Review: Anaal Nathrakh – In The Constellation Of The Black Widow (2009)

30 June, 2009 (15:07) | Reviews, black metal, grindcore

So far, 2009 has had its ups and downs. For every Crack The Skye, there’s a letdown like Revelations Of The Black Flame (1349)or something somewhat boring like Evisceration Plague (Cannibal Corpse). However, on this day, the Gods have given us one epic album: In The Constellation Of The Black Widow by the English extreme, blackened deathgrinders, Anaal Nathrakh. Sporting top notch tecnhical skill and amazing array of vocal work, In The Constellation h\as easily put itself in the top 5 for best of 2009, in my book.

For those of you who are not familiar with this band, Anaal Nathrakh is a two man operation from the UK. The singer, VITRIOL, uses an variety of vocals from harsh to clean, including a glass shattering wail, deep gravelly growls and an almost medieval chorus style of clean singing. The man behind the instrumental recordings is Mick Kenney. As far as I am concerned, this guy is as good as ANYONE in the metal scene at every single instrument. His riffs are straight up BAD ASS and his drum work is impeccable. When playing live shows, AN has recruited esteemed musicians such as Shane Emury (Napalm Death) and Nick Barker (Cradle Of Filth) to play the parts Kenney writes and records. Long story short, these boys definitely have the chops. Now then, about this album… What In The Constellation… gives you is a heaping dose of lightning fast, ultra heavy, abrasive metal. Some of the most strength and punch is found in the first and title track of the album. VITRIOL’s screams (which are the best on the album) on that track give you an ample taste of whats to come. There are no deadspots in the entire album. It’s the epitome of “No Bullshit.” This album and AN in general is the metal equivalent of a rabid pitbull bearing down on you. If I had to describe this album in one word… Ferocious. No doubt about it.

One of the other parts of this album that I find to be remarkable is the variation of sound. Frequently when a band that falls under that “Extreme” genre a lot of their songs and albums will sound exactly the same. This is not true of Anaal Nathrakh. While they don’t throw in acoustic tracks like Opeth, they have enough variation in their song writing for each song to be its own unique entity without venturing off into Progressive genre. For example, I have four favorite tracks on the album, the title track, More Of Fire Than Blood, The Lucifer Effect and Oil Upon The Sores Of Lepers. While the parts of the equation are similar if not the same in each song, the final product comes out different. For me, thats a huge accomplishment. Being able to keep your style but keep songs varied is something that not many bands have achieved and Anaal Nathrakh does it perfectly.

If you’re a fan of anything from Behemoth to Napalm Death, Belphegor to Pig Destoyer, this album is for you. As are all of AN’s albums. While they may be one of the more obscure and unknown bands around these days, its for reasons I cannot fathom because when all is said and done, Anaal Nathrakh’s career has boasted some truly amazing titles and In The Constellation Of The Black Widow is right up there at the top. It’s also right around the top of the list for best albums of 2009.

AMAZING

Top Tracks: In The Constellation Of The Black Widow, The Lucifer Effect, More Of Fire Than Blood, Oil Upon The Sores Of Lepers

Similar Artists: Mistress, Behemoth, Napalm Death