AN – Revelation I – World Minus Population / Heil Life! 2005 Promo
I’ve got to once again praise the Finnish black metal scene, for that hemisphere of the globe always offers the most strangely unique bands in this genre to pollute the airwaves with hateful and sincere music. AN are the proponents of the complete annihilation of mankind and they present those beliefs on “Revelation I – World Minus Population” which features 6 tracks of well produced and twisted black metal. The vocals are at the forefront of this mix and for good reason… an inhuman deep croaking delivery actually allows the lyrics to be comprehended, only for the singer to break his performance up by switching into a sickening gurgled snarl at the back of his throat that sounds like he’s choking on a blood clot. The vocals are completely unique and give this album a genuinely dark vibe that is further capitalized on by the mid-paced, drone conscious nature of their music. Polluted notes swirl into movements of depression that walk the line between a coherent dissonance and a great musical appreciation for the ancient atmosphere of Scandinavian blackness. Mix all of this together with very well considered dark/death ambient pieces and you have an even more noticeable level of originality and skill at AN’s disposal. Most of the time it seems that metal bands have a very 2 dimensional idea on how dark ambient should be, but AN have created some incredibly warm and moving pieces that exist perfectly on their own, and offer some dense underlying atmospherics when they allow this element to interact with the actual metal songs. When the sequences fade, AN continue the synth accompaniment with some of the most well placed keyboards and vocal samples that I’ve heard in quite some time. “Revelation I – World Minus Population” is easily my pick for best album of the update simply for AN’s seemingly effortless creativity and chilling conviction as they offer their own unique blend of atmospheric black metal to the dying world.
Also in this package was “Heil Life!”, a 4 song promotional CDR to give us a glimpse into the newer material from this mysterious Finnish entity. The electronics have taken on more of a harsh and ugly nature and even though the production values are a not as smooth as the full-length, the material strikes me just as misanthropic and well written. AN are working with a few more tempo variations to keep their attack from growing tiresome. The riff ideas on “Heil Life!” are also noticeably more developed as impressive guitar harmonies produce a depressive, though triumphant sounding aura to envelope the track “Hyperanacidy” with a proud movement of memorable melody. Listening to this CDR on headphones really unlocks the subtle guitar layers and further impresses me at the depth of AN’s musical vision of genocide. More interesting genre cross pollination can be found on “Recycled” as AN approach their synth accompaniment with open minded sequences that feature rising and falling noises which are distracting and creative. It’s like they are trying to cause the listener discomfort as they finish the rest of us off with a blasting dissonance during the climax of the song to symbolize the fall of a million atomic bombs. Humans are filth and AN are our redemption by painful persecution. I’m anxiousl awaiting the next monument from this oddly named band. – Marty
PLAGUE PRODUCTIONS
Worm Gear 