I’d never heard of grind hardcore n roll before. This is the genre attributed to Anorak, who have been around since 2005. I suppose what they’re saying is that there’s a fusion of styles.
What I detected to start with was something post metal in nature. “I’ve never been …” has that hypnotic drum beat and the searing vocals. What it doesn’t have is the tendency towards introspective, cloudy gloom. This album is as in your face as it gets. The energy is intense. There is sophistication, so we’re treated to exotic drum patterns and moody guitars at the start of “…part of you”. But hanging around simply isn’t what Anorak do and before too long we’re embroiled in frantic intensity. The overriding emotion is anger. This is a very exciting journey. Each track has its own qualities, which evidently have been carefully thought through. “Deserve your Meat” is a controlled riot of cascading noise, anguished vocals and hammering brutality. Yet in spite of being extreme at its core, there is great structure and richness arising from the dark progressions within the song. The two which follow have a more post metal air. “Empty Bottle of a Full Life” is tense and dangerous, blending its punchy and imperious guitar work and led by a forceful drum beat which simply isn’t going to take “no” for an answer. “Horror for Trance” is more along the lines of hardcore extremity but as always there’s that beguiling rhythm and drum beat, which make this album such a magnetic experience to listen to. The old track which I didn’t warm to was the two-parted “Red Cellar”, which starts with a sludgy section which didn’t really go anywhere, and as part 2 emerges, there’s a brief old-fashioned metal riff which seems to have no context. Unlike its predecessors, “Red Cellar” was anarchy and extremity for the sake of it. The trend towards noisecore continues with “Backlack” and the final track “Vain”, which combines noise with post metal, technical intricacy and industrial eccentricity, thus ending the album nicely.
It’s a skill to combine extremity with intricate technical patterns, and this band has it. Anorak work across boundaries. Total energy and intensity are used to supplement a rich and explosive musical experience, which kept me on my toes. Imagine the polar opposite of a quiet, lazy Sunday morning and you’re in the world of Anorak.
(8/10 Andrew Doherty)
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