises hidden on the later half of the album, with "The Technogoat" and the awesome d-beat of "Human, All To Fucking Human." Definitely an adolescent classic for me and one that is still enjoyable (what a rarity).

8.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. The Supreme Necrotic Audnance
2. When Humanity Is Cancer
3. Submission Is For The Weak
4. Pandemonic Hyperblast
5. Paradigm Shift - Annihilation
6. The Technogoat
7. Incipid Flock
8. Human, All Too Fucking Human
9. The Codex Necro

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