The complaints have always been the same for too long when it comes to extreme metal.
How can you tell the difference between some of these bands? Can you even read their logo? Why does it all sound similar to one another? Don't get me wrong, I've seen and heard more bands than I'd like to admit that I wish had put more effort in or didn't bother releasing music.
Still, there are also rare times when a band seems to always come at a new record with clear intentions of staying true to themselves while also forging new sonic territory as musicians and songwriters.
Five years after their LP, As Was, Black Anvil has made another powerful statement with their latest record, Regenesis.
I've followed the band for over a decade now largely because you can't pigeonhole them and they are clear in how they want to present their vision as a band. With a sound pulled from a disparate pool of influences ranging from bands like KISS, Celtic Frost, Von, and others; you can't predict what will happen next, and I think both Black Anvil and black metal as a genre are better for it.
An immediate favorite of mine on the record is "NYC Nightmares," which features guest vocals by Danny Diablo or Ezec as some of you who read No Echo may know him if you're familiar with bands like Skarhead, Crown of Thornz, and The Wilding Incident. P, vocalist and bassist of Black Anvil, has a harsh howl as well as a controlled and strong clean vocal that mixes well with Diablo's vocal delivery.
Their vocal contrast is what makes it fit perfectly on a track that has the bass in the forefront in a way not common to my ears in black metal that I'm greatly enjoying.
Starting their first full US tour in a few years on November 3rd with Cannibal Corpse, Dark Funeral, and Immolation; Black Anvil is coming out swinging and ready to present Regenesis as a statement on both who they have always been and how they have progressed as a band.
Get It
- Season of Mist (LP, CD, bundles)
Tagged: black anvil
