siLLy puPPy Of all the extreme metal bands that has defied being filed into a given subgenre of the metal universe, the English ANAAL NATHRAKH from Birmingham has been one of the most wily of all without getting thrown into the dumping ground of avant-garde metal. The band has been in existence since 1999 and as of Oct 2020 has released its 11th album ENDARKENMENT on its long time label Metal Blade. While the band has had numerous members come and go for its live performances, ANAAL NATHRAKH is more or less the studio project of Mick Kenney who plays guitars, bass, drums and pretty much everything else! The only other member that keeps this from being a one-man band is vocalist Dave Hunt also known as V.I.T.R.I.O.L. or if you’re feeling adventurous Visita Interiora Terræ Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem.

While getting thrown into the generic holding cell of black metal for database purposes, this artist is perhaps the most successful at fusing elements of symphonic black metal with extreme kvlt black metal, death metal, grindcore and industrial music. More detailed descriptions include industrial death metal, industrial black metal or even blackened death metal but in the end there is really no other band that sounds like ANAAL NATHRAKH and this has been the case since its debut release “The Codex Necro” which ushered in the new millenium with a cauldron of extreme sounds all stewed down into a sonic maelstrom of energetic furor all the while keeping things on the catchy melodic side of things despite a freneticism of fast tempos, ugly distortion and grindcore inspired blood curdling vocal screams that will surely give you nightmares.

Stylistically not much has changed for ANAAL NATHRAKH on ENDARKENMENT with the same heavy hitting formula that its famous for. This album showcases ten tracks that clock in at just over 41 minutes and finds the band in fine form with punishing blitzkrieg deathened blackened industrial grindcore gusto that finds the perfect way to alternate the orotund energetic metal madness with melodic moments of something akin to blackened power metal with clean epic vocal parts, suave symphonic backings and what sounds like a tug of war between the ugly aggression of the death and black elements with the epic uplifting ones. Either way you slice it, blackened power metal or grinding deathened black, ANAAL NATHRAKH are masters of a universe of their own making.

The album wastes no time busting down the doors and delivers a relentless grindcore explosiveness for the album’s entire run but key moments of lightning quick silence are added for contrast’s sake. Generally speaking the album focuses on rampaging tempos with the death / black / core elements in explosive tumult but moments of industrial bleakness and uplifting epic clean metal power metal verses come and go and sometimes there’s even a beauty and beast affect with the two styles trading off. The effect is quite satisfying and very successful given the power production has captured the spirit of the album perfectly as it retains that evil as fuck extreme metal bleakness but offers rays of light through the juxtaposed triumphant clean singing style. The incessant riffing also finds some contrast with soaring guitar sweeps and lightning quick solos.

ANAAL NATHRAKH has crafted a unique extreme metal niche that i really never tire of. Listening to any of their albums scratches many itches simultaneously and ENDARKENMENT clearly follows that trend with all those amazing attributes of ANAAL NATHRAKH on display once again. Perhaps this album doesn’t develop the band’s sound in any particular direction but each and every track is excellent even if albums tend to sound very similar in style. The devil is in the details of course and the way the band pulls off these unorthodox moves of fusing these disparate styles together without sounding like a major cheese-fest is quite the accomplishment especially when those power metal melodic guitar solos and epic glee of the gods is in full regalia. The only other act i can think of having come close to this sort of thing was Necrophagist but unlike that German oddity, ANAAL NATHRAKH seems to be in this game for the long run. Another triumphant march of the restless ones!

Warthur Is the Constellation of the Black Widow next door to the Court of the Crimson King? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't; nobody would accuse Anaal Nathrakh of being out-and-out prog, but there's certainly something more complex going on with their esoteric blend of black metal and grindcore than you might expect from the more simplistic expressions of those genres purveyed by other artists. Irrumator's musical assault creates a sort of sonic cage encasing V.I.T.R.I.O.L.'s vocals, such that he sounds like he's desperately trying to be heard over the roaring chaos around him, and I can't think of any acts in black metal which evoke such an air of desperate panic as Anaal Nathrakh do.

Warthur The tortured shriek of VITRIOL - possibly one of the most terrifying vocalists in black metal - heralds another outing for Anaal Nathrakh. With Napalm Death's Shane Embury guesting on bass, there's a certain influence from the death metal end of grindcore creeping in here and there, which further cements Anaal Nathrakh's credentials as purveyors of some of the most extreme sounds in metal.

As usual, they show a great knack of incorporating these sounds into their music whilst still keeping the centre of gravity within their particular take on black metal, and they also keep proceedings short and sweet. Anaal Nathrakh are one of those bands who understand that an album that's not even 40 minutes long but is a gripping, intense ride all the way through is often better than an album that's an hour long at the cost of including some filler.

Warthur To my ears the Codex Necro at first sounded like a fairly straight ahead black metal album, and for much of its running time that's exactly what it is, but it pays off attentive listening well. Anaal Nathrakh's core duo consist of talented multi-instrumentalist Irrumator and impassioned screaming frontman VITRIOL, and what's clear from a listen to this is that whilst this is a consciously black metal-oriented album, the pair were also paying close attention to what was going on in grindcore and the more industrial-influenced side of metal at the time.

With these influences creeping in around the edges like rust corroding the seal on a drum of toxic waste, Anaal Nathrakh are able to invest their black metal attack with a set of textures that previously hadn't been heard much in a black metal context, but in retrospect really helped establish the tone they were going for. The band show a particular knack for getting the most out of the studio without their work appearing overly sanitised as a result of that, and on the whole the debut sets a strong foundation for an auspicious career to come.

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.