Anaal Nathrakh: The Whole of the Law Album Review!
Anaal Nathrakh Review:
Anaal Nathrakh (their name is as quoted in the ‘80s flick, Excalibur) have been a fav of mine for a very long time. The duo absolutely exploded into the extreme, black, and death metal scene in the early 2000s with their debut, The Codex Necro, which I bought around 2002 after reading a review. Thus was my introduction to a new sonic soundscape (with a few horror movie samples chucked in) which I never thought possible. Their audio levels could be described as organised pure fucking chaos. However, I noticed a comment on one of their album listings a while ago where someone stated that Anaal Nathrakh are the sounds you’d hear if you unscrewed the lid to Hell and listened into the pit.
The Whole of the Law could be taken (to me) as their masterpiece. So much is happening, a deafening brain haemorrhage inducing noise that, to the untrained ears, could simply be the end of sanity. The fact that two people only are responsible, Dave Hunt (aka V.I.T.R.O.L) on vocals – all vocals, no matter how growling, operatic, twisted, or insane, it is but one man, and Mick Kenney (aka Irrumator), the creature who creates all the noises whether by guitars, bass, drums, programming, keys, whatever.
Anaal Nathrakh wear their inspirations clearly, though merging such roots into their own monstrosity. Much of this can be discovered in some form or other within the dark catalogues of Norwegian black metal, centrally, Mayhem. Vocalist, Attila, who has filled the huge shoes of Dead, since 1994, on and off, especially with his multiple personality delivery of words and noises (including a sweet almost monk like opera delivery) is easily an umbrella above V.I.T.R.O.L who can switch variations instantly and numerous times throughout a song. Incidentally, Attila featured as guest on one of their earlier LPs.
The Whole of the Law is their ninth offering, released in 2016, to the Dark Lords, and is like a gateway to another universe. Remember the film, Event Horizon (sampled on their debut)? The Anaal Nathrakh catalogue has returned through a black hole from a realm filled with pandemonium, and they unleash bedlam upon listeners. After a steady throbbing introduction, we are greeted by a clashing almost gong like chorus of hymn voices then track one, Depravity Favours the Bold, really builds a feeling of dread. “Our sins are stubborn, our repentance weak, Lavish our confessions, Sins cleansed by tears, Everyday a step through Hell, Without horror, through gloom that stinks….” Why does the old school Redemption label covers spring to mind? Those and a slice o’ Cradle of Filth?
A soundtrack to the end of the world, aggressive and brutal, things continue. The title being lifted from Aleister Crowley’s Thelema philosophy (The Book of the Law) a greater work of magick, as thus is Anaal Nathrakh to music of this kind. In fact, they are not of that kind, nor any. Hold Your Children Close and Pray for Oblivion, really hammers the vocal changes with an apocalypse blast, and an industrial theme throughout.
Onwards they drag the spectator until the album concludes with a duo of covers, originally by Iron Maiden and The Specials, both grinded apart and given a completely new Cenobite like restructuring. The guitar driven insanity isn’t made by human fingers, neither is any of the surroundings. “There is no fucking meaning, there is no fucking truth, the hate of men will pass, by the promise of these things….”
They are not blowing the trumpets of the UK scene, but one thing that you’ll notice with a majority of bands, is the lyrics. They can almost be understood throughout, unlike, say, Putrid Womb, or The Last Days of Humanity, both of whom are strong as hell musically, but once the voice (??!!) erupts, it’s either kitchen plunger fart noises (The Last Days of Humanity) or whatever the fuck Putrid Womb is. If you take Anaal Nathrakh or for example, perhaps Foetal Juice, there’s actually clear sentences more or less. Some you can hear without consulting the lyric prompts. Nice. Honestly, how many folks give a shit about that? The music is the key powerful component in the genre. However, Anaal have a lot to say.
Totally essential.
Album Info:
Band: Anaal Nathrakh
Album: The Whole of the Law
Members: Dave Hunt (vocals), Mick Kenney (all music)
Produced by: Mick Kenney
Recorded: Necrodeath Studios, Birmingham UK
Year: 2016
Country: UK
Art: William-Adolphe Bouguereau (from the painting Dante and Virgil)
Runtime: 53min
Label: Metal Blade Records
Track Listing:
01. The Nameless Dread
02. Depravity Favours the Bold
03. Hold Your Children Close and Pray for Oblivion”
04. We Will Fucking Kill You
05. …So We Can Die Happy
06. In Flagrante Delicto
07. And You Will Beg for Our Secrets”
08. Extravaganza!
09. On Being a Slave
10. The Great Spectator
11. Of Horror, and the Black Shawls
12. Powerslave
