UMUR
"The Codex Necro" is the debut full-length studio album by UK, Birmingham based extreme metal act Anaal Nathrakh. The album was released through Mordgrimm Records in November 2001. Anaal Nathrakh was formed by Irrumator aka Mick Kenney (all instruments) and V.I.T.R.I.O.L. aka Dave Hunt (vocals) in 1998 (bassist Leicia was also briefly a member of the lineup in the demo days). The band released a couple of 1999 demos ("Anaal Nathrakh" and "Total Fucking Necro") and the 2000 compilation "Total Fucking Necro" (a compilation of their two demos), before recording "The Codex Necro".
Stylistically the music on "The Codex Necro" is a combination of black metal, grindcore, and industrial metal elements. It´s a pretty extreme and very intense listening experience. Fast blasting programmed drums, high speed black metal type tremolo picking, and raw screaming distorted vocals in front. It´s not your regular raspy black metal croak though, but a far more extreme type of screaming, which at times sounds like someone is torturing V.I.T.R.I.O.L.. It´s a punishing listen and initially also a rather chaotic one. Initially it may also come off slightly one-dimensional, but the longer into the album you get, it becomes obvious that Anaal Nathrakh is not a one trick pony. Haunting atmosheres, heavy riffs ("The Technogoat" and "Incipid Flock"), and industrial darkness ("Paradigm Shift - Annihilation") are some of the elements which make "The Codex Necro" a more diverse listening experience than it may initially appear to be.
The album is well produced (including the programmed drums), featuring a raw, unpolished, and powerful sound, which suits the equally raw and brutal asssault of the music perfectly. This is not for the faint at heart, and even seasoned extreme metal listeners might find this a very extreme listen, but examined a bit more thoroughly it´s also a relatively sophisticated and clever album. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.