Without a doubt their best release, The Conductor's Departure marks the zenith of Anata's trademark style of Technical Death Metal, namely one focussing on dissonant harmonies and counterpoint melodies, involving even the bass, along with the twin guitars. The musicianship displayed on this album is phenomenal without resorting to self-indulgent levels like most bands that now saturate this genre. The emphasis here is squarely on the songwriting and composition, treating the listener's ears to musical experimentation not heard since the last two Gorguts albums. Curiously dissonant, yet strangely fitting harmonies run all through the album, representing major leaps in experimental exploration of dual-guitar harmony, without churning out the standard third or fifth intervals that are all too dominant in metal in general. There is also heavy usage of counterpoint, some in true classical style, while others composed in pure avant-garde spirit. The Conductor's Departure also manages to sound completely organic and genuine, while maintaining dizzying the standards of technicality that define the genre. Lastly, the lyrical concepts are fairly atypical of death metal, venturing into topics of loss, hope, religious renunciation (but a far cry from the ridiculous blasphemy that one usually expects) and are generally quite poetic and eloquent. All this is bolstered by a flawless production, that gives every instrument ample room to breathe and display its dynamics, while still retaining a heavy low and mid range punch.
Technical/progressive death metal at its finest.
4.5/5 |
