Anaal Nathrakh - Passion [2011]

Here we go... I'm always eagerly anticipating a new AN. There is some fucking weird shit in "Volenti Non Fit Iniuria"... conflicting time bass drums, more synchronized stops than usual and some more interesting riffs. I'm into track 2 and so far I can say that the overall feel is much more like Black Metal than it has been for the last few albums. The song does feel a bit drawn out, though. And then, "Post Traumatic Stress Euphoria" throws EVERYTHING to the fucking wind... they smashed every thing they could into a 1:40 minute song.... and it's beautiful. By "Le Diabolique Est Lami Du Simple", I feel like I have completely warmed up to this album. I LOVE the fact that it's more Black Metal now (like the old days), but they've kept the bombastic heaviness of the later albums. On top of that, this is actually a very creative album... there's a lot of effects that, on paper, sound like they shouldn't work (wah pedal on the guitar, for instance) but they've made them fit perfectly. There's even a few glitch sections thrown in for good measure. Whoa, they got the guy from Bethlehem to do vox on "Tod Huetet Uebel" and it's fucking epic with this production quality. That small bit of melodic influence is still there, though, and the slower industrial parts aren't as strong and catchy as they were on the last album. Also, the creativity and experimentation with effects at the beginning doesn't really carry through the album. Those complaints aside, I love this disk.

Rating: 9.25

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - In the Constellation of the Black Widow [2009]

FUCK YEAH! Starts a little slow, but when the shit kicks in, it's like a steel-toe boot to the forehead. Production continues on from the previous album. The vox are have more extreme distortion and madness to them. There's a little less clean singing on this album, but they clearly went for quality instead of quantity. They've gone back to a lot more grinding as well. However, there's still a significant amount of that modern metal feel that carried over from the last album. There's also more of a melodic undertone to this one. There's a little bit more experimentation with the vox and one or two songs dive a bit deeper into the Industrial side of things than they have before. I'm happy that they have more grinding and better-written clean vox sections, but the stubborn inclusion of modern and melodic metal stops this album from earning a perfect score.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - Hell Is Empty, And All The Devils Are Here [2007]

Wow. A large increase in production again from Eschaton. It's truly amazing that AN manages to put out such consistently awesome albums like this. There are more songs with the beautiful clean vocal sections. There's also more modern metal influence. The only production-oriented complaint I have is that the vox are a tad low in the mix. I'm only disappointed that they have moved farther away from their Black Metal roots. However, it's still awesome in its own right.

Rating: 8

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind will Reap as it has Sown [2003]

Exactly what I'd expect from these fucking geniuses. It actually seems a bit more catchy than their previous efforts.

Rating: 8.5

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - Eschaton [2006]

Increased production quality. Holy shit, the songwriting is phenomenal. There's more emphasis on the clean vox on this one. The only thing holding it back from a perfect score is the small amount of more modern influence scattered throughout the album that feels a little like nu-metal.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - Domine Non Es Dignus [2004]

Fucked up and cool intro. I'm really anticipating what this is going to be like. Will they continue with the necro-produced insanity or will they change it up? Wow. Production quality skyrocketed since the last album. First track is definitely more refined than previous albums. Whoa… much more refined use of the clean vox in T3! There's even more psychotic use of vox in this album than the previous ones. It's still catchy and brutal. However, for some reason, the drums aren't as well-produced as the first album, but I've gotten used to it and the album still comes across as very heavy. The creativity hasn't really increased, but it has switched focus, making the album seem fresh.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Anaal Nathrakh - The Codex Necro [2001]

Wow. Starts off with a really simple but powerful riff and kicks you in the fucking head. What I really didn't expect was the vocals to be heavily distorted and completely incomprehensible. But then, out of nowhere there's a really quick and small clean voc part. Second track slows it down and starts off with more industrial influence. Seems like this is going to be a decently varied album. Holy fuck, second track is awesome. Third track starts off with a pretty unique riff… I think I'm really going to like this album. Holy fuck… overall, I honestly can't think of any real criticism for the album. I liked every single song on the disk. Talk about a flawless execution of black atmosphere, heavy-ass guitaring, catchy songwriting, and fucking grindstone black metal.

Rating: 9

http://www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh

All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.