Review Summary: Close your eyes and become a part of something greater than yourself.
In a world where everything seems a bit too rigid, too orderly, and too defined, one might find oneself wishing for a simpler, freer, experience of existence. Something more spiritually engaging, something that lets the mind--and further, the soul--breathe and grow. For those eager souls searching, Anilah’s debut record,
Warrior is the answer to that quest.
Featuring only four tracks spread across thirty six minutes,
Warrior wastes no time initiating the listener in various forms of ritual. Through the voice of Dréa Drury the listener is given quick glimpses into different worlds of ritual and worship, ranging from the seemingly drug-induced, incense-filled chanting of “Calling the Others” to the more earth-bound Native American spiritual healing that is “Medicine Chant.” Through its four movements, Anilah takes the listener on a journey melding Native American ritual with eastern shamanism, allowing--if only for a brief moment--one to transcend time and location to truly experience the spiritualism and ritual of cultures long gone by.
Throughout the record, Drury’s humming and chanted vocals act as focal points, but it is her use of synthesizers, chimes, tribal instruments, and other effects that are equally important in creating the truly spiritual nature of her music. While her voice is truly entrancing by itself, the excellently placed tribal instruments and percussion allow the power of the music to be taken to an entirely new level--by the album’s completion, images of dancing ancients should still fill the imagination of the listener, Drury’s layered voice still echoing across one’s psyche.
Anilah’s debut is not simply a listening experience; it is a spiritual journey. It is the exorcism of one’s mind to an ethereal plane. Indulge yourself. Become one with the universe for a time. Stand up and chant and dance just as your ancestors did as they marveled at the majesty of the universe. Celebrate the glory of the sun, the moon, the stars, the mysterious arm of Milky Way itself. If only for a moment, break away from the binding, formulaic world of today, and become part of something greater.
