Horrendous
Anareta
*** out of *****
The self proclaimed "Old School Death Metal" act Horrendous have followed up their acclaimed Ecdysis with Anareta. The Philly power trio sequestered themselves away for a month to prodcue this disk which flashes with angst and power.The destroying planet title filters into the sounds as razor edged guitars slash and low end delves into the filth. The group plays with tempos alternating plodding doom with upbeat chaos and mid tempo slaughter.
Opening with "The Nihilist" the group kicks things up rampaging through different metal genres before the epic "Ozymandis" takes over. Spiraling in an out of sections the tune is a whirlwind, with some gorgeous solos and crushing drum fills and pumping bass runs. The tune reminds of Metallic Master of Puppets era with its linking together of various styles into an overall cohesive piece and is a stand out on an excellent the disk.
The trio continues to shred with the instrumental "Sidera" flashing lightning up and down the fret board. "Polaris" starts melodic before a slamming middle section and screaming vocals. The screaming style is pleasantly raw and rarely so abrasively off putting while bass runs find their way through the carnage.
The only negative on Anareta is the production which sounds as if a black fuzz veil has been cast over things. This may be a cosmetic choice to keep the darkness in play as some of their melodic riffs manage to get quite gorgeous no matter the gruesome cover art.
Like High on Fire, this trio proves metal doesn't take an army of players to kick ass. While branding themselves "Old School Death Metal" may help them with genre buffs (a shockingly divisive clientele in the metal community) the Horrendous range all over the map with some very accessible heavy music. Label it whatever you want, just label it good.
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Another great bandcamp find. Support the band, stream/buy the album or listen below: