Anaal Nathrakh: Passion (2011)

Review

UK blackgrinders Anaal Nathrakh released their highly-anticipated sixth album, Passion, last month on Candlelight. It's a boon to lovers of brutality everywhere.

If you're unfamiliar with the band, here's what you need to know: They are one of a very few bands who combine black metal and grindcore. This makes for an unbelievably fast, brutal, blackened, blastbeat-driven assault that's unparralelled on either side of the Atlantic. The modus operandi for Passion goes something like this: first, lay down a blackened but heavy groove with guitar and bass; second, brutalize it with flawless, high-speed, and interesting drums; finally, add the passion with screeching vocals and melodic high drama with clean vocals. And, do all of these things at the same time.


It sounds like it should be too chaotic to work, but it absolutely slays. Rarely has a performance been so fast and tight while still retaining all the energy and conviction needed to make metal good. It doesn't hurt that the songs are great, either. They've clearly put a great deal of thought into them. The force your feet to move along with the drum beats while your head bobs to the riffs. And while there are a couple of sections where they engage in some instrumental meandering, even these seem intelligently crafted to give you breathing space between moments of fury.



The Verdict: Anaal Nathrakh has done it again. There really is nobody else in the same league. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.