Anaal Nathrakh | ‘Eschaton’
The coruscating “Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes” needs all of 11 seconds to draw a very clear line in the sand, in that Anaal Nathrakh will not be repeating the mistakes of “Domine Non Es Dignus”. While the fetish for Latin mottos may remain (the opening Hobbesian track translates as ‘The war of all against all’), it is immediately clear that “Domine…” has served as a worthy learning experience to Irrumator et al. By far the most pleasing thing about ‘Eschaton’ is that its progenitors have returned to what can only be described as the true Anaal Nathrakh sound: sonic apocalypse. Frequently unhinged and peppered with gattling gun blast-beats, the album sprints through the opening three tracks before a brief Meshuggah-inspired interlude opens “The Destroying Angel”. The death metal styled riffs remain, beefed up exponentially by the addition of live collaborator Shane Embury, and punctuated frequently by the unrelenting fury of the Anaal Nathrakh of old. A guttural low end is prevalent throughout all this and, in truth, the devotion to getting down and dirty is something that needed to return. The increased usage of bass and baritone – in vocals and instrumentation – allows the clean vocals and occasional melodious solos more effect, generally protecting against the ‘IX Equilibrium’ rip-off that “Domine…” often resembled.
Something of a respite, ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’ serves to temporarily slow the album down after the relentless drive of the opening half, self-referencing ‘The Codex Necro’s ‘Submission is for the Weak’ in the process. Normal service is soon resumed, and with the band returning to their driving principles. ‘The Yellow King’ swiftly descends into gloriously constant maelstrom of grind, whipped on by Attila Csihar’s demented vocals. The sometime Mayhem frontman is used liberally throughout the album, and his performance demonstrates just how effective a guest musician can be. Worth mention again is the production of this mid-section, and of the album as a whole – the sheer weight and texture of this album is a delight. Breathing space is consistently denied the listener, and with the songs soaked in reverb, the crushing compression of sound is reminiscent of Anaal Nathrakh in the live arena.
The pre-released ‘When the Lion Devours Both Dragon and Child’ is something of a red herring, as its structured catchiness is simply not indicative of the album as a whole. Nevertheless, it’s a beast of a tune and portrays exactly how well Kenney can use clean vocals when the opportunity presents. Crucially, it is improved when heard in the context of the album, and offers something of a tuneful, maudlin counterpoint to the raw thuggery that undercuts the rest of the record. Successor ‘The Necrogeddon’ acts as a swift, sample-heavy glass to the face for anyone expecting further melody and immediately reasserts the fact that, like a musical Begbie, Anaal Nathrakh are persistently capable of hilariously inexplicable vehemence. While it is probably the case that ‘Eschaton’ sees Anaal Nathrakh move further away from Black Metal than any other album (the final track, ‘Regression to the Mean’, is unashamedly Industrial), in spirit it reflects best the EP releases – particularly ‘When Fire Rains Down From The Sky, Mankind Will Reap As It Has Sown’. A ferocious slab of an album, ‘Eschaton’ is a testament to Anaal Nathrakh’s commitment to utter pandemonium, and features that most necro of things: a “Blackadder” sample. A strong contender for album of the year, without doubt.
4.7 / 5 - Kevin Tracey ::: 03/11/06