The Anaal Nathrakh saga continues at RMR HQ. The screams in our heads won’t subside, so we’re in dire need of a soothing placebo. Something to blast off a few pounds of mental fat in one sitting. And this band will deliver the goods, no doubt. This ain’t surprising if you have two band members, one called Vitriol and the other one – hold on to something – Irrumator. And I let you discover what in the galactic fuck this last moniker actually means. It ain’t pretty.
But boy, we’re burning through those albums with some lightning speed in search of that record that will be able to beat the terrible spider. Thus in time, RMR will have covered all of them pieces this band’s industrious artistic loins produced. Of course, one could argue that they always ride the same style direction into the noizy yonder. And there’s that truth in between a few lusty and totally crazed screams. But then, what would Anaal Nathrakh do, except being themselves.
So, here we are elegantly bypassing Passion that just could not convince. Vanitas – instead – delivers a lot of the white-hot fury that eerily glows like a bursting boil on the devil’s ass. And by Loki’s screaming minions, Kenney and Hunt truly let loose with their boundless hate for all that vanitas vanitatum1 delirium out there. Just look at the album cover, AN‘s dim view is artfully visible there. And whilst the aforementioned ItCotBW or Hell is Empty, And All the Devils are Here dangerously deliver a cartload of unhinged venomous malevolence, this here record does gingerly2 try to beat some sense into the mayhem.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Dave Hunt here didn’t suddenly lose his merciless and malevolent bite, far from it. But this time, you get real meaty riffs with some watery attempts to at least achieve some coherent melody. In other words, the mindless wrath of former pieces got replaced with some sense that probably helped the entry into some sort of mainstream much later. And you still get the clear-voice passages and the sudden hollers amid this maelstrom of overheated virulence. So, we’re right on track for more vile snake breath.
Not that Vanitas would avoid the unhinged dark underbelly of Anaal Nathrakh. And why should it? It’s in the band’s metallic DNA after all. AN noisily serve a juicily fat mid-section here that sails dangerously near to former spleen-splitting rage. The excellent Todos Somos Humanos, In Coelo Quies Tout Finis Ici Bas, and surely You Can’t Save Me, So Stop Fucking Trying deliver that vicious dropkick straight back to ancient pitiless vitriol. And In Coelo – astonishingly – sports one delicious solo at the very end. So, try to figure out what devil drove these guys this time.
The whole B-side of the album gorges with weirdly sparkling specimens. Try the odd Feeding the Beast for instance, with its ominous beat that could easily feature on any horror flick out there. Or – taste the ferocious beat and untethered screams of Of Fire, and Fucking Pigs. But only, if the mid-section did not already cause some sensory overload for ye.
Ultimately though, Vanitas may not be the strongest of AN‘s records. The aggression is palpable and you truly get the ancient fury AND some more thoughtful melodic explorations. And that’s all great. But will this beat the spider’s delivery out into space? Absolutely not. Even if some parts of this album truly are on par with what came before. In other words, Kenney and Hunt delivered a ton of red meat on Vanitas, an indicator of what would come next. But also loads of elements that – as always – squarely pointed to past glories without actually going there outright. A record that we will – without any doubt – return to more often. After all, this here darkened soul often is in dire need of treatment. A service delivered by unhinged chiropractors from metal hell.
Be careful what you wish for.
Ed’s note: AN’s got competition. Check out Vredehammer. And if all else fails, Blasts from the Past for 2024 could shed some light.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Candlelight Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 23 October 2012