ANUBIS GATE: Covered In Black (PROGRESSIVE METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Anubis Gate is a fan of a racy, powerful and melodic progressive metal, and regularly offers a new album to a relatively small but demanding audience. The Danes remain on a high esteem with a "Horizons" that has received only positive criticism. "Covered in Black", third album under the Nightmare Records label, proposes continue the journey with a stable team since 5 years, which has found the sound that suits it.

While being in continuity, Anubis Gate is looking to evolve his music from album to album. We are still in quite melodious prog metal but the subject is getting more intense and darker. Where melodic metal could sometimes be touched in the past, "Covered In Black" is a little more powerful, full of ideas and presents itself as a more compact block with a more dense sound than its predecessor.

Thus, from the very beginning with "Psychotopia", we are immersed in the psychotic meanders of a being abandoned and sinking into madness. Everything contributes to immerse the listener in a shell marked both by madness and spatial delirium. Henrik Fevre's voice modulates perfectly and the instrumental track is very well realized, first with softness and then forcing in intensity. "Covered in Black" is not a concept album but revolves around a theme, that of people in a dark, uncomfortable situation. Thus, after the evocation of mental illness, the figure of the murderer is approached with the abuses of social networks. The music perfectly serves this theme by exploring various atmospheres that are most often sustained and rich: almost caricatured prog rhythms on 'Black', an oriental atmosphere on 'The New Delhi Assassination' and 'Operation Cairo', a heavier and more classical metal on 'Blacker'. The band also demonstrates its willingness to make its music accessible, with neat and very pleasant melodies.

"Covered In Black" is a real success but does not yet have all the qualities to make Anubis Gate one of the leading names in prog metal. The density and perfectionism displayed may be a barrier for most people. However, it would be a shame to miss this very good progressive metal album. - Official website

ANUBIS GATE

COVERED IN BLACK

NIGHTMARE

PROGRESSIVE METAL