Anubis Rising "Scales of Truth" LP
[Transgalactic Ladder]
This is the first release I've heard from this band in over two years, and I must say, I'm pretty impressed. Their CD EP reminded me of Neurosis or Mindrot to some degree, and a scarce few moments still bring such acts to mind, but this record is definitely more developed. The writing ranges from bleak and doom laden rhythms, to twisted melodic or dissonant runs, to almost sludgy chord progressions with a little bit of a rock vibe, to calm clean passages with a ton of emotion. And the vocals are both vicious low growls and sinister cackling high screams. They've got so much going on, but the way they put the songs together it works. It's not like they're trying to incorporate so many styles or riffs just for the hell of it, it just feels natural. "Personification of Time" is a fucking masterpiece! The clean guitars are excellent (note the almost 70's sounding harmonies towards the latter portion of the track), but the ringing melodic arpeggios are incredibly forceful. That's the kind of shit that just hits you right away. Excellent. "Extinguishing Fire in its Season" is much more dissonant, but still uses a lot of thick chords and overlaid melodies, as well as introducing some of the wild Econochrist-like basslines that impressed me so much on their "Opening of the Mouth" CD. The epic "Crook and Flail" closes (taking up the entirety of side B), opening with some lush and almost Amebix-ish clean guitars and driving rhythms that sound a bit more modern in their uniquely melodic note combinations, eventually breaking off some brief Slayer-esque hammer-on/pull-off riffs reminiscent of the "Seasons in the Abyss" era. A lot more effects are used over certain guitar and bass parts here, creating a spacey sort of feel at times. It's not too experimental, but it does have a watery sort of ethereal nature to it on occasion. The production is fine in my opinion. The drums are really dense, the bass is there, the guitars are heavy but clear, and the vocals aren't overpowering. Everything is warm and dense, with no separation at all. Certain lower tones can get a tad muddy, and I wouldn't mind a bit more bass definition, but really, this sounds very good. And I think the warmth of the quality vinyl only adds to that. The only thing I dislike is the artwork. The insert (black and white) looks okay because the text is clear and the imagery isn't quite as pixilated/blurry, but the outer sleeve (glossy full color) looks pretty shitty if I must be so blunt. The text choices aren't the best, though they are crisper than the images, but the images and all of the random lines running cross the cover are totally blurry and pixilated, which just looks sloppy. It's bland and inappropriate. Shit, nothing but a jet black sleeve with plain white type would suit the music better than this. Musically this is fucking gold, but the visuals hurt big time. The LP is pressed on marbled black vinyl though, and that shit looks amazing - the perfect match for the aesthetic of the music. Lyrically things are pretty succinct considering the length of the songs, but they're definitely vitriolic, to say the least: "I can't look at your face when you smile instinctively and uneasily with the unfamiliar your eyes are colored with reflections of redundancy and failure piss-colored teeth rotten to the nerves thriving on banalities dying with shit in your mouth." I'm really into these three songs, and I must say that this is a lot better than their earlier work. I know they've had a few lineup changes over the years, which may have had an impact, but either way... musically the band is but a few steps away from perfect, so if they can nail down a visual presence that matches their music they'll be set. Definitely check this out. (7/10)
Running time - 30:00 (approximately), Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: all three are really good, but "Personification of Time" really blows my mind]
Anubis Rising - http://www.anubisrising.net

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