Review Summary: Anubis Gate's best album.
Anubis Gate’s music has the tendency to be extremely cheesy. A prog power metal band to the core, their music consists of what one would expect: technical skills, time signature toying, powerful melodies, and long songs. The result is a ridiculously dramatic soundscape that borders on epic. Their last album,
The Detached, emphasized their theatric nature, but pressed it so emphatically that the band seemed obsessed with all things cheesy. After such a silly album, it really seemed like they wouldn’t be able to recover. They had reached new levels of terribleness by tooting their horn in the dark, doing everything they could to create unapproachable music. The question after listening to the album was this: would Anubis Gate drop their self-centered attitude and compose accessible music? Thankfully, Anubis Gate have heard our cries for mercy, and have released their best album yet. Let’s hope it’s not their last.
Unlike any of their previous albums,
Anubis Gate is delicately, and tastefully played. Heavy riffs are definitely in the album, but
Anubis Gate somehow doesn’t feel like a metal album. It drifts along from song to song without a care in the world, and nudges the listener on to experience a euphoric trip recalling good times. The album seems content with being the lazy haze of the morning, with spacey, melodic intent. This is what the band have always tried to do, but this time they’ve finally nailed it. It’s a lucid dream that brings you directly into the center of space, a relaxing sensation that never bores.
Those who would say “it’s just a prog metal album” are clearly missing the point. The band isn’t showing off their technical skills, they are using them for the betterment of song writing. There’s a seven minute, eight minute, and even a nine minute long song, yet the album never drags. It’s a tricky thing to do considering the band’s more laid back approach to metal, but they have successfully created an engaging album.
Also interesting is the new vocalist, who significantly cuts the cheese down to tiny scraps. The previous vocalist had a very power metal oriented vocal approach, and it did get tiresome sometimes. However, even with a new vocalist,
Anubis Gate is still the complete opposite of what
The Detached was: blatant, and unintentionally silly. Their space and middle eastern fetishes still exist, but not in such a way that their music sounds like Anubis having sex with an Ewok. Anubis Gate have finally mastered the art of progressive metal.
