7/20/09... Album Review #6: "In the Constellation of the Black Widow" by Anaal Nathrakh

These are times when we must fight together, side by side, to stop the spread of evil in our times. And it won't be over till it's over, no, it's we who will decide that it won't be over till we have all died.

Artist: Anaal Nathrakh

Album: "In the Constellation of the Black Widow"

Review: 5 STARS!!!( no shit)

This album is amazing. It's been a great run of metal albums out this summer( of 2009) from Mastadon, Nightrage, Goatwhore, Divine Heresy, Suffocation and others. But this offering from Anaal Nathrakh takes the cake( satan cake). This album is pure insanity. Less than a handful of times since I heard the self-titled Slipknot album on the day it came out years ago have I sported an instantly dropped jaw and cringed with fear.( "Flight of the Wounded Locust" by The Locust and "Terrifyer" by Pig Destroyer are notable exceptions)...

You've heard plenty of metal screaming... but that has become an artform. FUCK ART!!!! art is for the weak and disabled of spirit... THIS GUY IS JUST LITERALLY RANTING!!!! JUST MAKING THE LOUDEST SOUND THAT HIS MOUTH CAN MAKE!!!... There's only 2 guys so I guess they both sing... sometimes they sound like Hall and Oates too///////////// And the lyric and song ideas are fantastic... for example "Blood Eagles Carved on the Backs of Innocents" or "Oil Upon the Sores of Lepers"... can you sense a theme?

But these guys are actually really good. It helps that this is one of the only bands in Black Metal who care about proper production and engineering. Chaos can be controlled and still be chaotic. While this album is frightening, it does not cause the listener to feel that they're serving penitence while listening as would normally go along with the semi-masochistic ethos of suburban Black Metal fans. There are some mondo-awesome choruses on this record where( exactly like the Beatles) the song-title is also the entire chorus...

This album is fun for the entire fukking family... if your family routinely clubs baby seals and drinks the blood of the innocent.