Madness – pure madness, as well literally as musically speaking, is what you get on ANAAL NATHRAKHs new Album called The Constellation Of The Black Widow. As on previous albums this is some kind of score for a strange visit to an asylum build near the gates of hell. ANAAL NATHRAKHs musical recipe, a blend of blasting Death and Black Metal, Grindcore and even nearly True/Heavy Metal like clean vocal lines, is really relatively unique in the whole metal and is extremely great. I’ m really into Black Metal but I’m definitely not a friend of Grindcore and only to a small point really into Death Metal but if played in this crazy and unique way I just have to send out a definite advice to all those generally feeling similar in regards to Grindcore and Death Metal. Don’t make the mistake to put ANAAL NATHRAKH away as just another Grind band – they’re not! Give them a try or better your two ears and dive into their strange world!
After a few intro seconds the listener is drawn into a real maelstrom of musical weird- and craziness. At least I personally was sitting unbelieving in front of the speakers and asking me what the hell it is I’m listening to. A short time later a broad smile appears on my face and I happily join the community of the asylum’s inmates.
The creative multi-instrumentalist Mick Kenney again comes along with technically brilliant drumming, now and then supported by a machine, shredding riffs with well dosed and well placed melodic parts – this is what makes out ANAAL NATHRAKH and which is put to a level of perfection on The Constellation Of The Black Widow, the varied vocals finishing the final package.
Especially the vocals have to be mentioned at this point. Vocalist Dave Hunt screams, shrieks,, grunts, barks and sings in a way you just got to hear for yourself. The mentioned well sung clean parts with a True Metal vibe stand out from the rest of the whole sound and give the songs the last kick. Sometimes the laughter of a madman appears in the background to underline the inherent weirdness. I can’t help myself – pictures of the vocalist in a straightjacket, banging against the walls of a padded and hysterically drooling come constantly to my mind while listening to this album.
A greater amount of the songs on The Constellation Of The Black Widow is influenced by old school Swedish Death metal (Dismember, Grave,…). There are less Grindcore quotes and though the Black Metal parts show up now and then they fully come to life only in the two infernally blasting tracks at the end of the album.
To mention certain songs of The Constellation Of The Black Widow is more than difficult. The listener hardly finds time to breathe and dives straight into the chaos with no way out, at this point hysterically laughing and drooling himself as well. Fantastic! Ok, after some runs songs like Terror In The Mind Of God with it’s great, melodic break and the two hymn like songs More Of Fire Than Blood and the brilliant So Be It, which combines all of ANAAL NATHRAKHs trademarks in just two minutes and comes up with a damn catchy chorus, crystallize as some kind of highlights but the rest of the album is outstanding as well. An awesome album!