ANUBIS GATE — Purification (review)

ANUBIS GATE — Purification album cover Album · 2004 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Time Signature
Purified...

Genre: progressive power metal

Anubis Gate's debut album "Purify" is not a bad album at all, but it's not the best Anubis Gate album either. It's a solid blend of power metal and not-too-quirky progressive metal. And, while not ripping these bands off, Anubis Gate do remind me a bit of a combination of early Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

While the guitars and drums a dominant, as is typical of heavy metal, there are plenty of keyboards which, apart from a couple of solos, serve primarily athmospheric and background layering functions. There is a nice keyboard solo in the title track, which also employs some Depeche Mode-ish keyboard effects in the bridge, which actually works very well. There is also some interesting call-response type of interchange between the lead guitar and the keyboards in "I, Demon", and there's a certain Jean-Michel Jarre feel to "Kingdom of Duat". The guitar sound is quite heavy (and on later releases it is even more so), and the driving guitar riffs oscillate between rhythmically complex probably Pantera inspired riffs, power metal style staccato riffs and riffs based on sustained power chords and open string figures. The track "Hypernosis" is an example of this balanced combination between these different types of riffs. Some of the rhythm guitar work also reminds me of post "Excursion Demise" Invocator. Anubis Gate also make use of guitar melodies and guitar harmonies, which, while simpler than on future releases, work quite well, and seem to be inspired by the work of Queensrÿche. So, there are many interesting elements on this album, but I think what makes it progressive metal is primarily an approach to composition which is akin to that of Queensrÿche prior to "Hear in the Now Frontier".

Especially the tracks "Hypernosis", "In the Comfort of Darkness", "Before Anubis", "I, Demon", "The Shadow", and the epic "Discrowned".

Torben Askholm's vocals may take some getting used to, because of his use of vibrato and the nature of his voice itself, but once you get your head around it, it works very well, and he really is a good singer. The downside to me is the production of the drums, and I think it's very strange that the hi-hat and ride cymbals have been panned out to the right. It gives a sense of imbalance.

But all in all a fine album that should appeal to fans of progressive metal and power metal.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Deviance Deathcore
ASHES INTO BLOOD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Equilibrium Atmospheric Sludge Metal
BESRA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tension Between Rot And Genesis Sludge Metal
ANTHESIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Recycle Brain Crust Punk
C.P.G
Buy this album from MMA partners
Cartography Of The Mind Deathcore
TETHERED
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Besra – Unsullied (Music Video)
BESRA
Bosh66· 12 hours ago
Tethered - Breathe (Official Video)
TETHERED
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Saltwound - Walking The Blade (OFFICIAL VISUALIZER)
SALTWOUND
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Saltwound - The Negative (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
SALTWOUND
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Saltwound - Drowning feat. Taylor Barber (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
SALTWOUND
Bosh66· 1 day ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed