Antinferno

The Worship 

Manifesto

Sister September

Codex-Veritas

Mass Absolution

The Shining

An Amen

Hreidmarr - Vocals

Stefan Bayle  - Guitar

Pierre Couquet  - Bass

Nilcas Vant  - Drums

Neb Xort  - Keyboard

distributed in Switzerland by   

release dates: october 11 in Europe, october 27 in Japan, and november in the US  

"

The September EP

preview - review by Boris "Azrael" Witta ___           

I remember that in past times when I thought of Anorexia Nervosa, I always had the picture of a 08/15-Melodic-Black-Metal-band in my head, not bad, but there are hundreds of better bands. Well, I have to revise my opinion, because the new, the 4^th album of the French quintet, is a killer. From the first to the last note. It’s clear that the biggest influences of Anorexia Nervosa are Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. But in contrary to these two bands (most of all Cradle), they still make real extreme Black Metal, with keyboards and orchestra, but the stress is always on the guitars. I have to say something to Hreidmarr’s vocals: This is absolutely insane, he sounds like a pig being butchered, totally inhuman, brutal and crazy, and sometimes, he also sings clean with a hymnic and lamenting voice. Now to the other parts of Anorexia Nervosa: The guitars lay a very fat soundwall, but it’s not over-produced, still the music spreads a feeling of harsh and aggressive underground. Indeed the guitars are very variable and often, they “work together” with the keyboard and the orchestral parts and they complete one another. The drums of Nilcas Vant remind me to those on Dimmu Borgirs “Puritanical Misanthropia”, I think Anorexia Nervosa used trigger, but that doesn’t matter at all, it fits very good to the whole production. And then we come to the keyboards and the orchestral parts. I don’t know if the French worked with a real orchestra, but the parts and elements in the songs of “Redemption Process” indeed sound like a real, a living orchestra. If it’s “only” a keyboard, then compliments for this successful realization. The parts are also very clever placed and although you can hear them very well, they don’t oppress the songs, no, it’s just a perfect symbiosis. 

Let’s now have a look at some songs, first of all the opener “Antinferno”: There’s just a short, majestic intro, and then: Attack!! The first blastbeats appear and destroy everything in their way, in the background you can hear the dynamic and bombastic orchestra. The song turns into uptemo and Hreidmarr screams his black soul out of his body before the chorus turns again faster and Hreidmarr’s voice just sounds totally hysteric. In the middle of the song, the guitars control the melody with chords in the Swedish way, before a short acoustic part arrives, with spheric keys, before bangy riffs appear and the blastbeats rule again. 

“The Worship Manifesto” is also very blasting, and again, in the chorus, the fantastic orchestra takes the part of the melody, very intensive and kind of epic. Although you always think a little bit of Dimmu Borgir when you listen to “Redemption Process”, Anorexia Nervosa managed to create a very own interpretation of Melodic Black Metal. Back to the song: “The Worship Manifesto” contains a special and breakful rhythm and it’s absolutely impossible to not bang to this song. Extreme, hateful, destroying, but also kind of fragile. While the guitars are riffing, the key lays the background-melody, and in the middle of the song appears a thrashy bang-part where you just can’t stand still. Okay, let’s jump to “Sister September” which starts with a string-intro and is mostly in midtempo. Again it’s impressing how massive and full of power the guitars sound. The bridge is fantastic, beautiful-desperate, with infernal screams, uptempo-blast and then the chorus arrives, mighty and invincible. The melody is genius, so depressive, but it also contains this special black beauty. Also in “Sister September” the orchestral elements appear, but also the guitars take part of the melodies, most of all in the middle with a lead-part. 

“Codex Veritas” starts in fast uptempo, and some choirs dominate the beginning, reminding a bit to Carl Orffs “Carmina Burana”, but only a bit. The song turns faster, and Hreidmarr holds the very high level of his vocals, aggressive, hateful and insane. After a short lead guitar-part, he sings clean and melodic in French, while the song turns slower and more epic, with freezing guitar-melodies. The French clean part ends with a long scream, before the song ends with the choirs from the beginning. Also the other songs are great, for example “The Shining” which starts with strumming keyboards and which also contains these fantastic orchestral parts and is one of the most aggressive songs. 

Well, that should be enough, I can say without doubt that “Redemption Process” is the masterpiece of Anorexia Nervosa and one of the best Extreme Metal-albums of the year 2004, and it belongs to every fan of Melodic Black Metal. Hell yezz!!

rating:   9.5/10

© GryphonMetal.ch   2001-2013Niederrohrdorf - Switzerland               webimpressum