Album Review: Anubis Gate – Horizons

Anubis Gate – Horizons
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Nightmare Records

You know that moment when you just love a band so fucking much but nobody you know is really aware of them, they don’t get any attention in your home country, yet they make some of the best fucking music you have ever heard? Well, that is exactly how I feel about Anubis Gate. Anubis Gate’s 2011 self-titled fifth album completely blew me away upon the first listen and quickly and very easily became one of my favorite albums of 2011. This year Anubis Gate released Horizons. How did it do? From the minute the opening song “Destined to Remember” filled my ears, the melodic guitar playing and soulful and powerful vocals of singer/bassist Henrik Fevre just swept me out of my chair and pulled me into the song. Much like the 2011 album, they opened with a super strong song that completely set the pace and tone of this album.

One of the things I love so much about Anubis Gate is that they don’t feel compelled to confine themselves within the boxed stereotype of being a progressive metal band. Anubis Gate wears so many different influences and styles upon their sleeves and they are not afraid to dip into them. One moment they’ll be doing a Lacuna Coil inspired song such as “Hear My Call” and the next they’ll combine elements of thrash metal and industrial metal on “Revolution Come Undone.” The highlight of of Horizons for me is the song “Airways.” It’s here on “Airways” where Anubis Gate manages to take elements of The Doors, Pink Floyd, Genesis, and even a touch of Yes in there for good measure and combine them all in one cohesive song. I must have listened to this song 3 times just to take it all in.

The 14 minute epic “A Dream Within A Dream” is what I would imagine Dream Theater (and nearly every other over indulgent prog metal band) could sound like if they would just let go of all their pretentions, their over indulgent wankery, and just focus on making a really fantastic listening experience that doesn’t lose the listener. This is such a gorgeous song with so many layers and so much melody. It’s an epic done right. “Erasure” closes the album out sounding a bit like a Blind Melon kind of melancholy acoustic intro only to develop and grow into a kind of Pink Floyd-esque progressive piece. Closing with this one was such a brilliant move as it felt as if the door had been left slightly ajar as opposed to completely closing it up.  I love it when an album has me wanting more and this album definitely did just that.

Anubis Gate once again proved to be without a doubt my favorite progressive metal band and I can say that with all honesty. In a genre where bands spend so much time flexing their speed, their skills, and their abilities, it’s so fucking refreshing to hear a band actually pay attention to the importance of song structure that engages as opposed to boring me. Horizons is a brilliant progressive metal masterpiece that is easy to grasp onto and easy to love. One listen to this band and you’ll find your new favorite band I just know it.

 

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