ANIMA MORTE
"Face the Sea of Darkness" CD
Dead Beat Media 2007
Review from Unholycult.com
http://www.unholycult.com/Anima_Morte.html
(Album of the Week 1-7-14-2008)
Those
of you that routinely go to the music section to
listen to a few song samples while reading the album
of the week review are probably a tad shocked to
hear Anima Morte, a band not playing Metal. But
those that are aficionados for Italian horror flicks
featuring tasty cannibalism, yellow-jacketed pulp
fiction turned cinematic Giallo by influence of
Dario Argento, or zombies rising from a tub drained
of its brackish water will not be surprised to hear
'Face the Sea of Darkness,' an album inspired by
the musical arrangements found in those types of
films.
Anima
Morte isn't music meant to be pigeon holed, in that
it is filled with a convoluted substance that belies
the slasher flick ambiance. In other words, the
instrumentals found on 'Face the Sea of Darkness'
can be appreciated by all listeners just on the
basis of inventive diversity. Most exceptional is
the bands ability to create a simple melodic riff
that seemingly blankets the 70's progressive rock
complexity. Flashes of jazz piano slither in minutia,
electric guitar is brilliantly distorted enough
to convey gigantic heavy notes, acoustic guitar
is portentously heart wrenching, and bass is beautifully
prominent with a timely funky dynamism or contemplative
lurch that matches the drums in ghostly movements.
Choral passages are eerie and songs have powerful
hooks that present a level of musical anxiety, like
watching a killer stalk prey.
The
overall use of keyboards (It would surprise me to
learn they are using organ, piano, Mellotron, and
Moog synthesizer) is extraordinary in its ability
to express suffering or dramatic seconds of tragedy
musically in much the same fashion as hypnotic cinematography
trailing blood garishly spotting a marbled floor.
Other passages in songs have the keyboards weaving
an almost mawkish 70's disco psychedelia balanced
against a progressive rock vibe, which creates a
mysteriously thrilling aura. Most awesome is that
massive organ, whose keys are hammered and seemingly
held down in deliciously dexterous moments of climax,
like watching a murderer stab a victim through a
sultry white dress.
'Face
the Sea of Darkness' is a CD embodying a smattering
of Goblin with Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and a
hint of progressive era Genesis to create Anima
Morte, a band ingeniously capable of crafting music
that is spooky and thought provoking. Moreover,
the smart people at Dead Beat Media have essentially
fused forward thinking with a glimmer of retrospective
by putting out Anima Morte, for this is music that
hearkens to the 70's and 80's where the art of film
was bound in equilibrium to music's ability to create
tension, terror, drama, and pathos. Unfortunately,
seeing most of today's rehashed lowbrow horror films
is like watching a sports highlight reel featuring
beautiful teenagers splattered by killers while
Nu-Metal or Metalcore dubiously jams in the background.
Being
a horror film fan is not necessary for listeners
to enjoy or even love 'Face the Sea of Darkness.'
The music is brilliantly retro but intoxicatingly
modern. Arrangements are near genius, and the production
is stellar thereby enhancing the suggestion of supernatural
homicide. The mix is robust in that it gives all
the instruments their cohesive space. But best of
all is the fact that Anima Morte is band whose music
is layered with enough complexity that it never
grows tiresome to hear. Despite its late 2007 release
date, 'Face the Sea of Darkness' is certainly one
of the best recordings of the year past, but the
reality is that its sheer brilliance is timeless.
By Mike Lidia
ANIMA
MORTE
"Face the Sea of Darkness" CD
Dead Beat Media 2007
Review from http://www.metalteamuk.net
Anima
Morte have followed things up with their debut album
which is the first release from Dead Beat Media
who are a subsidiary of the Razorback hive. This
should certainly have you in no doubt that it is
a project that comes bloodthirstily approved as
the people behind that label certainly know a good
gore score when they hear one.
In
perspective though, you do not have to be a splatter
aficionado to appreciate this. The creepy musical
constructions are purely instrumental and rely heavily
on the progressive rock structures of the likes
of Goblin who are widely respected as the innovators
of the genre (read the Claudio Simonetti interview
here for more information).
Indeed
the nail is hit well and truly into the head here
as ‘He Who Dwells In Darkness’ illustrates.
There is a maudlin and dismal air of futility and
hopelessness running through the downbeat melody
here, one that really is reminiscent of Riz Ortolani’s
main theme from Cannibal Holocaust. The track is
however bolstered by cascading keys with a real
70s’ flavour about them and the more forceful
Goblinesque bombast behind the numbers driving force.
‘Rise
Again’ has that ghostly chanting choral behind
it that summons images of skeletal hands thrusting
out of decayed earth to grab the ankle of the unsuspecting
(and incessantly screaming) soon to be dismembered
victim. The prog laden flurries race ever forward,
on to deaths delirium expelling one hell of a hook
laden rhythm, which will take you over like a zombie
flesh wound. ‘Devoid Of a Soul’ is a
feast that will have beards stroked and the likes
of King Crimson and ELP mentioned with fond reminiscence.
Knowing
when to inject a sense of pathos into the mix we
are presented with ‘Wandering’ which
does just that in tribute to the likes of Ennio
Morricone as an intrepid doomed investigator finds
themselves hopelessly lost in a labyrinth of despair.
Whilst the musicianship here is oft complex the
themes are in essence simple and compelling and
this is why things work so well. I could certainly
envisage Anima Morte actually taking things to the
next level and scoring an Italian movie like those
from the font they worship. Unfortunately there
are so few genre survivors, Argento is the exception,
Deodata is still alive and there is always Lamberto
Bava and it’s high time Michele Soavi made
another movie so who knows, they may get a chance.
In the meantime if you are looking for some vintage
blood, the well overfloweth, drink deep.
http://www.myspace.com/animamorte
http://www.animamorte.com
http://www.livingdeadbeat.net
Pete Woods
