subversion
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Anaal Nathrakh- Hell is Empty…
Vitriol- Vocals
Irrumator- Everything else
What began as a geek desk-top recording, turned out to be one of the most lethal releases in the black metal domain- The Codex Necro (debut LP) proved to many proponents of this music genre that there is still black in black metal, in its technology assisted conception. Moving on from The Codex… Anaal Nathrakh (AN) chose to relegate black metal as a non-obligatory ingredient in their music, favouring intense death as their primary mode of transportation.
Hell is Empty… is quite the release where its predecessor, Eschaton, left off; a concoction of intense music trudging on the realms of black metal only to digress to other intense music genre throughout the remainder of every track offered. This evolution (of sorts) is the result of AN agreeing to deliver their music live instead of simply confining their ideas for studio documentation- the current working platform of Dark Throne. This saw the involvement of Napalm Death members (Shane Embury & Danny Herrera on bass & drums respectively) as well as the formidable Nicholas Barker (Ex-Dimmu Borgir) along the way. We can evidently hear grind/ hard core-like song structures in the post The Codex… releases, this album included. Gone are the swirling madness of black metal & in its wake, AN chose to embrace precision & the calculated execution of death metal instead. There seems to be a focus on melody in the riffs of Hell is Empty… but nevertheless, the penultimate track Sanction Extremis is a proud homage to their Mayhem inclinations as showcased in their Total lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove Necro EP.
This release is still the disease-laden material by the band, enough to retain their current following but it is an indicator of a no U-turn agenda; there shall be no more Codex-like fester. Only time will tell.
Rating: 89%
Vitriol (L)/ Irrumator (R)
